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 Date added. 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 |
| 2 | Severe Migraines | Diarrhea, abdominal pain, hair loss, insomnia, groggy | At first it was wonderful. Topamax DID take away my migraines but the side effects were too much to handle. My hair began really falling out (I already have Grave's disease which makes my hair fall out so this was awful!) and the diarrhea kicked in about week three and it was constant! The abdominal pain was awful. I have horrible insomnia as it is and I was just starting to get THAT under control when I started Topamax and then suddenly I was up two and three times a night again. I experienced a loss of energy during the day as well. | F | 41 | 1 months 75 mg 1X day | 5/19/2010 | 3 | Migraines | loss of appetite, memory problems, word recall issues, slurred speech, mood swings, weight loss | I started Topamax about 2 years ago and been suffering from Migraines for 4 years. First I was on Verapamil, but when that didn't work my neurologist switched me to Topamax. At first I was beyond excited; I thought it was a miracle drug. I could have hugged my doctor. Topamax allowed me to complete my job without multiple absences; it gave me hope. Then my doctor increased my dose to 50mg- I started suffering from terrifying mood swings and horrific depression. Within a week I was back to 25mg and have been on that ever since. While this medicine does do wonders for my Migraines (have cut them down to one every couple of months), it's side effects are hideous. The memory problems have gradually come on and within the past couple months I've started experiencing slurred speech and severe recall issues. Where there was brain fog before, now there is a solid wall. Since I'm in graduate school, the drop in IQ is taking a severe toll on my performance. I'm currently searching for an alternative. | F | 24 | 2 years 25 1X day | 5/18/2010 | 3 | Topiramate | At first the only side effect I experienced was tingling in my hands which resolved quickly. The medication was actually quite effective and my migraines decreased drastically. After being on the 150 mg dosage for about 6 months, I experienced a PANIC ATTACK. I CALLED 911 BECAUSE I GOT DIZZY AND COULD NOT BREATHE ALL OF A SUDDEN WITH SEVERE CHEST PAIN,about an hour after taking my meds one night. I had never had a panic attack before and had no history of anxiety. Wasn't even feeling nervous or upset that day... I knew something was not right. I knew the medication could cause anxiety and thought this might have been the cause of the attack. I asked my neurologist and she said no way, any problems would have been experienced within the first month. After the attacks continued every single night (an hour after taking my meds) for almost a month, I insisted I be tapered off of the medication. Within one day of being off of it the panic attacks stopped. Now I have to deal with the | I don't want to discourage anyone from taking this medication since it helped me so much with the pain. I just wish this side effect was more well known so my doctor could have identified it sooner and i wouldn't have been having multiple panic attacks every night for that whole month, losing sleep and being nervous I would wake up with one. Please be aware and if this side effect happens to you insist on getting off of the drug! | F | 26 | 7 months 150 1X day | 5/18/2010 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling in finger tips; numbness/tingling in feet; memory impairment | I started slowly on Topamax for everyday headaches/migraines. I was on 100 MG for years, until my most recent visit, when they increased me to 150 MG, because I was still getting headaches nearly daily. Since starting on the increased dosage, I have hardly experienced any headaches, and the ones I do have are sinus headaches. The side effects are worth it for the relief of the headaches. I do admit that the memory is probably the worse, but for now, I will just blame that on old age. I notice that I will forget things like people's names and common things that you should remember, but I still do fine to function at work. I already recommend this Rx to all my friends and family, because a lot of them are headache sufferers! | F | 36 | 3 years 150 MG 1X day | 5/12/2010 | 3 | Migraine Prevention | Since being on this medication I have been dizzy, my taste for food has totally changed and I find myself feeling nauseated after eating. I am always tired feeling. I have stomache pain constantly and so far I have not lost any weight. | When I was first put on this medication, my doctor started me out on 25 mg once a day for two weeks and then bumped me up to 25 mg twice a day. Aside from all of the side effects, I have not experienced a major migraine since being on this medication which is a big plus. I am going to check with my Neurologist though to see why I am experiencing so much stomache problems, (constant burning in stomache)and see if I can be dropped back down to 25mg a day. | F | 42 | 2 months 50 Mg 1X day | 5/11/2010 | 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 | 1 | Migraines | Depression, anxiety, weight loss, confusion, difficulty concentrating, loss of ability to function, extreme fatigue, weird sense of taste. | I was started on Topamax at 25 mg and titrated up to 100 mg to control migraines, but I got progressively sadder and more confused as time went on. It was debilitating; I work as a freelancer and actually lost two commissions because I simply couldn't motivate myself to finish the projects and couldn't concentrate on my work. I lost any interest in my work, my family or even crawling out of bed in the morning. I felt horrible! I could tell myself intellectually that nothing was wrong, but for no reason I would be swamped by an overwhelming feeling of sadness and begin to cry for no reason. I wanted to do nothing but crawl into bed and sleep, which is what I did most days. Some days I actually forgot to eat until dinner time and I lost 15 pounds in three months, which would be fine if I was eating healthy, but I was simply forcing food down at the dinner table to survive. The last straw was when I locked myself in the bathroom and cried for two hours. My husband was frightened and called my neurologist, who immediately took me off the Topamax. I'm praying that he is right and I'll feel better within the next week. I would rather have the migraines than live like this. | F | 46 | 60 days 100 mg 1X day | 5/7/2010 | 1 | Bi-polar | Severe pins and needles in feet and hands, all my joints started hurting all the time. The only good thing was that I lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks and my mania was controlled by this med. But the benefits of the drug didn't outweigh the side effects and I still have the pins and needles in my feet and I don't know when or if it will ever go away. | F | 50 | 6 weeks 50mg 1X day | 5/6/2010 | 4 | Bipolar Disorder | Decreased appetite, tingling in fingers and toes occasionally | Calmed my hypomania down right away, better than the risperdal that I took previously. | F | 26 | 2 weeks 75 mg 2X day | 5/5/2010 | 1 | Neuropathy | Memory Loss,extreme twitching,bad spelling,what i describe as electrical jolts thru my body,loss of appetite,hairloss,it feels like I am borderline bipolar,depressed,in horrible pain....it has made my pain worse than it already was. | This medication is horrible. I am going to my doctor tomorrow morning to get off of it. I have not been on it long but I have noticed that it has made me feel horrible. I do not enjoy my children and husband anymore but atleast I am still sane enough to notice these things. I have failed neurontin,lyrica and just about everything else and I am currently waiting to have a neurostynulator put into my back to help with my pain. | F | 31 | 21 days 200 2X day | 5/5/2010 | 4 | bulemia and bipolar II | tingling in hands and arms, loss of short term memory an sense of direction, some hair loss, b12 deficiency(also because I am a vegan) | overall, I feel the drug has helped me with my bulimia tremendously. I would never come off of it. I am in the process of lowering it to 200mg just bc of the memory loss. I do need to keep it at the 200mg level to maintain NOT binging and purging. In the past when i dropped to 100mg i went right back to destructive behavior of binging and purging and my bi-polar mood swings. I would rather suffer with some memory loss and direction loss than that.****OH TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOSING YOUR HAIR BUY VITAMIN H AKA- BIOTIN. IT WILL RESTORE YOUR HAIR. ALL SEIZURE MEDS AS WELL AS ANTIBIOTICS CAN MAKE ONE'S HAIR FALL OUT OVER TIME. THE VITATIM H IN BIOTIN WILL RESTORE IT. I USE IT AND IT WORKS. I AM A WOMAN WITH LONG HAIR AND I AM 34. JUST GOOGLE IT AND YOU WILL SEE. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL. <3 | F | 34 | 10 years 150mg 2X day | 5/4/2010 | 5 | migraines,binge eating | loss of appetite, weight loss | This is amazing!!! I haven't had a headache or had an eating binge since day one!! My mood is better! My family can see a difference in my attitude. I feel like a new person! I can't wait to see my Dr. and give her a big hug!!! | F | 38 | 14 days 25mg 2X day | 5/1/2010 | 1 | Migraine Prevention | I had full side effects - dizzy, nausea, no appetite, lose of taste especially soda (almost like a chemical taste), flu like symptoms, thought/sight/smell of food made me sick, loss of balance, confusion, disoriented, loss of memory, loss of thought, could put speech together, HORRIBLE stomach pains, Diarreha, headache-migraine, tired, fatigue, muscle pain. MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY INCAPACITATED. | I have suffered with headaches and neck pain for 20 yrs and tired many, many different meds and was really hoping this would be the one but for me NO WAY. I know someone else who uses it and had no side efeects at all and only gets 1 or 2 migraines a year. I wish I could be so lucky. | F | 44 | 5 days 50 mg 1X day | 4/28/2010 | 3 | Bipolar | My face has been tingly and numb. I have been MORE hungry than normal. I am hoping this subsides. Weirdly, beer tastes flat to me. I'm not liking this so far even though my mood is stabilized which is it's intended use I suppose....... | F | 26 | 3 days 25 Mg 2X day | 4/25/2010 | 2 | Migraine Associate Vertigo (MAV) | Depression, decreased appetite, weight loss, sleep disturbance, concentration problems, change in taste of some foods/drinks, dizziness | I saw some improvement in my vestibular migraines, but I do not think that this drug has been worth taking b/c I am feeling depressed. I started the drug at 25mg a day for two weeks, then up to 50mg/day for a month, then 75mg/day for a month, then to 75mg a day for another month. I was depressed throughout the whole thing and it just seemed to get worse. Now I'm tapering off the drug because the side effects are worse than the benefit. If you can avoid this drug, avoid it and consider it a drug of last resort. If you're going to try it, drink lots of water when you take it and throughout the day and keep a diary of any side effects you experience while on it. I should note that I did have a history of depression prior to taking this drug, but I was completely recovered before beginning it. My doctor told me that once I taper off the drug, I should return to normal again within a few weeks. | F | 26 | 3 months 100mg 1X day | 4/25/2010 | 5 | Cluster Migraines | Tingling in fingers, depression, carbonated drinks tasted odd | The tingling comes and goes but is more rare now. The depression also comes and goes. I've had to give up soda, it was all I used to drink but they taste awful now. A good thing I guess. It helped with the headaches immensely though. | M | 36 | 6 months 50 mg 1X day | 4/21/2010 | 1 | Mood stabilizer, migraines | Word loss problems, short-term memory problems, weight loss (extreme at highest dosage), intestinal disorders including acid reflux and diarrhea. | This med. seemed to work for mood and migraines but then I started having side effects that interfered with my quality of life. I tapered off and felt awful. I went back on it and the side effects were too much. I now realize that I had side effects from toperimate that I did not realize were from it until I stopped it. I thought that I was getting unstable (or something like that) so I started it again for about 5 months. It did not help so I am dropping it. The worst thing is that now I feel depressed and in a brain fog. As it works out of my system, I hope that I start feeling real again. I do not have time to feel bad on a drug that is supposed to help. By the way, I gained about 15 pounds back and have nothing to wear because I bought smaller sizes. That is depressing, too. I will not take it again. My dr. never checked me with bloodwork or anything and seemed to think I should just deal with it. | F | 55 | 4 years 200 mg. 1X day | 4/21/2010 | 5 | chronic migraines | numbness and tingling, taste aversions, mild electrolyte changes (according to regular blood work) | Have had migraines as long as I can remember, never knew where one stopped and the next one started. Frequent trips to ER just to treat and be semi-functional. Tried countless drugs and treatments. Started taking Topamax when I was 18, took a while to get the dose right (numbness/tingling would be so bad in my feet I would fall, in my hands so bad I would drop things). Continued to go up and down for the first year until we decided 25mg when I woke up was all I really needed. After 6 months, I was migraine free. Still haven't figured out a consistent treatment for breakthroughs...nothing seems to help when they hit (save for a trip to ER to be knocked out...otherwise, just an assortment of OTC drugs I call "the cocktail" to make it tolerable until I can sleep it off). Have had the dosage steadily increased every 18-ish months to counter the tolerance my body develops to it. It's definitely been my life saver. I wouldn't be functioning without it. | F | 23 | 4 years 50 mg 2X day | 4/20/2010 | 4 | migranes | depression, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, trouble concentrating, appetite loss, and wieght loss. | it works to relieve my migranes, but there's alot of side effects that come along with it. | F | 17 | 60 days 50 MG 2X day | 4/20/2010 | 3 | Migraine | Temporary: Ringing in the ears. Tingling (prickling) in fingers and toes. Long Term: Hair Loss and loss of hair health. Lower immunity. Blurred vision. Irritability. Mental lethargy. Difficulty waking up. Memory issues. | I have had chronic Migraines for years. I have tried most of the medications available for the prevention of, as well as the releif of the migraine once they do occur. When I started with Topamax I was happy with the results in spite of the immediate side effects of the tingling feelings,vision & difficulty waking in the morning. Soon though I started to notice my hair, which had always been long and thick, started to fall out and dry out. I tried all the commercially available hair products to help with this but nothing really seemed to help. I was really willing to go the distance for a medication that helped with my migraines since the migraines have had such a devastating affect on my life. They didn't help. I didn't lose all of my hair, it leveled off but it has not improved at all. The most disturbing side effect, that I don't read very much about, is the effect on the immune system. As a 46 year old woman who was not ill, other than some stress, I was surprised when I got Shingles. I mean I was shocked. I have always had a robust immune system. I have been catching colds and taking longer to heal from scraches than I usually do. I spoke with my neurologist about this, and the fact that the Topamax doesn't seem to be working as well as it first did. He didn't seem too concerned about the shingles (it was on my side) and didn't have an alternative to the Topamax that I haven't tried so he prescribed me a new anti-depressant to "boost" the effects of Topamax | F | 46 | 2 years 50mg 3X day | 4/20/2010 |