I have been on Topamax since 2005. I started at 50mg and titrated up every few weeks until I was at 200mg. I take it all at bedtime because it makes me sleepy. I do titrate down to 100mg in the summer and the fall because I have less migraines.

I did go off it for a year (maybe a year and a half) because it was wrecking my body. Unfortunately, the benefits outweigh the side effects. So I went back on it March of this year (I weighed 145) and today I weigh 114. I've learned some new things since then and have gone a more homepathic route to help offset the damage (a little). I'm on a heavy duty vitamin regimen, and I drink have my body weight in ounces of water per day.

The upside is that I've had one migraine since then. And I'm not verbally assaulting people.

The downside? Where's my list... When I started taking Topamax in September of 2005, I weighed 148ish and by April of 2006, I weighed 97 pounds. I have 5 kidney stones (3 in the left and 2 in the right), I am prone to UTI's, I have tingling in my hands and feet, my short term memory is not so hot, my eye sight has diminished, my hair is falling out in handfuls(at least 1/3), my internal thermometer does not work correctly so I need to avoid extreme hot and cold (especially hot), certain food smells make me want to throw up, words are on the tip of my tongue but I cannot recall them, my libido has left town... Oh - they don't call it Dopamax for no reason.

These side effects don't happen to everyone obviously... but a lot of people suffer the majority of them. Some effects lessen, some go away, some just stay. It's a harsh drug. I hope that helps.