Topomax

Does anyone out there take or has tried Topomax. If so how did it work for you and what were the side effects?
Did it make you stupid because it's also called Stupimax and Dumbimax.
I think I asked this question already but I can't find the question.

I love my topomax, I had some mild undiagnosed epilepsy going on too (that I had since childhood) that it also took care of, so that was a relief! And yeah, it did dumb me down at first, but I was also moving my prozac up and down, starting on wellbutrin, and increasing the topomax weekly to 400 mg, and was under tons of stress at work, eventually getting fired for anger issues and ending up on mental disability. (sorry all that sounds ridiculous to me too) now on a maintenance dose of 200 mg topomax and 20 mg prozac and feeling pretty good most days as long as stress is kept down. got off the wellbutrin after I stopped seeing my family - stress gone, med gone. I am once again the whiz I was at wheel of fortune! side effects - weight loss and falling over (but never got hurt, just would tip over!).

Topamax made my IQ drop at least 20 points, I was always in a fog, I was exhausted, and I became extremely suicidal once I got up to 100mg. My experience was NOT positive.

yeah I wasn't too worried about the iq points. I was considering plastic surgery at one time, then I realized the only operation that might make me more attractive to men would be a frontal lobotomy...

it works like a charm for me. i also have trigeminal neuralgia so it does double duty for that. after a horriffic year of medicine side effects from abilify, lithium & god knows what else they had me on (seriously those are the only 2 i recall i have no memory of the "lost year" i fought to get on the topomax...& it is the best thing going for me.

it's been about 2.5 years now & for the msot part i have been pretty stable...it has been adjusted a little up, a little down but that's it. i also take effexor with it & the same thing as far as adjustments. (75-150/day of each depending on whats going on)

lost a ton of weight, got a little tingly at first but that was a long time ago...when i first started it for the trigeminal neuralgia...i had taken it for that years & years ago & i knew it made me feel better mentally as well so i fought to try it for the bipolar.

i noticed no "dumbing" effect..but then again i suffered what was called almost a brain injury from the meds i was on..i am able to think again & do most of the things i was able to do before with the exception of some comprehension etc but that is not from the topomax.

like i said...it is my drug of choice.

stumpy

I hated it... I became a zombie

It was awful for me. First I got hypomanic but through tunnel vision. It was weird. Then I crashed way down and became suicidal. I went into the hospital after that and I blame Topomax for it. It was the first med I tried and it was just awful.

I started taking it for migraines and had the added benefit of being able to go off the other mood stabilizer. It has helped with racing thoughts and stabilized out my rapid cycling. It does help me to sleep at night, will feel groggy then as take it at night, but I wake up refreshed. I am happy with this as I have trouble sleeping most nights otherwise, insomnia is a real problem otherwise. I have not experienced the "fog" everyone is describing but the higher I go, I do have problems with specific word recall. It is not permanent; if you back off the dose, the ability returns.

Tried it, didn't like it. Slowed me down like I was going in reverse, gave me vision problems to the point where I couldn't drive at night, and made me drool, seriously...

I've been on them for about 2 years for migraines, I find them ok, I have lost weight with them, I do agree though they do make you foggy.

Not to change the subject, but klonopin COMPLETELY blew my mind. it was indescribable, sparks were flying everywhere. could not tolerate it AT ALL! I was like, WTH did you give me???!!! so really makes ya wonder, the differences between people and how drugs affect them, cuz I freak out every time someone mentions the k-word on here, but they say topomax, and I get a contact mellow... oh, and yes also to the tingling crawly side effect, stopped when I lowered dosage.

I was put on Topomax for migraines in July. Im up to 200 mg and so far so good. My pdoc has used it to help stabilize my moods. No brain fog or any other bad side effects.

I had the same reaction to the k-word, and most recently Saphris. I think I have a tendency to have paradoxical reactions to some meds.

I was on Topamax and lost too much weight (I was down to an anorexic weight) so my GP took me off of it and sent a note to my pdoc.

I am on the thin side anyhow and that just pushed my weight loss too much.

I was on Topomax for migraines, but have been able to wean myself off of it. My pdoc was happy that I went off the drug, probably because he didn't want if to effect the other meds I was taking.

Well my first dose of Topomax was taken at night and I thought I had taken a hit of speed... my anxiety went through the roof I had to take Ativan plus my regular dose of Valium just to get to sleep...and not flip out!
The next day I told my shrink about it and he said try taking it in the A.M. and see what happens.
I took my second dose this morning and I felt a little hypomanic most of the day and I'm only on 25mg. and am supposed to go up to 100mg.!
I guess I'll give it some more time and see what happens.
I'm still taking 600mg. of lithium, and 10mg. of Valium although last night I was having a panic attack and had to take some ativan again which I try to stay away from.
I've also had some memory loss already, and can't remember names or words.
This may be the end of another medication #33!

I'm on day 8 of taking topomax 50mg and i haven't noticed anything, no side effects, no mood changes...nothing...although i am never hungry i guess thats a side effect...but thats about it....oddly enough...ativan made me hallucinate and freak out haha

Please be very cautious. This was similar to my first experience with it too. I could not sleep at all by the time I got to 100mg and then got extremely suicidal. Watch your moods carefully and check in with pdoc often.

I have been on Topamax for 5 years. At first, I lost alot of weight, like a previous poster stated, down to anorexic state. I was fat though, from psyce meds. I liked it for that, but now the weight is coming back and I am stupid. I am in a fog alot of times. I am on disability for bipolar. I couldn't imagine having a job! I wouldn't be able to learn anything. I take 150mg, so it's not a huge amount either. I does stabilise my moods, however. It does that job well. I would not see myself coming off it. I'll be stable and stupid. Better that than bright and psychotic!