TOPAMAX Reviews (TOPIRAMATE)Average Rating: 3.0 (1824 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare TOPAMAX with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken longest to shortest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 |
More on TOPAMAX: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR TOPAMAX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 4 | Nerve Pain/Chronic Back Pain | When I started but went away- constipation, upset stomach, slurred speech, mood swings. Still have - mental fog (not just from Topamax though), weight loss (yeah) | My mental fog problems isn't just from the Topamax, I have other health problems that causes it. I had started Topamax last June with 25 mg & slowly increased it up to 100mg. I'm now being increased to 300 mg. I had several of the same side effects that others listed but most went away. Has really helped with my back pain. I can now function. The weight loss has been awesome!!!! | F | 33 | 11 months | 5/5/2008 | 4 | Migraine | Confusion, forgetting names (even people I know well), fatigue, tingling - especially in bottoms of feet, weight loss (20#), vivid dreams. | I have had only one migraine headache and no migraine spells (numbness in hands/face, speech trouble, etc.) since starting Topamax 11 months ago. My only headache was 2 days after I forgot a dose. Before starting Topamax my 1-2 migraines a year since college had increased to 4-6 a month (perhaps a peri- menopausal thing?). I take only 25 mg/day at bedtime and came to this site looking for info on experiences with low doses (I found some entries around 6/07). My doctor was surprised this dose worked for me and that I didn't increase as directed but I don't take other meds and what I know about this one is scary. I had a bad steroid psychosis reaction years ago and am especially afraid of the mood change side effects. I asked my partner to read the side effects & watch for any ununusual signs. From reading others' experiences I am guessing higher doses would not work well for me. I am not going to take more than 25mg if I am not getting migraines. If they do come back I will pr | F | 46 | 11 months | 10/4/2007 | 3 | Depression | No appetite; weight loss; inability to think of the "right" way to say something; lack of motivation; foods taste strange (soda); dizziness; increased hair loss; increased sun sensitivity; tingling/numbness in extremities; muscle weakness; acne; low white blood cell count | Am unsure whether these side effects are Topamax-related because I also take Cymbalta and Wellbutrin, but the weight loss (size 6 to size 2) was so sudden and obvious that I know the Topamax caused it. Now my hair is falling out in bunches and I've decided with all of the other side effects, this is just unacceptable. I really have no idea whether it helped my depression because I take two other meds. I guess if I stop taking it and "crash" then I'll reevaluate. This summer I had a bad mouth infection and am wondering whether my low blood cell count prevented 3 different kinds of antibiotics from knocking it out. Eventually, the oral surgeon just had to dig out the infection from the bone and pull one of my teeth. Not sure if I'd recommend Topamax for depression -- perhaps if you've tried everything else through the years (like I have) and you still feel like crap all of the time. | F | 36 | 11 months | 9/9/2007 | 2 | migraines | hand/foot numbness in the first few weeks (mostly subsided, still comes around sometimes), difficulty concentrating & depressed (also subsided after first month), alcohol intolerance, food taste changes (now unable to drink anything carbonated), weight loss (15 lbs), diarrhea, reduced sweating/frequent overheating when exercising (just discovered this is a side effect this summer when running outside), dry mouth, increased cramps during menstrual cycle | Unfortunately I'm still getting 4-5 migraines a month -- I'm taking this in conjunction with Imitrex & Excedrin, so anytime I feel one coming, I take that and it seems to usually go away. Possibly considering going off the medication and JUST using those two since I have so many side effects still. | F | 24 | 11 months | 7/29/2007 | 1 | seizure | Extreme sadness/depression-the worst I've ever experienced in my entire life. I never knew a medicine could do that to a person. THIS MEDICINE SHOULD HAVE A BLACK BOX WARNING ON IT. IT IS DANGEROUS. Memory problems, problems recalling words, problems with math (remembering how to do algebra for tests, etc.)Saying innapropriate things, weird thoughts, back pain, severe mestrual cramps, joint pain, eye twitches. | Topamax should have a Black Box warning on it-the strongest warning the FDA puts on any medication.In my opnion, it is a dangerous drug. On November 29, 2009, I had my first and only seizure. I was standing in front of my suitcase packing and the next thing I remeber is waking up in an ambulance, disoriented, vomiting and crying. I had no idea where I was or what had happened to me. I was 42 years old at the time, with no personal or family history of seizures or epilepsy. They did some preliminary testing-bloodwork and a CT scan at the hospital. When I got home, I began seeing a neurologist and had an EEG, MRI, and more blood work. I had none of the markers of epilepsy and was not diagnosed with epilepsy. My doctor, an elderly man in his late 70's told me I had "abnormal brain waves" and that I needed to go on anti-seizure medicine. He wanted to put me on Keppra and I said how about Topamax (only knowing that it suppresed one's appetite). If only I knew then what I know now! Hindsight is 20-20, as the saying goes! He told me I would be on it for the rest of my life. I didn't drive for three full months. I started out slow, titrating up my dosage. I was supposed to work up to 200 mg in the morning and at night, but when I got to 75 mg AM and PM, that was too much for me. The cognitive/memory side effects were terrible. I often couldn't retrieve words. This was really bad as I am a college student. I have a 4.00 GPA that I have worked really hard | F | 43 | 11 months 50am/75pm 2X day | 10/17/2010 | 1 | Migraines | Tingling in hands and feet. Numb tongue. Brain fog. Kidney stones. | F | 34 | 11 months 100mg | 5/9/2017 | 5 | chronic back pain, DDD | dry mouth, loss of appetite, tingling in the face and hands, weight loss, tastes changed, grogginess... | I have degenerative disc disorder, facet joint arthritis, sciatica, and needless to say, chronic back pain. Since i try to stay away from Narcotics for every day use, and Topomax helped me SOOOOO much. It didnt take all of the pain away, but it took a substantial edge off, which made it easier for day to day life. I lost my appetite, and some sweet things didn't taste the same, soda, candy...I lost some weight on Topomax, which is always benificial, especially with back problems. Unfortunately, the dosage had to be increased every 2 months or so as my body got used to it...and since the medication had more and more adverse side effects the higher you went (it is an anti-psychotic after all...), my dr. didnt want me taking over 200 mg. So, once that dosage stopped working, i was wiened off the drug. Its too bad!!! It was a miracle worker for a while! | F | 24 | 10 months | 3/25/2008 | 5 | PTSD | I have lost weight and had the fogginess people talked about, but that passed. Overall this drug has helped me overcome my panic attacks and other things that come with PTSD. It's been a miracle, really. It's also great for migraines (which I have and it's also prescribed for.) I take it at night, but it doesn't make me drowsy. I have heard that it does make people drowsy, but not me it sometimes made me tingle in the mornings - so I now take it at night. I do notice if I miss a dose, I get tingly hands and things.. that's one disadvantage, but certainly not enough to make me want to stop it. If you notice any hair loss, ask your doctor about Biotin. I started taking that and it's helped a lot. I noticed more hair breakage than anything, but my hair is really thick. This drug is one drug that has helped me face my trauma and get through the days. I fought through the tingles and the fogginess for a few weeks and now it's great! I'd say that lasted 4-6 weeks or so, in the end.. totall | F | 26 | 10 months 300 mg 1X day | 7/31/2011 | 5 | Neuropathy and head injury migraine | Hair falling out, hair is dry and brittle, numbness and tingling in hands and feet, tired, no appetite, no sex drive, stomach irritation, there are side effects but the benefits outweigh them. | F | 38 | 10 months 300mg day | 6/20/2013 | 5 | prevention of migraine headaches | slight tingling in fingers and toes, usually one once ot twice a day, diet coke (with caffeine) tasted very flat, occassional loss of words loss of appetiite | I started with 25 mg. dosage for 1 month, increased to 50 mg for 2 weeks, but found that I go back to 25 mg and it waas fine. I have not had a migraine since 2 weeks after I started taking it. I have now completely given up caffeine, and have lost 13 lbs. in 10 weeks since I started on Topamax. Tension headaches now only come about once every 2-3 weeks, and do not develop into a migraine for me like before, and Excedrin takes care of them quickly. This drug has worked well for me at 25 mg. dose. | F | 45 | 10 months | 2/17/2007 | 5 | Fibromyalgia-related chronic pain | I had pins and needles side effects sometimes, but if I took vitamin B-6, it went away. I also lost 40 lbs. over 6 months, which was great because I needed to lose it, plus a lot more. The only bad side effect I've noticed is that I've been unable to have an orgasm. Now I am ready to come off of this medicine, but only for that reason. Will discuss this with my doctor on next visit. | It greatly diminished my chronic pain from fibromyalgia. Also made my muscle cramps and spasms go away totally. All this on a somewhat | F | 45 | 10 months | 6/14/2004 | 5 | migraines | weightloss | F | 35 | 10 months | 5/5/2004 | 4 | migraine prevention | sleepiness and tingling in feet which went away after a couple weeks. Lack of appetite which resulted in 20 lb weight loss. | used a pill splitter to go up 12.5 mg a day rather than 25 mg. After 2 months at 100 mg/day my chronic daily headache plus weekly migraine is gone. It was worth titrating up slowly and putting up with side effects for a time. Also suffer from PTSD. On 20 mg Prozac for years which has helped but Topamax surprised me. It seems to prevent dissociated states/triggering from stress. I had none of the cognitive side effects and flattened personality reported here. In fact I experience clearer thinking and brighter mood. Back down to 25 mg a day since I don't like taking drugs, this holds off the migraines and is a mood stabilizer for me. | F | 47 | 10 months | 6/23/2007 | 4 | bi polar | Carbonated drinks especially beer taste bad. Other than that I'm much easier to get along with at work and home. | M | 34 | 10 months 75 | 4/7/2013 | 4 | Headaches, seizures | Severe weight loss, tingling in hands and feet, memory loss, unable to find words, mood swings | Although most of my side effects don't sound so great, things have improved. I have stopped having seizures, which were scaring the pants off my child, headaches are almost completely gone, the tingling in my feet and hands subsided after about a month, and mood swings are also a thing of the past...all these things go away once the medication is regulated. I still have problems gaining weight and with memory. I'm debating on whether or not I should speak to my neurologist about lowering my dosage...but when I have my appointment, I forget to bring these things up...ha ha, little head-humor there :o) | F | 33 | 10 months | 11/14/2005 | 4 | combined migraine/tension headaches | At 100 mg daily- tingling in hands, slight dizziness, temporarily feeling in a "fog" or out of it, difficulty finding the right word, extreme appetite decrease. After 4 months I lost 20lbs, then slowly appetite increased and weight came back to normal level, all other side effects ceased after a few weeks. | After ten months, increased dose to 125mg because headaches came back, and I became nauseated, soda tasted flat, felt very out of it and mentally incompetant, didn't want to trust myself driving my car, and I was shaking a lot. I am able to go to school (college), and function, but I am hoping these effects normalize soon. | F | 21 | 10 months | 9/14/2006 | 4 | migraines | Started taking 25mg once a day last year. In the beginning, I had tingling in my feet and a weird metallic taste in my mouth from time to time. Raging appetite and then I would lose my appetite all of a sudden after I sat down to eat. I lost about 10 pounds after I was on it for a few months. I also had a lot of anxiety that easily turned into panic attacks. My doctor ended up starting me on Zoloft and that has worked for me for 10 months. I have had more frequent migraines- my doctor increased my Topamax dose to 25mg BID and after one extra dose I am DIZZY!! I hope this goes away soon because it is annoying. | F | 31 | 10 months 25 1X day | 9/27/2011 | 4 | Migraine | Tingling/numbness in hands and feet, weight loss (~10%), loss of appetite, taste perversion / odd taste in mouth, trouble with "word finding" and spelling, lethargy | Reduced migraine frequency to less than 1x/mo, but these side effects have not been unproblematic. At the moment I prefer them to basically being struck down randomly 3-8x per month by migraine, as does my thankfully accomodating employer, but in other situations in might be preferable to be at closer to 100% mental performance on my non-migraine days and just have to deal with the prospect of having to lose those migraine days when they come. As someone who is a part-time graduate student, and to whom intelligence (expressed in terms of verbal and written communication) was a very important part of my identity, it has been difficult adjusting to "the stupids". But on balance I have decided to stick with it. | M | 28 | 10 months 75mg 1X day | 8/5/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling only when exercising or upping my dose. Possible abdominal pain, brain fog, lost words, weight loss, hair loss, ear ringing | I began to use Topamax close to a year ago for severe migraines that occured 2-3 times a week that last each lasted 1-3 days each. Imitrex was used to treat them, however it didn't always take care of them. I started out on 25 mg of Topamax, moving up 25mg about 4-6 wks out, once migraines would begin to reappear. It has dramatically changed my life migraine wise, however it has been an adjustment with the loss of words, and the slower brain. I am naturally a small person 5'2" and have struggled to maintain a healthy weight as I was a healthy weight before, I lost about 8 lbs. I have tinnititis from previous ear damage, so the additional ringing can get annoying, when it is quiet in my house, sometimes it feels like I can hear Cicadas outside in the trees all day long!! I think the one thing that has bothered me the most is the hair loss. I had a thick head of hair, and this past winter due to snow storms I had to up my dose twice in a short period of time due to the pressures. Everytime I wash my hair (everyother day), I lose about a handfull of hair. I do not have any "baby" hairs growing, and my hair is just getting thinner and thinner. I feel like I am getting really down this winter, and worry about depression, which seems to be a common theme on this blog. This drug has been a lifesaver, and you have to weigh the good against the bad, I cannot bear living with these migraines again knowing how I feel now, but looking at the other options out th | F | 41 | 10 months | 1/30/2010 | 4 | Migraine Prevention | Dizziness/Faint, Nausea, Extreme Joint Pain, Muscle Spasms, Headache, Complete Loss of Appetite, Dry Mouth, Loss of Concentration, Word Loss, Memory Failure, Spaced Out | My dosage was upped too much too quickly and my body couldnt handle it. I'm now only on 30mg per day and even on this low dose I am affected by a multitude of side effects. Topamax has however been amazing for decreasing the frequency of my migraines so I will stick with it | F | 20 | 10 months 15mg 2X day | 10/22/2013 |