| Key to ratings for topamax sprinkle: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |
| Rating | Reason | Side Effects | Comments | Sex | Age | Time Taken | Date Added | |
| | F M | | | | ||||
| Change sort order by clicking arrow under column heading. | ||||||||
| 4 | Migraines | I experienced some weight loss, tingling in my fingers and toes, and some numbness. More side effects that the topamax caused, were that carbonated beverages tasted terrible, I had mood changes(slight irritability), headaches, fatigue, some spaciness, an inability to spell simple words or come up with words in conversations. It drove me insane! It was absolutely frustrating, but if you can be patient for a week or so all the airheadness will pass. | The tingling and numbness can be easily remedied by taking a fish oil supplement twice daily with your topamax. My doctor gave me that tip, something about the omega 3 fatty acids. It sounds crazy but try it! The dosage depends on your topamax dosage. If you are on a lower topamax dosage you’d be on a lower fish oil dosage. (I'm on the higher end it starts out at 25mg)I take 100mg tablet twice daily of topamax and my fish oil dose is 1000mg twice daily. (Yes, I'm sorry I didn't take the sprinkle capsule, it’s expensive and overrated. The topamax tablet now comes in generic and I'm a pharmacy technician. Go generic if available!) | F | 23 | 60 days | 2/1/2010 | 4 | Partial seizures | Over-heating in hot environments; thirst-need to drink lots of water-can't now do physical exercise in hot weather. Blood sugar issues, but this can resolve with nutritional support-molasses in warm water and honey/vinegar...yes it's worth a go!! | It works very well, and the sprinkle formulation is great for flexibility and digestion. Blood sugar issues might be helped by nutritional support?? | F | 52 | 18 months | 2/5/2009 | 4 | Weight Loss | Weight Loss (intended); Memory Loss; Tingling in fingers and feet | Lost 25 pounds with no effort; starting to go off medication slowly because I don't want to loose any more. It just keeps coming off. Side effects are a serious consideration. It did help with my menstral migraines for a while but it doesn't seem to help anymore. | F | 36 | 14 months | 2/4/2009 | 1 | Sporadic Headaches | Worst headaches:daily, and stronger -about 6 from scale 1-10. | I have been taking this drug for almost 2 weeks and my headaches are worse than before in addition to all the normal symptomps. My doctor can't tell me why, but he tells me I should keep taking it. I have not seen anywhere that more Headaches are a side effect of TOPOMAX...... wierd, and I don't know if I should stop. | F | 34 | 14 days | 11/13/2008 | 4 | New Daily Persistent Headaches | Tingling in the fingers. Loss of words- even the very basic ones! Loss of weight (over 20 lbs)and being spacey. | I don't know what I would do without this medicine. I have had a daily headache for the past 8 years and this drug has been a lifesaver. I can live with the side effects as this medication has most days, lowered my headaches from a 7 to around a 4 (0-10). As for lost of words or spelling of words- get a dictionary or as I say to people "it is the drugs" and most people will smile/laugh or shrug it off as today most people are on some type of drug. Just make sure you start with a low dosage and work yourself up- don't let the doctors tell you when you are ready for a higher dose. | F | 44 | 3 years | 11/5/2008 | 3 | trigeminal neuralgia | nausea, abdominal pain and bloatedness, delayed gastic emptying, numbness and tingling from elbows to fingers, eye pain, tiredness, emotional instability, cabonated beverages taste awful, attitude of not caring about things. | The first time I took Topamax was for about 18 months. I had no idea all these things happening to me were from the Topamax. I had testing done and even went to a GI specialist. I had horrible invasive testing done! I was diagnosed with severe gastroparesis. I complained to my neuro doctor about the stomach issues, the numbness the tingling, the tiredness, everything. She never mentioned it could be from the topamax. It wasn't until I stopped taking it that I realized everything stopped. But my agonizing pain from my trigiminal neuralgia came back in full force. I tried Tegretol and Lyrica. If you ever want to gain about 30 pounds just try taking Lyrica for a while. They never worked at all so here I am back on Topamax with my fingers numb and my stomach hurting. I took a drink of a coke today and actually gagged. The topamax is really not working yet and I've been taking it for about a week now. Maybe it has to build up in my system again?? | F | 36 | 18 months | 11/5/2008 | 1 | Migraine | Total numbness in my right foot! | Have been taking 25 mg for about a week and have had numbness for five days! I hate this and I'm going off it! :( | F | 46 | 7 days | 8/5/2008 | 1 | Migranes & Wieght Loss | Experienced horrible mood change. It totally altered my generally optimistic personality to one of anger and even rage for no reason (I had never experienced this before) - I now refer to topamax as the "drug from hell." I was only on Topamx for @ 1 month and after I stopped, the feelings of anger ceased and I felt like my old self again. | F | 48 | 30 days | 5/6/2008 | 5 | Seizures | Continuous thirst;inability to tolerate hot atmospheres. Some eye-strain. Need to limit IT use | Works very well indeed, without affecting energy levels. Very pleased | F | 50 | 4 months | 1/28/2008 | 1 | Early diagnosis of Epilepsy | This medicine was written for my 2 year old grandson. (25 mg) The first dose caused him to see things, after taking it in the first two hours he cried out... pulling at invisible strings, wanting held comforted, rubbing his belling, rubbing his legs, pulling his fingers, which we interpreted as tingles. The next morning he was still seeing things pointing at things that weren't there. After a phone call to the neuro. (doctor) he indicated that was seizures and we were to double the dose. He indicated that this drug in non hallucinogenic and give it to him at late afternoon and again before bedtime. Again giving one more dose the same side affects happened but worse. We placed an emergency call to his primary care physician at that point the on-call doctor said we were to not give the second dose. Which confirmed that we weren't going to after we witnessed the second round of side affects. | I'm not sure if this medicine has been tested for 2 year olds but I wouldn't recommend it. | M | 2 | 2 times | 10/9/2007 | 1 | PTSD and Migranes | dizziness, hallucinations, severe panic attacks, numbness in face, tongue, & hands, none of my words came out right, extreme mood swings, extreme highs and lows, i felt like i was going crazy, everything was surreal, no comprehension of time, misplacing things, memory loss, horrible smells that came from nowhere, an unexplainable lack of care for responsibility (including hygiene), loss of appetite, extreme laziness, black outs, suicidal thoughts | I couldn't carry out normal daily functions. I started feeling like a completely different person. It made me a lot more social, which I enjoyed, but I didn't realize how much of a fool I was making of myself. Despite the horrible panic attacks & mood swings, I was enjoying the uppity moments, til my sister sat me down & told me how crazy I was acting & I was scaring her. At first I didn't believe her, because my reality was so distorted. I'd get lost just driving down my block. The hallucinations & black outs were the worst. I'd get from one place to another & not understand how I got there or how to return. My sense of time, reality, everything was so out of whack that I thought I'd been taking the medication for weeks, & I thought I had permanently damaged myself. At times, I felt like I was in some eternal dream, & everything was a joke/game. It did, however, cure my migranes & seemingly endless nightmares...but with the roller coaster ride | F | 22 | 7 days | 9/6/2007 | 1 | Migraines | Severe Depression, Confusion, Forgetfulness, Tingling, excessive fatigue | I've taken migraine meds for about 7 years. I was on Topamax for migraines and at first it seemed like a miracle drug. I lost weight, my migraines eased up, and I felt like things were getting better. After time though, I started retreating from family and friends to sleep or just be alone. My migraines had eased up but when I did get a migraine it was very severe and sent me to bed for days at a time. The breaking point came when I couldn't stop crying, I couldn't make decisions for myself, and eveything seemed so jumbled in my brain that it not only affected my home life but my work as well. Since I've been off all medications I have only occasional minor headaches that are cured with Excedrin, I can remember things, and life is better all around. | F | 27 | 1.5 years | 8/24/2007 | 5 | migraine | nausea, tingling in fingers and toes (not too much though), memory problems, confusion, weight loss, loss of appetite (couldn't eat at all), hair loss | Started on Topamax two years ago when severe migraines landed me in the ER. Went up to 50mg a day. Had pretty bad side effects, especially nausea (after taking evening dose at night and in the morning), confusion, memory problems to the point where I would forget to do things I normally do automatically like switching off gas after cooking (!). I lost some hair - not noticible amount to others but it was disturbing for me to see my hair brush filled with hair every day. It last for about 2 months and completely dissapeared. Now I only experience tingling sometimes, soda taste good again, I can eat, no memory problems. I'm still on 50 mg and get one migraine a month that I can treat with Relpax and function normally. It was worth getting through those 2 months of side effects. | F | 27 | 2 years | 7/5/2007 | 5 | migraine | soda taste bad, tingling in toes and fingers, tired | week 1- 25mg in PM, week 2- 50 mg in PM, week 3- 75mg in PM----still at 75mg and is working well. in the 1st week I had 4 migraines and I have not had a migraine since and I am doing well. I think I found a good dosage. I have lost 1 lb a week on Topamax, but that is not a negative side effect for me. I was on Relpax before and it worked well, but with insurance 6 pills were $30 and I was going thru 6 pills quickly. | F | 34 | 4 weeks | 4/21/2007 | 1 | migraines | I had the tingling feeling in my hands and feet. But I also kept having memory issues. Friends kept teasing me and saying I was on Dopamax. I thought it would get better. One day I started having constant seizures and ended up in Neurology ICU for five days. Almost killed me! It wasn't until they had me completely off Topamax that I finally became coherent. I remember nothing while in the hospital ICU. I was totally out of it. | I would not take this for migraines. I've tried everything for migraines but this was by far the worst experience I've had with any medication. I'm sticking with my Imitrex injections. | F | 46 | 30 days | 4/17/2007 | 4 | migraines | weight loss, no appetite, severe mood swings, emotional, yucky taste to cola, thirsty, thirsty, thirsty, extreme fatique | Had severe debilitating migraines at least 2x a week. Had to stay in bed. I have a 7 year old. I was missing out on everything. Now I can get out of bed and get on with my day. I am down to maybe 1 migraine a month and it is functional not crippling. | F | 27 | 3 months | 11/30/2006 | 4 | bipolor | tingling in the face i found this only happens when i drink things with caffeine. Oh, and I lost 13 lbs | F | 22 | 3 days | 11/5/2006 | 4 | bipolor | tingling in the face but found that sotps when i ut out caffeine and i lost 13 lbs | F | 22 | 3 weeks | 11/5/2006 | 4 | migraine | lethargy, speech difficulty, extreme fatique, sub-sternal chest pain, low potasium | It did help and I don't want to go off of it but I'm scared to death with very dose now.It helped with my weight problem too! | F | 46 | 29 days | 8/16/2006 | 5 | Migraines | Tingling in face and feet, some weight loss, loss in appetite, "cola" taste sodas taste horrible now (can only drink lemon/lime style)-really no soda at all, really thirsty all the time (drink tons of ice water). | I went from 3-4 horrible migraines a week for 8 years (with no meds working to treat them), to less than 4 regular headaches in three months, and only two migraines (which were treated with Axert). I was also having headaches all day, and on an almost constant dose of Excedrin Migraine to control the pain so that I could go to work and function (and that would include a 2-3 hour rest each day after work). I now am completely pain free, and the side effects are completely worth it. | F | 26 | 3 months | 7/13/2006 | 5 | migraines | loss of appetite, weight loss, tingling/numbness in fingers and toes/face, occasional nausea, diet sodas now taste strange, i am on 75 mg per day currently and feel that i am on a good dosage | this drug is definitely worth the side effects! i went from having several severe migraines per week to... well, i haven't really had a migraine since my first week of taking the medication just the occasional headache here and there | F | 25 | 3 weeks | 3/26/2006 | 5 | migraines | Numbness and tingling from elbows to fingertips and knees to toes for about two and a half weeks. Numbness in face and especially lips that ocasionally recurs. Twitching eyelids that occasionally recurs. I could not find the word I wanted about two weeks into treatment but that only lasted about three days. Weight loss of 23 pounds since starting and still losing. Appetite loss. Taste change for diet drinks - hate them now. | Reducing crippling migraines that included vomiting and diarrhea from 2 or 3 a week down to 2 or 3 mild migraines a MONTH that can be treated with Maxalt to no headache in a few hours, I consider the drug a miracle | F | 37 | 5 months | 1/20/2006 | 3 | Migraines | feelings of unreality, mood swings, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, difficulty with concentration, and memory problems, tingling in hands and feet. Although it had helped with the migraines I stopped taking it because i was becoming a different person. When i stopped I experienced bloody noses, ringing in the ears, and sometimes my hearing would give out a bit. | it works, just dunno if its worth it. | F | 18 | 6 months | 10/16/2005 | 5 | severe migraines | weight loss, tingling in my arms/hands, changes in taste perception. | this was my last resort. i'm so thankful. i was living with 28 days of moderate to severe migraines each month. after 8 months of 75 mg of topamax daily i only have 3 per week (12 per month) less than half! and the migraines i do get are light to moderate at most. i typically only have one or two severe migraines each month. to live without the auras, the nausea, the vomitting, and most of all the PAIN of the migraines i was sufferring from is unbelievable. i cannot believe i was living like that before. i was practically a zombie. now i rarely have to take perscription meds to stop an attack, only for the really bad migraines. | F | 23 | 8 months | 9/22/2005 | 1 | 0 days | 8/12/2005 | 3 | 7/30/2005 | 3 | seizures | increase in hair loss, stomache aches, emotional, swollen lymph nodes. | she is taking along with Dapakote and she has been seizure free for 10 months now. That is the only good thing about topamax, it worked...but I am not sure if the risks outweigh the benefits. If side effects keep up, probably will ask for a change. | F | 7 | 10 months | 5/22/2005 | 1 | Seizures | oh my Gosh, where do i start! Numbness in my feet and hands. I've changed personalities, have incredible mood swings. Although it does somewhat control my seizures, but I can't bare the side effects. I'm constantly tired, moody and extremely emotional. I've had seizures for 5 years and have always expierenced some sort of memory and speech problems due to the anti-convulsant drug I was on, but after taking Topamax I feel as though I'm going crazy. I can't even conversate with people anymore because my memory is so bad and I can never seem to get the right words out. I just went to my Neurologist today and Thank heaven I'm getting eased off Topamax. This was not a good expiernce for me but for others; well, we all work different and everyone else else expierences different side effects. I've heard from some that it's an excellent drug, especially for losing weight. Although, I only lost 7lbs in 10 months after taking 150mg 2x a day, I guess I'm just one of the rare few that Topamax didn't help in the loss of weight, but to each their own. | F | 24 | 10 months | 1/4/2005 | 1 | x | xx | F | 33 | 0 days | 12/23/2004 | 4 | psuedotumor cerebri migraines | tiredness, confusion, dizziness, low blood pressure | Has helped my daughter with her disorder and also with her bad headaches Make sure the dosage is increased very slowly! | F | 13 | 3 months | 8/31/2004 | 1 | weight loss | tingling in feet and hands, visual and audial hallucinations, rapid weight loss which resulted in gall bladder attack and then gall bladder removal | was prescribed Tomapax by P-doc for weight loss after gaining weight on anti-depressants. This was a very scary medication. I am manic depressive and I think that the few weeks that I was on this medication was the closest I've ever come to commiting suicide. Took the first time for 2 1/2 weeks, 2nd time for 3 days | F | 29 | 3 weeks | 11/7/2003 | 5 | multiple epilepsy | tingling in the feet, increased urination, mild weight loss | topamax has changed my daughters life, she is now free of her dreadful seizures and living a normal 8 year olds life . she is now learning to read and write which before topamax was just something she could not do, she is alert and responsive to all around her. She is taking 150mg a day and so far we have not had to change the dose. The tingling in her feet doesnt bother her anymore. All I can say is thank god for this drug, after 6 years of trying everything else. | F | 8 | 18 months | 4/8/2003 |
| Key to
ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine. |