TOPAMAX Reviews (TOPIRAMATE)Average Rating: 3.0 (1824 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare TOPAMAX with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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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 |
| 5 | Migraines | Minor weight loss, mental slowness, memory loss, thursty all the time (however this ensures I get my 8 glasses a day!), irritable | this medicine does mess with your head and some days are better than others but chronic migraines do the same and are far worse. I used to get migraines lasting weeks at a time and would keep me from working for days. I still get migraines that break through every once in a while while taking this med but they aren't as intense as without meds. I have tried a dozen other drugs, side effects from topamax for me are much more manageable than other drugs. | F | 29 | 6 months 50 1X day | 3/1/2015 | 4 | Migraines | Cannot drink any carbonated beverages due to horrible taste, lost about 12 pounds in the very beginning which I think is due to switching from soda to water. | Topamax has really helped with my migraines, I was shocked to see all the terrible side effects on here. My boyfriend, his mom, aunt and my mom all take Topamax for various reasons and none of us have had any of these serious side effects. I think if you do start to have some side effects to mention it to your Dr. because every body is different and tolerates medication differently. | F | 24 | 6 months 100 1X day | 11/29/2015 | 4 | migraines | initial weight loss, eventually levels, tingling of the hands | different generics had completely different results. had to go on brand. mylan generic didn't work at all , | F | 40 | 6 months | 1/13/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Weight Loss, Slight memory loss, especially in terms of vocabulary, Mood swings | I was suffering from multiple daily migraines, and was prescribed this by a neurologist, as well as imitrex. After the first couple of weeks I immediately noticed the memory loss as well as the weight loss, though that was a small price to pay for living a pain free life. The pain was beyond description, so it comes down to how bad you want relief. Im very grateful to have been prescribed this, even if I do sound rather uneducated at times when I blank out during a conversation. Another thing i noticed was the first couple of weeks i started taking this, I would have mood swings where i would be depressed for no reason. I know it was a side effect of the medication because im not an emotional person, and its unlike me to be depressed like that. It went away though. Good luck. | M | 24 | 6 months | 10/26/2009 | 4 | Antidepressant | Hair loss..diarrhea..upset stomach....loss of interest in food...weight loss....increased thirst | F | 66 | 6 months 30 mg | 12/9/2019 | 4 | migraines | nausea, diarreaha, tingling in toes, weight loss, depression, food and soda taste weird, | I have been on this drug for about 6 months. I was 174 and I am down to 152 which is good, the side effects were not too bad but I feel it caused my severe depression. I am thinking of taking myself off the drug..my doctor has put me on lexapro for depression and wants me to stay on the topamax as well but for some reason I dont have a good feeling about it. I feel there will be something unbalanced. Worked wonders for my migraines though! | F | 26 | 6 months | 12/7/2007 | 4 | Bipolar disorder type II | rapid weight loss and constant appetite suppression, some word loss and a bit of mental confusion. lost 28 pounds in about 6 weeks. I've lost so much weight that the doctor's told me he'll take me off if I don't gain weight. I'm trying to gain weight back since it does work for my mood swings and these side effects are better than lamictal's acne and hair loss. So, if you are trying to lose weight and have bipolar disorder and have the summer off where you don't need to concentrate too much this is the drug for you. | Seriously, though it is a viable option in bipolar disorder. I use it in combo with Wellbutrin and trazadone at night to sleep and after many years i'm finally stable. I too wish that doctors would stop writing off this drug as ineffective for BP. Yes, there are some serious side effects. But just about every bipolar drug on the market has serious side effects. You just have to figure out which ones you can live with. Topamax made me forget words (only for awhile) and suppresses my appetite (that hasn't come back)but still works quite well in stabilizing my moods and is as effective as Lamictal which carries its own fun bag of side effects. | F | 35 | 6 months | 7/11/2006 | 4 | Cluster Headaches | Severe tingling hands, feet, at times up to the knees--feet occassionally blue. Ringing in ears. Difficulty finding words, poor memory, balance. Dry mouth, taste perversion. Absolutely no apetite. Some hair loss. Back and joint pain but do not know whether associated to Topamax. Now have had 2 severe attacks of diarrhea that could be linked to Topomax and now have a rash. Side effects appear to come in waves and cycles; not all at the same time. | Topamax is the only drug that has helped me with my cluster headaches. I was having up to 6 or more attacks in a 24 hour period. Normal analgesics do not relieve the pain of cluster headaches so we are absolutely reliant on preventative treastment. I am getting concerned now about the side effects--they seem to be building up and becoming more debilitating--in intend to start cutting my dosage down on a sliding scale from 200mg twice a day to 150mg twice a day and hope that my headaches remain at bay. They are cyclic in nature. We will see. | F | 63 | 6 months 200mg 2X day | 12/17/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Loss of interest in food, weight loss, carbonated beverages taste horrible, word finding problems | Completely lost interest in food, I can stare at cabinets and fridge full of food and just not want anything even when I'm hungry. I was 129 lbs size 4 now 112lbs size 0. However, I've had almost daily migraines since I was 13 and was taking pain meds 3-4 times a week to function. I haven't had a migraine in 6 months and I don't need pain meds anymore so to me losing weight, not drinking soda and not liking food that much are a small price to pay. | F | 29 | 6 months 50mg 2X day | 3/6/2011 | 4 | migraine/cluster headache | at first I had numbness in my fingers and toes, under the eyes, and lips. tiredness (but was ok since I took it at night), loss of menstrual period, carbonated beverages taste like metal...which is ok because they're full of calories anyway! | I had never had any problems at all until all of a sudden out of the blue I got migraines and visual disturbances like nobody's business. The Dr put me on Topamax gradually, and I experienced a lot of the initial side effects that a lot of people are posting on here...but with the gradual increase mine were very manageable, and if the "tingly fingers" became too much, my Dr. didn't increase my doseage as planned, but waited until my body was ready. We worked together to find my correct dosage, and are discussing my BMI (I'm a small framed woman) because I have lost some weight on the drug. He's concerned that I need to decrease the dose now that my side effects have diminished and I haven't had a headache in a couple of months. I really feel like my Topamax experience has been successful, not "perfect" -- because it's a try-it-until-you-find-what's-right-for-you kind of drug -- and my Dr. has been very clear about managing my side effects and NOT having me on any doseage that's causing me any impaired functions. I know everyone's experience is different, but I have been pleased with how my Dr. has handled mine. I know that it's not in our plan for me to stay on Topamax, but to gradually decrease until hopefully I don't need it anymore. Good luck to those searching for help! | F | 29 | 6 months 100mg 1X day | 6/6/2010 | 4 | IIH | I was prescribed Topamax because My stomach couldn't handle Diamox for IIH. For those of you reading this & unaware what this is (I wouldn't be aware if I didn't have it) that is a neuro condition in which my body overproduces spinal (csf) fluid and puts extra pressure on my brain causing a whole host of problems...the biggest is debilitating migraines. So, my neuro put me on Topamax and worked me up to my dose. I will admit, I did have a bit of trouble with some numbness & tingling while first adjusting to the medication, but this has since diminished. Secondly, I still have trouble with overheating a bit with exercise. However, those seem like such small things to overcome to me when I consider how much relief I've gotten & all that I've been able to get back since starting the med. | F | 24 | 6 months 200 | 11/7/2012 | 4 | Chronic Daily Headaches | Thought patterns are slow, sodas taste funny, low sex drive as well as tingling in the legs and toes that drives me up the wall from time to time! | After 5 years of many, many tests, many different medications, many different Dr.s a person has to weigh the price to wake up without a headache depends on how bad that headache was to begin with. After reading many of the reviews, I really respect everyones concerns regarding Topamax. For me, Topamax alone doesn't work for my daily headaches. I must take an SSRI in addition to a calcium channel blocker and 200 mg. of Topamax per day( 100 mg. in the AM and 100 mg. in the PM). I started out with 50 mg. of Topamax per day and did not even have a hint of a headache for over 2 months. As the headaches started coming back, I had to increase the Topamax. I've had to increase it several times now. The slowness of my thought process is a frightening side effect but for many of us that are in such extreme pain, it is somehow worth the trade off to be able to wake up with a smile on our lips instead of tears in our eyes. | F | 48 | 6 months | 12/3/2005 | 3 | Migraine | Numbness,tingling in all extremities as well as the face,serious dizziness, confusion, loss of information retention, fogginess, decreased appetite, strange taste, weight loss, ALL the G.I. lovelies, insomnia...anxiety. KIDNEY STONES. | I write this after a week convalescing from passing four kidney stones,the largest 7mm. This for a kidney stone is rather large. That was my second 7mm on Topamax. Within the six months on the drug I eventually had six stones. The kicker is I have never had any indicators of kidney stones prior. Yes, I drank water from the get go. Topamax increases uric acid in the body. In a word, it was a #^@%#% awful experience. I started Topamax for migraines and it works wonderfully for that purpose. My body just says no. So, this last week I weaned myself off. Is there a withdrawal? You betcha, but I want to keep my kidneys. | F | 33 | 6 months 25mg 2X day | 12/2/2011 | 3 | migraines | tingly fingers and toes like the were having a seizure. NO SODA'S. headaches decreased by 80%. kidney stones, severe kidney infection. | i dont think it hurts to try. but becareful and eat lots of bananas and drink lots of water. hope you like it. that and tea are all that taste good. | M | 24 | 6 months | 10/13/2006 | 3 | Nerve Pain & Numbness | Short Term Memory Problems, Halting speach (Stop in mid-sentence while in conversation), Difficulty finding words, Difficulty spelling known words, agitation, confusion, WEIGHT LOSS (Thank You) | Topamax was prescribed to assist with nerve pain in the hands & arms attributed to cervical disk disease. The cervical problems worsened to now include daily occipital headaches with migraine like pain. 150 mg TOPAMAX 2x daily IS NOT touching the PAIN. It is however making me a SPACE CASE!! Thinner is nice certainly especially after the gain experienced on Neurontin but, I am scaring myself at this point. I do not remember things (definitely an issue at the office!!), I can not remember people's names that I have known for years, I can not spell the simplest words and I stop in mid-sentence when I'm talking!!! The thought totally gone from the brain!!! This past week I've begun the path downward in dose to get off it and see if there's not soomething better out there for me. | F | 48 | 6 months | 1/1/2007 | 3 | mood stabilizer | altered taste sensation, fuzzy thinking (although this seemed to wear off after a little while), weight loss, severe acne breakouts | I was initially really pleased with how topamax helped me feel: calmer, more in control of my emotional reactions and responses, more able to rationalise rather than feeling like everything was doomed; I also experienced quite significant weight loss. However about 2 months after taking it ,my skin started to break out really severly, especially around the jawline. I had teenage acne so did not initially put it down to being the topamax, especially as its not a listed side effect. However no treatments, skin care or other topical medication helped, and ,y confidence fell really low. Stopped taking topamax about 2 months ago just to test out what would happen, my skin has improved to the point of only a minor breakout at certain times in the month....but, I am also noticing a return to old patterns of thinking and a drop in my overall mood stability. Im hoping to find an alternative when I next see my psych. | F | 32 | 6 months 100mg 1X day | 9/2/2010 | 3 | Seizures and migrains | Tingling in feet and hands, anxiaty, depression | I have not had a seizure since I have bn taking topamax and my migrains have vanished. Both are related to head trauma results from a car wreck. The tingling and anxiaty... Depression... Its ending up like all the other seizure meds ive tried (i dnt take thm like I shld bc the side effects). | F | 23 | 6 months 100mg 2X day | 5/8/2010 | 3 | Depression | Impaired memory, weight loss, tingling in extremities, metallic taste in mouth | Overall, I wasn't that impressed with Topamax. I couldn't think of words that were so easy (for instance, once I forgot the word "generate.") and name-recall was horrible. I did lose some weight on this drug, but the doped up feeling just isn't worth it to me. Also, it wasn't very helpful in treating my depression. If you're looking for an anti-depressant that doesn't cause weight-gain, try Wellbutrin XL! | F | 21 | 6 months 50 MG 2X day | 9/4/2011 | 3 | Migraines | Blurry vision | This drug helped reduce my migraines, but I couldn't function with the blurry vision. I always felt sleepy or "out of it". | F | 25 | 6 months | 5/26/2006 | 3 | migrains | Extreme tingling in hands and feet also numbness. Dizzy. Carbonated beverages tasted awful. Weight loss. Eye problems. | I started out at 100mg and found out later that you weren't supposed to start that high and a different doctor lowered my dosage to 50mg to reduce numbness and tingling. After being on it for 6 months I still experience side effects and have been reduced to taking 25mg in am and 25mg in pm, but does not seem effective, migrains have returned and I still experience extreme side effects. I had 20 20 vision before being on topamax and now I have to wear glasses at all times. I've been on every other kind of migrain medicine and this has been the only thing that has worked but the side effects have been horrible and almost unbearable. | F | 20 | 6 months | 11/10/2004 |