TOPAMAX Reviews (TOPIRAMATE)Average Rating: 3.0 (1824 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare TOPAMAX with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on TOPAMAX: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR TOPAMAX | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 5 | Neuropathy | Initially: fatigue, somnolence, weight loss, tingling in hands, decreased libido and bad taste in my mouth. Now: A lot of trouble with memory, loss of concentration, forgetfulness, unable to think of words, still decreased libido. | I started taking this medication back around 2000 for neuropathy resulting from an injury to my brachial plexus (a large bundle of nerves that run from the spine through the neck/shoulder/arm). Though I have experienced several side effects with this medication, none have been severe enough to make me stop taking it. It has literally been a Godsend for me as it has helped tremendously with my pain. I started on 25 mg per day and have worked up to 200 mg TWICE daily (I believe that is the max dosage). I have lost quite a bit of weight while on this medication but it was intentional. I knew weight loss was a potential side effect (benefit!) so I used it along with proper diet and exercise to lose the weight. So, it has been beneficial to me in more ways than one. The only real side effects that I still really struggle with is the neurological issues such as losing my train of thought in mid conversation and the issue of decreased libido. That has been very difficult on my marriage | F | 39 | 8 years | 8/17/2008 | 4 | Chronic Migraines | slight tingling in feet, metallic taste in mouth, certain foods taste very metallic, slight moodiness or feelings of sadness which is not typical for me | I am only taking 25 mg and have noticed a marked improvement in the number of headaches I get. I was having an average of 7-8 migraines a month and last month I only had 2! That is worth the side effects so far. Let's hope they stay minimal. My doctor sees me every 2 months to follow up with how I am doing so I am very comfortable about taking this medication. It is working. I have had migraines for over 20 years and have tried every thing! I am hopeful. | F | 54 | 3 months | 8/17/2008 | 2 | seizures | Did not help prevent seizures. Lost 50 lbs! Made me very hyper & nervous | F | 50 | 6 months | 8/16/2008 | 5 | Migraines & Epilepsy | Paresthesia, Weight Loss, Dizziness, Difficulty with Memory, Confusion | Completely changed my life for the better - has lessened migraine severity so much. I used to get severe migraines 3 or 4 times a week with vision loss and vomiting and paralysis and pain. Now i get them maybe once every 6 weeks like that. My seizures haven't been completely yet, but my neurologist is still increasing the dosage of my epilim and topamax, so that should be sorted out soon. Bottom line - if your migraines are severe enough, the *completely reversible* side effects are totally worth it. Also i've lost about 95lbs while taking it. It made me not hungry. | F | 34 | 8 months | 8/6/2008 | 4 | Migraines | Lethargy, fall asleep in the mid afternoon, have to take a nap. Tingling in extremities and taste changes early in course of treatment, went away after a time. Used to have to force myself to eat. Still have a distaste for sweets & sodas, although I never liked them much to begin with... The tingling and loss of appetite do pop back up if my dose is increased.I'm on 200mg a day now (100 in morning, 100 at bedtime), couldn't stay awake on the 300mg that was recommended. | It did help a to decrease the severity and frequency of my migraines, but I still get them, on schedule, every month with my period. They used to last 7 - 13 days at a severity level of 7 to 10 out of 10, now they last 2 - 4 days, with a severity of 3 - 5. Not perfect, but better. | F | 46 | 4 years | 8/6/2008 | 4 | Migraines | Tingling, numbness, perhaps a rash, and weird taste in mouth. | This drug helped for migraines. One has to slowly increase the dose. I developed weird spots on my wrists, etc. (lichen planus skin problem) and when I went off Topamax it went away. Since then, I've only done *acupuncture* and I am having the best result in more than 20 years. I have acupuncture sessions every 2 1/2 weeks. I went from 3-6 migraines a month to virtually ZERO! | F | 49 | 11 months | 8/6/2008 | 4 | migraines & sleepwalking | short term memory loss or having words "right on the tip of my tongue" but not being able to think of the word. | Topomax has been very successful for me, as it has allowed me to treat both my migraines and my sleep disorder with one drug. I have kept a mirgaine log for a few years, and I used to have 40-50 migraines a year and I only had 9 last year. The only downside is having trouble getting out the right word a lot of time. It is like my vocab is stuck. Probably not a good drug for a child or someone still in school where they would struggle, as I am always having to cover for it at work. But the benefits for me, are worth it. | F | 36 | 2 years | 8/6/2008 | 3 | Migraine | Extreme fatigue, cognitive problems, slowed-down mental processes, falling asleep while driving | I started Topamax in March and the effect was dramatic -- my daily headaches and migraines quickly vanished. My first side effects seemed benign -- we could all laugh when I said the wrong word, and losing 2-3 pounds was actually nice. But after 3 months ... my headaches are creeping back. And now I am almost comatose and sleepwalking through my days. I wake up tired and crawl to work and then crawl home. I feel like a zombie. For a while I thought maybe I had cancer or my heart was failing .... but now I suspect the tiredness may just be the Topamax. I am seeing the doctor next week and hopefully we'll sort it all out. In a way, I hope it IS the Topamax and not something more serious. | F | 56 | 100 days | 7/31/2008 | 1 | migraines | back pain, eye pain, hives for 3 months, extreme loss in appetite, confusion, mood swings, depression, limb tingling | I was on this medication for 3 months, i loved it at first my migraines went away and i was very happy but then about a month ago i stopped wanting to eat and i lost 10 pounds. My eyes hurt so bad i couldn't wear contacts, my lower back has been killing me and i started getting angry at everyone then crying for no reason. I couldn't remember simple things and got confused really easy. My legs and arms fall asleep all the time. So i just stopped taking this medication. The side effects did out weight the benefits, although my migraine have come back i couldn't go another day feeling the way i did on topamax. | F | 24 | 3 months | 7/31/2008 | 5 | Chronic Migraines | Initially: Weightloss, all carbonated beverages tasted flat, mental fogginess, fatigue Current: Tingling in my feet, very picky eating habits (I eat like a toddler), and beer still tastes bad | I take 200mg at night. I can't take it in the morning, as I am not a morning person to begin with, and I have start teaching at 7:45 each day. If I took it in the am, I'd probably forget where my classroom was located and that I was a science teacher. So, I take it at night, and it has worked wonders for me. I can deal with the tingling in my feet, and I've only drank about 3 beers in the past year...in exchange, I've had about half the migraines. This drug is not for everyone, though. It has a number of potential side effects, and you need to be in close contact with your doctor should a problem arise. | F | 26 | 1 years | 7/29/2008 | 5 | Migraines | Loss of concentration, appetite/weight loss, numbness in extremities, difficulty breathing | I was getting 2-3 migraines per week prior to taking topamax, and while the side effects are difficult to deal with, I truly feel as if they are worth it. I take 25 mg twice a day, and as I do this, it tends to cut down on the numbness I was having when taking 50mg 1x per day. I was having some problems with anxiety/breathlessness, but my md helped reduce that by adding an anti-anxiety med twice a day. | F | 22 | 1 years | 7/27/2008 | 4 | Bipolar II | Okay everyone, let's try to remember that everyone taking this medication is taking it for different reasons :) We all have to remember this also...everyone who is taking it...is NOT going to have the EXACT same effects as everyone else. The warnings that are put on the labels are just that...warnings. My niece, who is a medical assistant, taught me that they take so many people and they test these people to see how many of them have so many side effects and how many don't (she works in a doctor's office who actually does this) and that's the warnings they put on the box. They don't take every single person in the US and Canada and put their input on these boxes. So, with that said...so and so may have severe weight loss, where Jane Doe may have none at all. John Doe may have horrible headaches where Jane may have none. For instance, right now, I'm at 100 mg/day and will be going on 200/day tomorrow. I've been on this medication last year as well. I went off of it last year bec | I do feel hot flashes (could be my pre-menopause though...I'm 41 and was diagnosed last year with it). I've had a sore throat for 3 days now (could be the weather change here). But I have had severe drowsiness and I know that's from taking my XANAX and the Topamax together because my pharmacist warned me about that. And I've also had the kind of "dizziness" feeling and "banging" into walls occasionally like I'm drunk lol. And definitely the "forgetting words" business. First time that happened to me last year, I freaked. Now I just laugh about it. :) | F | 41 | 7 days | 7/24/2008 | 5 | weightloss | Extreme aggression/ anger problems, frustration, nothing too bad after I added in celexa, fatigue, loss of words, forgetfulness, Twitching in the right eye at night, bloating, soda tasted flat, nasty; | At first I experienced extreme irritability & anger, me and my fiance almost broke up in a weeks time and we realized it was the medicine. But my mom was taking it too and told me to take my celexa. celexa is the cousin to lexapro. If you have either I am sure it will work! it worked a miracle for me. TAKE THIS WITH TOPAMAX IF YOU WANT ALL THE AGGRESSION SIDE EFFECTS to go away!!!! and take 25 mg for 2 weeks if you have to to let your body get used to the fatigue | F | 22 | 1 months | 7/23/2008 | 4 | migraines | tingling, confusion, forgetfullness, loss of apetite, change of taste | I cannot believe people who take this drug (or any other for that matter) for 1-3 months or even a few weeks only and claim they went off of it due to side effects. These drugs do have side effects whether we like it or not. And it takes time for them to go away - anywhere from few weeks to few months. Anyone who is sick enough will pull through these few months to see if the drug helps. It took me over 3 months to stop being confused and disoriented. I had to make myself eat. But after that everything went back to normal and I saw the drug actually helps. I've been on for 3 years now and still helps. Just be strong and continue on - the side effects will go away but it will take more than just a few days. | F | 28 | 3 years | 7/23/2008 | 2 | migraines | tingling in face, constant head pain | I've only been taking Topamax for about 2 months, but i can already see it has done nothing for me. My neurologist has had to increase my dosage THREE TIMES because it has done nothing but made my migraines WORSE. Before my migraines were a 7, but now they have escalated to a 50! My face feels tingly all the time, and i have a constant headache, not migraine, but headache, that won't go away, no mattter what i take. Oh, and i've also seen no weight loss weight so ever. | 22 | 2 months | 7/23/2008 | 5 | migraine | Weight loss; initial dizziness which subsided after a few weeks; insomnia; misuse of words and/or difficulty finding the correct word; currently experiencing severe mood swings | Mood swings may or may not be attributable to Topamax as I also take Ambien for insomnia. Topamax has drastically reduced severity and frequency of headaches. | F | 63 | 7 years | 7/21/2008 | 1 | Migraines, Bulimia | Worsened migraines, weight GAIN, tingles | I started taking Topamax to help my migraines and control my bingeing...2 birds with one stone. Not so much. I've never experienced more frequent, painful migraines than on this drug. Plus it did not help the bulimia at all. If anything, it got worse and I gained a lot of weight from this. I also got the tingles and some nights I couldn't sleep. Occassionally, I would get a panic attack. I also felt as though Topamax dulled me out a lot. I wasn't able to think as sharply. Hated this drug!!! | F | 19 | 1 years | 7/21/2008 | 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 | 1 | tension headaches (TMJ disorder) | foggyness, confusion, insomnia, pins and needles in feet, restlessness,loss of appetite, bad taste in mouth and more that I can't recall | I only took Tompamax for 6 days - 100 mg. I was supposed to work my way up to 200 mg by the second week, but I stopped on the 6th days. My family doctor (not the one who prescribed the drug told me I could stop "cold turkey" because I was on it less than a week (not sure if he was right). Anyway, a day or so later after stopping I developed a very bad cold, seemed to get better in a few days, but then my side effects returned, only this time much worse. The insomnia is so bad now that an Ambien will not let me fall asleep. I used to fall asleep the minute my head hit the pillow. I'm terribly on edge, feel like my arms and legs won't stay still. Have no appetite - and this is someone who had problems with food - I'm 185 lbs at 5'7". Have severe constipation. My body can't regulate my temperature. I either feel like I'm burning up or I'm freezing. Both doctors claim the drug would be out of my system by now - It's been 2 weeks since I stopped. If someone would tel | F | 49 | 6 days | 7/19/2008 | 3 | Migraine | At 200mg I became angry and aggressive all the time. I lost weight which I could not afford to do. | Topamax worked very well for 7 weeks to stop my intractable migraines, which I have been having for atleast 15 days a month for about 4 years. However, after that it stopped working and I started getting intractable 10 day attacks which did not respond to my usual triptans. When my neurologist increased my dosage from 150mg to 250mg a day I became very angry all the time. I started getting aggressive to everyone around me and people said that they did not recognize me anymore. I have now come off the drug and am trying sodium valproate once again. | M | 43 | 6 months | 7/16/2008 |