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 | Tingling, Weight loss, Memory loss, Fatigue, Slurred speech, Hair loss | I started Topapax 6 weeks ago after I was taking Imitrex almost daily and experiencing rebound migraines. I started at 25 mg. and moved up to 100 mg. over 4 weeks. Immediately I noticed my appetite was gone and I was in a fog. My weight dropped 7lbs. in a week which was a good thing. I'm a Director for a major corporation so I researched the side effects for a few months prior to taking the medicine on the advice from my neurologist. The fact was either I was going to miss work for migraines or deal with short term side effects and not suffer from the migraines. The hair loss was short term, over the first four weeks and it seemed to stop.At the six week point my appetite is back more, not completely but I do get hungry more than I did initially. I am still losing weight, my fatigue is gone and my memory is completely back to normal. My doctor told me there is a "hump" to get over with the side effects and I feel great. I had one migraine in the past six weeks when I went from 75 mg up to 100mg and one Excedrin migraine took care of it. I assumed it was a side effect of moving up in milligrams. Normally I would have 3 per week without Topamax. Good luck to everyone and stick with it.I plan on continuing with the Topamax, I can't take the pain of having migraines multiple times per week and Imitrex would spike my blood pressure which is normally low. Scary. | F | 30 | 6 weeks | 11/7/2009 | 5 | Bipolar II (rapid cycling) | Nausea all day but could also be due to Yasmin that I started taking at the same time; anxiety in the first two weeks; difficulty with word retrieval; stumbling over my words; silly typos; a bit emotional (could be Yasmin); weight loss; stopped craving sugar and carbs; | I think Topamax is wonderful! I was on Epilim (sodium valproate) for 15 months and although it helped stabilize my moods to a certain extent, I gained 40 pounds and experienced severe fatigue and brain fog. I have never felt so stupid in my life! I experience only about 10% of this brain fog on Topamax which I can cope with plus I have lost 11 pounds in just 6 weeks. It is wonderful to be freed from the binge eating and shopping sprees that I was prone to before. I feel like the real me has emerged from bipolar hell - a calm, in control, happy person who is in touch with the world. It took me 28 years to get the right diagnosis for my condition and 2 years to find the right drug... what a miracle! I am so grateful! | F | 44 | 6 weeks | 12/10/2009 | 5 | Migraines | Not Really | I have gone from Daily Migraines to maybe one per week. Fewer side effects than I was having taking daily Imitres. | F | 45 | 6 weeks | 10/12/2007 | 5 | migraines, neck pain, fibromyalgia | BAD sinus problems, fatigue, dizziness, burning nasal passages, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, anxiety, buzzing in hands and feet | I keep trying to ramp up past 2 a day because I am supposed to get to 4 a day. This drug DOES WORK for my pain, I have only had two migraines in 6 weeks and minimal neck pain and fibro, and I used to be in constant pain and get 4-5 BAD migraines a week. I go back to my neurologist on Friday though, because I am so afraid I will have to stop taking it if it is causing these sinus problems in my forehead and nose and this horrible breathing difficulty, like asthma. I feel like I can't get enough air! I don't know whether this is anxiety or an allergic reaction, and I don't know if it will go away or get worse! Has anyone else experienced this? I can handle the weight loss for at least 20 more pounds! And the pins and needles I've often had with the fibro before, so I just need to see if my fears are warranted. NOTHING else has worked this good! Tried Lyrica, Relafen, Mobic, and Axert. Nothing was this good. | F | 49 | 6 weeks | 6/17/2007 | 5 | Slightly Bi-polar | Tingling in toes and fingers, tired during the day, can't sleep at night, weightloss (but I'm also on weightwatchers but I think it helps me not be as hungry), words come out of my mouth wrong, sometimes it's hard to concentrate, and memory loss which does bother me because I've always had a good memory. | My docotor put me on topamax because I'm on Lexapro for anxiety and it wasn't working so because it wasn't she thinks I'm slightly bi-polar so I can take both medications together. Since then I've seen a big change and I'm finally starting to feel better. I'm now up to the 100 mg a day. | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 7/8/2007 | 5 | complex migraine | tingling in fingers and chin, can't detect carbonation unless very potent, loss of appetite, minor weightloss (only as much as you can afford-I think), I used to workout for 2 hours a day--running for at least an hour now I can't get through 20 minutes without stopping, but I can do everything else. I am migraine free and know what it is like to wake up in the morning without the fear of getting one, a freedom that I haven't known for sometime. | I really got on this site to read about other peoples experiences, I was really apprehensive after I read about some of the side effects. I came to let others know, that I have had nothing but a positive experience, that there are a few very minor side effect for me, but I now can live my life. I have not had one migraine since I began taking it over a month ago. Over the years, I have tried Imitrex, Maxalt, Crainosacral treatments and Chiropractics, dietary changes, vitamins and other supplements, nothing worked, not even temporarily. | F | 28 | 6 weeks | 5/15/2006 | 5 | migraine | Some numbness/tingling in my feet, occasional word loss | This drug has ended my migraines completely. I went from daily headaches and missing work one day a week to no headaches at all. Topamax also has vastly improved my ability to sleep, which has improved my life and made my prescription for Ambien irrelevant. The side effects are minimal and not bothersome. Would love to see the weight loss but have not, at least not yet. The prospect of kidney stones is worrisome, so I try to drink a lot of water. If your doctor suggests this drug, try it. If it works for you, great; if it doesn't, you can go off it. | F | 41 | 6 weeks 100 mg 1X day | 9/3/2010 | 4 | migraine | Coke DOES taste funny (I thought it was just me!). I have difficulty playing the piano and typing/spelling. My hands and feet tingle occasionally. I get stuck on words too. | I've had migraines since 19 and this seems to work like a miracle. Only one headache in 6 weeks. The side effects are disconcerting. Will they get better over time? | F | 40 | 6 weeks | 8/15/2006 | 4 | migraine | tingling in toes, slight weight loss, sexual disinterest, some mental fuzziness (have to grasp for words occasionally) | so far so good on the migraines -- well worth the side effects. it has ended my migraines except for those during my period, and this is only on 50 mg/day. | F | 40 | 6 weeks | 9/29/2005 | 4 | migraine | occasional burning/numbness in arms, legs, face; digestive system changes - feel constipated at night, then diarrhea in morning; lost 17 pounds in 3 weeks! Soft drinks taste horrible. | I am taking Topamax to prevent migraines, but am happy to have lost 20 pounds. I did LOVE to eat and overate often, but since starting the Topamax, I will be hungry, but feel that there is nothing in the world that would truly be what I want, so I just don't eat. I am taking 50mg at bedtime, still having occasional migraines, but less than before. | F | 37 | 6 weeks | 1/21/2006 | 4 | Epilepsy,Migraines | Tingling and pins and needles in my feet ( Severe), tingling in my finger tips. extreme exhaustion, inability to concentrate, horrible gas cramps, constant diarhea. | My doctor put me on topomax the minute i was diagnosed with Epilepsy, as it was a multi purpose drug not only is it an anti-convulsant but it is also a migraine medication. I find i get less Migraines and feel safer in public with my epilepsy however with my energy so low some days i wonder if the pro's really do out way the cons?? I find i use Immodium alot, and am hunched over in pain from the gas cramps it really depends on the day as to how greatful I am. So far all in all i suppose its not that bad the alternative was a drug that would potentially make me gain weight and I really don't need help in that department. I also find getting motivated is very hard, and once i do keeping myself focused on that certain task is extremely difficult. Hopefully it will get better. | F | 23 | 6 weeks | 11/23/2007 | 4 | Cluster headaches | Tingling in fingers, toes, heels of feet; weight loss; loss of appetite; ability to ignore cravings; constipation; extreme thirst; blurry vision; difficulty concentration; difficulty spelling at times; difficulty recalling words at times | Topamax completely took care of my cluster headaches, which were ruining my life. I started at 25 mg daily and tapered up to 100 mg over 4 weeks. However, my headaches are seasonal so I only get them in the fall and spring, so now that it is winter I am going to taper off of this drug because of the side effects. The weight loss worked for me- I lost 15 lbs (10% of my initial weight) in 4 weeks without trying. I was mildly overweight so the loss was good. Food tasted the same and I got hungry at mealtimes but I filled up VERY quickly. I am extremely thirsty on this drug, so I have been drinking up to 80 oz. water per day, which could contribute to my filling up quickly. I also noticed a decrease in cravings. I still get them sometimes but it is much easier to tell myself no. In the last couple of weeks my appetite has come back somewhat, and I've been losing more slowly. I still get tingles in my fingers and toes and my vision is blurry, especially at night, which worries me. I am a college student and the cognitive problems are making my life difficult. I can do calculus but I have a lot of trouble adding up easy numbers in my head. I take notes and look at them later and many words are misspelled. I have to read things several times to understand what's said. I have never had these kinds of problems before. Because my headaches are seasonal, dealing with the side effects for a couple of months is worth it, but I'd be careful about taking this stuff for long term migraines. | F | 21 | 6 weeks | 1/9/2010 | 3 | Migraines | Tingling/Numbness in hands and feet. Tiredness, stomachaches/nausea, lower backache and dry mouth | Topamax seems to be great for preventing migraines as I have had minimal headaches on this medication and this is on only 50mg, but I am about ready to go off of it as I can't deal with the gut problems I have regularly on it. Kind of strange, but they didn't start until I had been on the medication for about 3 weeks. Does change your taste to some degree too and metabolism I think too, as I still make myself eat, but have lost about 7 pounds. | F | 42 | 6 weeks | 7/20/2008 | 3 | Daily Migraines | Tingling in bottom of feet, tips of fingers and around mouth, memory loss, word loss, extreme weight loss due to loss of appetite, extreme anxiety, jitteryness, trouble sleeping, ringing in ears, slight balance issues, problems focusing, muscle jerks, etc. | I was titrated from a beginning dosage of 25 mg twice daily to 100mg twice daily within 1 month. I have all these annoying side affects, and I am still having debilitating break through migraines. | F | 27 | 6 weeks | 4/19/2008 | 3 | Migraines | Chronic low grade fever, tachycardia, dehydration, numbness and tingling sensation in fingers, toes and right side of face, drooping right eyelid. Memory issues and brain fog were awful. | It did make my headaches less frequent, but the side effects just aren't worth it for me. Because of persistent fevers for 2 weeks and a rapid heart rate, I ended up in urgent care with a covid 19 screen, a cardiac work up, and had to be treated for dehydration. Still trying to get rid of the fever and keep my HR down as I wean off of this stuff. | F | 43 | 6 weeks 50mg | 5/10/2020 | 3 | Migraine Prevention | Slight weight loss, besides that no side effects | I have been lucky enough not to experience any side effects but the drug hasn't done that much in terms of my migraines. I have now been on 100 mg for two weeks. I still wake up every morning with daily migraines. The migraines are slightly less intense than they previously were but still pretty debilitating. I have had problems with bipolar disorder in the past so I have noticed an improvement in my mood so that is positive. I am seeing my neurologist in a couple days and perhaps another anticonvulsant may work better for me. I am lucky enough not to have any side effects though and perhaps a higher dose would do the trick so I will see what my neurologist thinks. I just know these drugs can have nasty side effects so I am worried I will try another drug that will give me some. | F | 19 | 6 weeks | 8/13/2007 | 3 | depression/mood stabilizer | tingling in fingers and toes, loss of appetite, fatigue, diarrhea, nausea | i'm now taking 200mg a day and i have to make myself eat because if i don't eat at all i get too weak and i don't have enough energy to do anything. i wanna lose weight but running to the bathroom to have diarrhea all the time and feeling sick all the time hinders you from living normally sometimes. i try to make myself eat atleast two small meals a day | F | 20 | 6 weeks | 6/3/2005 | 3 | Migraines | Weight-loss (first 3 weeks only), stomach cramps, diarreah, sleeplessness, numb fingers, arm and leg cramps | I have been working may way up the dosage scale, and I think it is starting to work...but there are a lot of side effects...I guess it is worth it to not have pain every single day, but now I have all these other problems. There is no end to things. | M | 26 | 6 weeks | 7/25/2005 | 3 | Severe Migraine | Tingling in fingers, feet and around mouth. Some Constipation. A bit of Insomnia. Some weight loss and a little loss of appetite. | Developed severe migraine after discovery of two cerebral aneurysms (one of which has since been coil embolized) the topiramate or topamax has greatly helped with the pain although not taken it away completely. The side effects i've had so far I can in all honesty live with as they pale in comparison with the pain of the migraine. | F | 42 | 6 weeks 25mg 4X day | 4/12/2012 | 2 | migraine prevention | stomach pain, nausea, and very depressed. Also my tongue felt burnt and soda tasted like pepper.... | As soon as I stopped taking Topamax my stomach aches went away and I feel like a cloud has been lifted. This medication can cause depression in some people. | F | 40 | 6 weeks | 1/26/2007 |