Topamax has arrived

I don't know, but now I'm really nervous about talking with my pdoc, because what good would it do for me if it makes you feel like this?

Then, of course, you might be overreacting and over-analyzing your symptoms. Sitting leading to two years less of your life? Who is going to look at your corpse and say, "hm, you know she would have lived two years longer hadn't she been sitting on her butt when she could have been bungee jumping." idk, perspectives I guess.

Are you feeling unwell because you're not hydrating? You need to drink water on both tpopmax and lithium, I thought.

Prolonged sitting - shorter life expectancy, according to research. Plus obesity etc. Sitting is deadly - it is a modern day plague (people sitting in front of their screens all day long). It is completely unnatural - our bodies were never designed to sustain prolonged sitting. They were designed, primarily, for movement. The best office solution is a laptop-equipped treadmill set on low walking speed, but it is expensive. Outside of the office treadmill, standing is better than sitting (not because standing is so cool - it is not, walking is better, but because sitting is so detrimental).

I am drinking more, but as work. I am not enjoying tea. I used to enjoy tea. Now I drink because I know I have to. Big difference. But I had tea, carrot juice, a slight bit of orange juice, milk. Did not count... maybe 6-7 glasses total, and I will still have a glass of milk and a glass of wine before I go to bed tonight, so I will have fulfilled the norm of 8 glasses a day. To compare - off Topamax I used to drink 12-20 cups a day and enjoyed it. I will try to drink 12 cups tomorrow and see what happens. Maybe I will feel better. It makes sense to hope that I will feel better the more liquid I take in, so I should definitely try.

I have stopped it. I (stupidly - lack of organization skills) managed to miss the deadline to order my mail order medications. I happen to have a supply of Prozac and a suply of Lithium (Lithium - enough to survive a short siege). I have asked D. to buy amitriptyline for me which is cheap. But I was not prepared to pay hundreds of dollars for Topamax. I just was not prepared to do that. I was unclear that it was the right drug for me and to spend so much money on something I am unsure about - that was too much.

Also, I have had a couple of migraines caused (yes, indirectly) by Topamax. Once it was dehydration and the other time, a skipped dinner. Off Topamax, I do not skip meals, normally, because I get hungry. On Topamax, I have to be cognizant of the fact that skipped meals is a very common migraine trigger and apply effort in order to stay on track. With hydration, on Topamax I also need to apply effort because I do not enjoy drinking. So that too was just getting too much - applying effort to fulfil the body's basic need to stay hydrated is too much.

So I stopped the day before yesterday. I am enjoying it immensely - I am not at all dizzy, not at all unwell/sick, and I am back to drinking lots of tea with milk because I enjoy it, and that would help avert migraines because my main trigger is dehydration. The appetite is not fully back, but I already enjoy the taste of food! It is so lovely.

I hope it helps other people better than it helped me, but I can say that I am glad I am off this drug.

I am not dizzy and I am able to use the standing desk just fine. And climb the stairs just fine. As before the Topamax trial.

And I can have orgasms, although I still have not resumed biking (which can lead to sexual troubles as well) so I still do not know what caused that anorgasmia - biking or Topamax. I sure hope it was Topamax. We will see.

Topamax will kill your libido faster than you can stomp on a cockroach...

Topamax will give you an overall rundown feeling. Even if you drink the recommended 1/2 your body weight in ounces per day.

Another thing: it should not be so hard to drink that amount, and Topamax made it feel like hard, hard work.

Dragonfly, it sounds like we had very similar experiences.

LOL Like the tv commercial says, I'm so slow I need to tape a cheetah to my back!!

So far it hasn't done that to me. Been almost 2 months

Then it probably would not, which is great news. I think it is destined to do it to you, it hits you with it within weeks max.

Topamax makes everything feel like hard work... I'm tired all the time. But I've had only a couple of migraines since 2005. That's saying something, isn't it?

Exactly!

And I haven't had any "weird shivers" i.e., seizures. Everybody makes such a stink about being stupid from it, I've never heard anything about the physical issues. Thanks. I'm inclined to blame myself for everything.

Yes, that is a very good result. It is practically no headaches.

You are one of the lucky ones and I envy you.

I haven't had any weird shivers either but being stupid, oh yeah. It's quite depressing actually. When you KNOW the answer to something and you've KNOWN it for years, it's pretty frustrating.

No I mean it STOPPED my weird shivers, which was good. And I cut my dose back from 200 to 100 mg recently, so now it's like I'm half as dumb as I used to be, or twice as smart! But I really didn't know why everything seemed so difficult, really I'm just used to being depressed. So when I'm not depressed, I didn't realize I should be peppier. But not manic. It's a narrow road.

Twice as smart is a better way to look at it!

I'll take "twice as smart" for $200 please!