Topamax for binge eating?

Hello,
This is my 2nd day on Topamax for my binge eating prescribed by my psychiatrist. I'm currently taking 50 mg twice a day. So far I'm experiencing drowsiness and diarrhea after each meal. Is this normal? My appetite has not changed somewhat. I'm drinking a lot of water. I'm also on Latuda, Zoloft, and various daily vitamins. I read a lot of testimonials and I know that everyone is different, but I haven't read anybody experiencing diarrhea or how long does the drug take effect for them to stop have binge urges. I go back to see my doctor in 1 month for a follow up. Any advice u guys can give me will be greatly appreciated.

I wouldnt say that it stops the urge to binge, as much as, it made me feel full faster. Like i was all of a sudden taking doggie bags home from restaurants after eating half the meal.

My pdoc prescribed me prozac the other day . its an antidepressant but he said it will help me stop binge eating . he prescribed me a small dose of an anti psychotic before claiming I will loose weight when in fact I put more weight on. I'm not sure if I believe him any more .

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Grrrrrrrr, I so wish that pdoc I saw had prescribed Prozac instead of Paxil

I tried Topamax for weight loss and it worked well except the side effects started to get bad. I was extremely tired and my vision started to get blurry. Topamax basically killed my appetite. Unfortunately when I stopped taking the medication I gained a lot of weight back.

It must take time for me then. This will be my 4th day on Topamax and I experienced a little appetite change. My diet soda taste yucky and I'm extremely tired about 2 hours after taking it. Oh and the diarrhea right after my first meal of the day..

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Update...
I started feeling pretty good except for the irribility. I had to start exercising and eating right to get rid of the tiredness. Topamax hasn't killed my appetite completely but I don't binge as much. However, this is my 2nd week on it. So I'll keep u guys updated in about a couple of weeks.

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Is this an off label use? I see nothing on the topomax site that its for binge eating? The only thing I see is migranes.

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I was also prescribed Topomax for weight loss, but it didn't work out for me. Hope it helps you!

Diarrhea is one of the side effects of Topamax. This is an off-label use of this drug supported by a few small studies funded mostly by drug companies. Consumer's Reports has a good article about it, pros, cons and research findings. They seem to think the potential side effects limit its usefulness in all but the most serious of cases. I wanted my psydoc to put me on it, but the more I read about it the less I like the idea. I hope it works for all who try it. After all the reading I've done today, I'm thinking since my main motivation is weight loss, not overcoming binge behavior, I should probably try ed treatment, therapy, and/or self-help first.

My doctor tried me on this but my memory got so bad I had to stop taking it after a week!

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I don't have answers for you and hope you come back and update us again soon. I asked my Dr. to put me on Topamax after hearing about it here on psych central - but he didn't want to add another med to my already 11 pills a day situation. He did add Miralax for my regular constipation that comes with my over eating.

I know this is an older thread, but I wanted to share my experience with Topamax which I use to control my Binge Eating.

It worked amazing for me at first, but my body eventually became used to it and I had to increase my dosage. I went so high 300mg that the side effects were too much to handle and I weaned myself off the drug. Then my appetite came back with a vengeance. I put on a fair amount of weight going off of Topamax. It wasn't until I went back on, the pounds came off. I still have cravings, I still go crazy at times, but it would be worse if I weren't on it. The sad part (for me anyway) I get so used to the medication that the effects wear off and the cycle repeats within about a year or so. I am very active, so I try to manage my weight also by working out.

Hi. I have been taking Topamax for about 3 mos. now. I was really tired at first, too. Then I was able to function without falling asleep during the day. It has effected my memory so I am taking Ginkgo Biloba every day at 500 mg. I was one of those with severe binge eating disorder. It helps me to control my appetite now. I don't know if I want to be on this medicine forever however. I'll just take it one day at a time for now. All the best to you.

I've been binge eating since my teens, about 40 years.

Been treated for depression last 5 yrs. Various ssri meds which helped me gain even more weight, until a reached an all-time high of 230 lbs. Doc said my A1C was prediabetic, and I needed to start metformin.
Or lose the weight.
I knew I couldn't do it by diet and exercise. I binge eat due to stress. My life stresses aren't going away.....
Wellbutrin 150 mg helps me w depression and is weight neutral vs the ssri group.

I've been on very low dose topapax 50mg? for about 8 months and it definitely controls the craving to binge. I still enjoy pretty much any food, just don't use a bag of Oreos at one sitting the way I used to.
I'm down to 180 lbs which is still about 20 lbs over "acceptable" for my age and height, but I feel SO much better physically, blood work is in line, and doc is no longer badgering me.

Not sure what my exit plan is. Will the cravings crash back in?
Guess I'll deal with it soon.

I know many others have had mixed results, for me it's been a home run.