Has any one used topamax??

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone here has ever been prescribed Topamax? I am presently on Depakote and Celexa but find the Depakote really does make you gain weight (Uh!!) I heard Topamax does not cause weight gain, some people even lose some weight, I would appreciate any replies on this.
"darkeyes"

hi darkeyes,

i haven't used topamax, but i have heard the same claims about preventing weight gain or causing weight loss. is this something you've talked with your doctor about (the weight gain with depakote) and has your doctor suggested trying topamax?

you might want to try a search (i like <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.google.com>Google</A>) using "topamax and mood disorders" as a topic. it seems the most recent info comes from other message boards where others are posting questions about this medicine.

take care,

splash

On my own I've been searching out info. on the net, etc. In fact a couple of weeks ago the evening news had a segment about topamax and it is becoming popular because of this "pleasant" side effect. I have already asked my present doctor about letting me replace my depakote with it and she says nothing. Perhaps when I move now , the new psychiatrist will allow me to try new meds. who know?
All that I do know is gaining 13lbs since April, when she increased my depakote dosage to 1000mg that is when I started gaining so fast too!! I think when I complain about it she just thiinks I do not want to take it, she'll say you are not gaining weght you are fine, you are skinny. I think because I am a patent, I do not know any better. Come on does 133-136lbs for a 5' 4" sound thin??? No way, not for me !! I am best at 115- 117lbs, that is the weight I feel more energetic and not depressed at. Well, I better stop "ragging" on hopefully when I move the doctor will be more open to options.
"darkeyes"

I take topamax, I have been for almost a year, yes 50% of patients who take it lose on average of 18lbs. It is not only a mood stabalizing drug but it has anitdeprassant effects. The drugs for me is fine. No side effects except in winter. I lost close to 25 lbs on it so I'm above the norm I was on Valproic Acid prior to Topamax so I know what it is like. Good luck
Adam

HI DE~
My Pdoc just put me on Topomax because I too was gaining weight on Lamictal. I have been on it a week now and have lost 2 lbs. I hope your new pdoc will see your side of things. Good luck. Be thinking of ya!

Hugz~
Bethy

wow, with such great responses, maybe i should take the topamax that i was given for nerve pain?

thanks for info and sharing y'all!

kd

I tried topomax to counteract the weight gain from my AD. It didn't lead to any changes in appetite or weight, and unfortunately for me, it made me more depressed.

gg

I tried topamax and I was on it for 7 months....my dr said I would loose weight on it that others have....so I was thrilled to take it....only to find myself too more depressed because I did not loose any weight while taking it and it did not help me any...I am now on lamictal and doing better....

I'm on topomax for migraines and lamictal for mood issues.

Lamictal didn't affect my weight, but yes topomax probably added to me losing weight. I lost quite a bit of weight. I got depressed at the same time or near the same time of losing weight, but that was coincidental. I was depressed back in Jan-March.

I've come out of that and have been fine since. I haven't been depressed.

I'm stable on my meds. I keep losing weight tho, but at a much slower pace then back then.

Topomax helped immensly with my migraines, which is what it was intended to do and probably helped with my depression and mood.

Good Luck.

Eva

Sigh. You asked, I'm answering. Topamax is considered a "nasty" drug by the pharmicist here. I agree. I didn't know his opinion until I had such a terrible reaction. Yes, my MD also touted it that it wouldn't put weight on but off. LIES! I tell, ALL LIES! I took it for pain... but it didn't help pain. .. I had such terrible feelings on it, yet I kept trying to take it (and did according to script) (They say they give it to diabetics for pain,also.)

Not only was I feeling horrible the whole time I GAINED 18 POUNDS IN 5 WEEKS!!!!!!!!! This was last summer, and I still haven't lost all that weight yet. Talk about adding to my depression! This drug nearly killed me, and put weight on me too (which made my pain worse.) I think my T had "his hands full" when we tried this one. I refused to go off the drug on my own, because I had tried a few last year and none of them helped me. My MD was thinking I just wanted to stay with demerol. . . so it took my T calling my MD to discuss how much worse I was both physically and psychologically before she (MD) agreed for me to quit using it. I decided I would die before stopping it... and actually was really, honestly, going to! "Nasty." I'd say!

Drugs are drugs... what works for some don't work for others.

Unfortunately it's trial and error.

Like Januarys reaction to lamictal, which was very serious with the rash...and now with trying Lithium, which she's doing great on (which btw those 2 drugs are in the same family).

I myself did awful on lithium with horrible side effects on lithium...scarred my face and gained a ton of weight and it caused serious damage to my thryoid. I'm on lamictal though and do great...lol.

So I think it's all to do with your own personal chemistry and there are no guarantees with what happens to one ...will happen to another.

Whichever you decide ... hope it works out for you darkeyes

Take care
Eva

ff_topic: Ok. I'm gonna send this in PM grrrrrrrrrOk.

I lost 20 lbs on Topamax and was thrilled. Sadly, it didn't do a darn thing for my mood. I've been on Lamictal about a year and a half and love it, only thing besides the Effexor that keeps me in one piece.

As someone said -- everyone's different when it comes to med reactions.

Candy

I NO longer take any of those meds, been a long time since 2001. I did switch to Lithobid, was terrific, no fatigue, but for Bipolar-II(mild) I need something more having anti-depressant qualities so in the summer (I think it was then) of 2002, my pdoc mentioned this alternative medication, Lamictal. It worked, I take the Lamictal (100mg) twice daily. That alone has helped more than any of the previously mentioned meds.
Beauty part of it is doesn't make me drowsy.
It is a medication that has to be gradually titrated up and even down if you are going to discontinue that med. and switch to something else.
I send out wishes to those in the process of finding the right meds., may take time, but do not lose faith.
Take care,
DE

Hi there,
Fortunately, Lamictal has not caused any additional weight gain, in fact I had gained more (was up to 152lbs. ) during the time before switching to the Lamictal, once I switched to Lamictal I had lost most of the medication related weight gain, now the weight gain I have had over the last couple of years iw of my own doing, lack of exercise, and being middle aged, doesn't help.
Take care now,
DE

Here's an article on Topamax from Yahoo...

I read it mainly because it said it lowers blood pressure. One thing I noticed is that everyone in the study was encouraged to follow a 'standardized diet plan & an exercise program', so I don't know if the benefits of weight loss & lowered b.p. are actually from the medication, or from diet & exercise...

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...re_pressure_dc

I was on Topamax for over a year and didn't gain a single pound. It was my AD that made me gain (gasp) 35 lbs in 6 months. Topamax worked great for me, until Paxil CR pooped out and threw me into a major manic episode, and I was taken off both only to have them replaced with Lithium and Seroquel.

As far as stabilizing moods, Topamax worked wonderfully for me until the Paxil started going haywire. Topamax just doesn't mix with my Lithium (as I'm BP1), hence the change to Seroquel, which is also a good med (for me) in stabilizing my moods.

Dolfin

I was on topomax a few years ago. I didn't notice any weight loss, but I did notice that any soda tasted flat and tasteless. I drank large amounts of Mountain Dew prior to taking topomax, and after the topomax I couldn't drink any soda at all. I'm sure that saved me quite a few calories.

On other forums that I read, I've seen topomax nicknamed "dopomax" because it can cause cognitive difficulties in some people. I noticed that my brain seemed to be a bit slow on it.

On another note, I did not have one migraine headache or any other headache while on topomax. That was really a nice side effect.

Good luck,
Jan

I was prescribed Topamax for chronic migraines; although it didn't do %#@&#! for my migraines...I actually lost my appetite!

Depakote will pile on the pounds like crazy!!

Peace, DAYZEE9

I take topamax for binge eating. It has kept me stable for that, and I lost about 15 lbs on it. I am on a low dose, though. Regie

Scratch that 2# its now 10#!!!!!!!!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYYAY! And I feel great too! Nothing wrong with that right? Heee hee! I am just so happy about this! If ya'll dont mind, I'm gonna do the happy dance fer meyself lol Thanks!!!!!!!!!!
Hugz~
Bethy

good to hear it's working. btw while I was desperately sick from it, I did not have any migraines during that time

I know everybody's different, but here's my list of side effects, experienced within the first four days of using Topamax, at 25 mg twice a day. Within hours of the first dose, I was seriously ill, thinking I had food poisoning. After 48 hours, I realized it was the drug. Just for the record, the last side effect in this list can be fatal. It means loss of the ability to sweat. I'm very glad my first aid training allowed me to recognize it, and I avoided heat stroke in the nick of time.

I'm happy that it works for some people, but in this man's body, the stuff was poison. The list has asterisks to emphasize certain symptoms. I had to type this out for my doctor, as I had lost the ability to reliably produce speech. After just four days.

Fatigue
**Flu-like symptoms
Hot flushes
Dizziness
*Speech problems (aphasia and motor control)
**Paresthesia
Tremor
*Involuntary muscle contractions
**Nausea
*Dyspepsia
*Abdominal pain
Dry mouth
Gingivitis
Nervousness/increased startle reflex
Memory problems
*Somnolence at inappropriate times
*Mental confusion
*Cognitive distortion
*Emotional lability
*Difficulty with concentration
Pharyngitis
Sinus headache
Taste perversion
Micturition frequency
Pruritus
**Oligohydrosis

Lar

DE, I use Tompax and have well for quite a while, i hve lost some weight and it helps my mirgranes I do not se any porblem with it.. if yo tke it the way the doctor says take it..

It can cause some of the symptoms listed above too. ok..
But I overall like it. and have no problem with it..

Go with what your docotor says to do ok.

What is meant, specifically, by "taste aversion"? I've been on Topamax for about five weeks with no major side affects, but I have noticed that my sense of taste and smell have changed. Mainly, I have a more acute sense of smell at times when the object is something that makes me feel sick to my stomach (feces, food). Also, I have had the feeling of upset stomach when I even think of food, or when I eat (even very simple foods).
These symptoms have only been around since I went up to 100 mg a day. However, unlike the others I feel like I am GAINING mental clarity (book pages fly by AND I retain info).
Does anyone know if the sick/food aversion feeling will go away?