Does anyone take topamax...

Has anyone takin topamax for a mood stabilizer? Does it work? What side effects? I am interested in the weight loss side effect. Does it make you lose weight? Thanks!

I take Topamax. It can work as an appetite suppressant as a side effect. I already have a problem with wanting to eat food so that is not necessarily a good thing. However, I crave sweets and Topamax doesn't take that craving away. They're the only foods that I really want to eat and I have to work at eating more healthy.

Thanks for asking this question as I will be changed over to Topomax this coming week. My T said it does suppress appetite and since I get up at night and eat I'm hoping it stops that.
There's a pharmacy site somewhere on the web where you can get the entire info. Maybe google the drug name? Good luck.

I have taken Topamax for years. Started taking it for migraines but I have BP. It has now been prescribed by the pdoc because of the mood stabilizing effect. I was even able to lower the BP meds b/c it was so beneficial.

I experienced no weight loss or appetite suppressant qualities starting it or thereafter; some do, some don't. However, I have not gained weight either. It does make me drowsy so I have to take it at night with no side-effects in the morning.

At higher dosages, I have tingling in my fingers/arms but does not cause disfunctioning, is just there and goes away at lower dosages. At even higher dosages, myself and many have reported trouble with word recall where you try to say one word and another word beginning with the same letter comes out instead. This can be problematic but goes away when the dose is lowered and is not permanent.

It is imperative to increase your water intake on topamax. The literature indicates risks of kidney stones and it is a real risk if you do not consume more water.

I greatly appreciate topamax. It has been a lifesaver for my migraines and the benefit of mood stabilization.

Thanks, let me know how it works for you. I'm going to ask my pdoc when I see him in a month.

I have been on Topamax for about a year for migraines. I have also not experienced any weight loss, although I did find a slight decrease in my appetite when I first started (I already eat relatively small portions which is probably why I didn't lose weight.) Too bad...I was hoping to lose a few pounds.

I take 100 mg 2x/day and have many of the side effects that Fresia described - tingling in my toes (I have gotten used to it over time but it never went away) and trouble with word recall. My migraine doctor calls it dopamax, LOL. There are many times where I'm right in the middle of a sentence, or telling a story and the word is on the tip of my tongue and it just won't come out. My husband always gets a kick out of it and can usually fill in the word for me, but it's not quite as funny when I'm at work or somewhere more professional. Over time, I've gotten good at improvising and changing the subject. I also find I've become a bit more stupid, if that makes sense. I'm just not quite as sharp as I used to be pre-Topamax.

Other things you should know - when I first went on it I had CRAZY acid. I had to go on some heavy medication to control it for a few weeks but that went away over time. I have also become quite sensitive to the sun. That has also gotten a bit better but hasn't gone away completely.

But for me, the difference it has made in migraine frequency and pain is 100% worth the trade off in terms of side effects and I need to be at this dosage for it to have the effects I require.

Hope this helps.

You can reduce the tingling by taking sodium bicarbonate.

I lost the month of April to Topamax. I had taken it in the past for migraines, so i thought I would try it again. BIG MISTAKE. If you aren't on the proper dosage, it will mess with your temporal lobe and make you stupider than a rock. People would ask me at work what I was working on, and even though I was looking directly at my computer screen, my mind would just go blank. Also, as a warning, make sure you drink a lot of water every day, because it can cause kidney stones, and can make you dehydrated. Also, certain foods might start tasting weird....

drugs.com is a really good place to get med info. But to the original question, I was on topamax for almost a year. My old doc had me on it for bipolar2 but it seems I am not bipolar so the med didnt work on me. But it did make me feel like a zombie. I had the tingley toes and also tingley scalp. It made me lose altogether 10 pounds. And yes you have to drink your daily amount of water with it. I know quite a few people who have had sucsess on it for migraines and mood swings. I don't have mood swings but I have migraines and it did help those. I had leg twitching but nothing bad or noticible to anyone but me. ANd if you do go online to read side affects remember that they have to put down every possible side affect. I don't read side affects myself for the reason that f I do, I will have everyone of them. I hope this works for you. Oh yeah and it gives you super dry mouth.

My daughter has taken topamax for about two years for her migraine headaches. Over the course of two years, she's lost a total of 50lbs. It was done gradually so I really didn't notice it that much, but we went to see family for Christmas and they were all flabbergasted. She was never obese, only slightly over-weight. She's gone from a 34/35 inch waistline to a 28.

I am concerned because they've increased her dosage again to try to get her headaches under control. She complained of "feeling loopy" the first few days, but she seems to have gotten that under control. The doctor recommended taking the dosage several times a day, so he wrote the Rx for a higher amount of a smaller milligram pill. She developed a system that she sets an alarm to wake her up to take one dose as she's sleeping.

She can't really afford to lose any more weight. But on the other hand, she can't stay home from college every other day because she has a migraine either.

I lost alot of weight from Topamax initially. I since gained some back, but I started it years ago. It is a great mood stabilizer for me. The stupid feeling and brain fog went away after a while.

I take topamax both as a mood stabilizer and as an anti-seizure. I take 200mg a day. It works very well at controlling my moods and preventing seizures. Topamax is the only antiseizure medicine I take. I also take Lithium in combination with Topamax and together they are both great mood stabilizers. The only side effect other than remaining around 135 - 140 lbs @ a 5' 8" height, is and I'm using it loosely "mild alzheimer's symptoms". Like mom will tell me something and moments later I'll forget, or I'll have forgotten something that might of happened days ago if I'm not paying the right amount of attention, sometimes I have trouble finding words for things even basic items that I've used for years. I have a feeling for me it's a combination of the unknown type of seizure I had in Jan '10 and the Topamax combined. But I've heard that some people don't get these side effects.

I wish you luck and I hope I've not scared you from trying Topamax. Like I said it works for me so I'm going to continue to take it, despite the feeling at times that I have early alzhimer's disease.

Good Luck.
Andy...

I just started taking it for preventing migraines. 50mg at night works for me. I am having no side effects so far. And I don't have to take an expensive migrane med anymore. I am back working after 6 weeks of off and on hell. I know meds work differently on different people, but I'm so glad my nerologist gave me this one.

Glad it is working for you. I have just started it too.

I love topamax. I take it for skin picking and binge eating. No help for skin picking, but the appetite suppression is SO nice! And it feels like my brain isn't fighting with itself about binging anymore. I've lost a little weight because of this too. So I'm just thrilled.

I'm on 200mg of Topamax and my boyfriend has noticed that I am not acting like myself and is actually worried about it. He says I'm a zombie and have no emotions. I'm bipolar and take Latuda and vistaril also but I think it's the Topamax making me feel slow. It's like I'm not happy not deppresed but cry easily and zone out a lot. We're calling the Dr. tomorrow about this. I've had several manic episodes anyways so if it's supposed to be controlling my moods it's failing at the most important part and numbing me for the rest. Oh and the thirst and tingling. Latuda makes me thirsty also but both together and I'm never fully quenched. Is there anything out there for bipolar that anyone recommends?

I'm on 200mg of Topamax and my boyfriend has noticed that I am not acting like myself and is actually worried about it. He says that I am a zombie on it. I'm not happy, not depressed but cry easily. The thirst from this and my Latuda for bipolar is ridiculous. My hands and feet tingle. I feel slow or zoned out a lot of the time. We're going to call the Dr. about it tomorrow. Anyone recommend anything for a mood stabilizer for bipolar? [/FONT]

The nickname for Topamax is "dope-amax." Causes cognitive/ thinking problems.

Ditto.

Topamax is well known for making people stupid.

One time I had a complete conversation with someone. Forgot it in an instant, and started the same convo all over again.

DOH!

I'm on it now. Taken it two other times also. First time was for migraines. Was on a low dose then. Had no side effects other than weight loss which was good for me as I was overweight. Did help prevent my migraines from being so often. Next time they tried it as a mood stabilizer but I moved out of state not long, and lost weight within those two months. No other side effects.

Am currently back on it for moods. Started Dec 16 at 100mg twice a day, no side effects, no improvements and no weight loss either. Dosage increased to 200mg twice a day last friday. We'll see if it works after awhile or time to try something else.. Still works for my migraines though. So I'd be scared to go off of it.

I have a pretty good tolerance for medications though. Don't usually experience side effects like most people. Never experienced tingly hands, feet, or memory problems. Lucky not to. Awesome med for migraines. Only thing to ever help. From 20+ migraines a month to maybe 5.

I tried it for migraine prevention and could not tolerate being dizzy all the time, even on the smallest dose. I am now trying Zonegran, which is a related med, and yes I want the weight loss that may come with it. So far I experience cognitive side effects, but hope that they will decrease in severity.

I take 150mgs of topamax twice a day. I take it for migraine prevention, though I am also on zoloft and wellbutrin. The only side effect I have is difficulty with word finding. I will be trying to say a word and I just can't think of the word. It's not too bad, but I do notice it. I hope it works for you.

I've taken it for migraines and weight loss. It helped with the headaches but not weight loss.

Topamax is referred to as " dope-amax" because that's how you feel. From personal experience.

Topomax is suppose to put ya to sleep at least it does for me so I only take it at night my pdoc is crazy and keeps trying to prescribe to me during the day so I take it out and take it at night time because I know what it does to me because she crazy I swear.