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Does the mental confusion with Topiramate fade after awhile?
Wed, 06/18/2008 - 20:12Another question on the topiramate/topimax side-effects. I've been on 25mg Topiramate at night now for about 6 days now; eventually working up to 200mg/day. I'm in the software field so have to think analytically most of the time, and right now I'm so doped up I'm having a hard time differentiating between what people are saying and the venting system! At first I thought they were talking too quietly, but no one else seemed to be having any difficulties. I'm very groggy, unless I start talking then I'm a bit too animated. I'm also not sure if I'm making sense and people seem to be looking at me funny like my social skills/delivery are a bit off or something. To make the problem worse, I've had some anxiety in the past which has for the most part been under control, but now seems to be making a come back by the stress of trying to "act normal" and understand what's going on at work. I think the anxiety was causing seizure activity too (muscle jerking, altered perceptions, vibrating internally), OR, the Tompiramate is. I'm on such a low dose, that I'd think the cause was the former - anxiety. Beside the point actually.
Anyway.... if the dopiness/cognitive stuff doesn't fade, then this drug is TOTALLY counter-productive to why I went on it in the first place. I wasn't having noticable seizures, just A.D.D. that affected my work indirectly and causes co-workers to think I wasn't listening to them, etc. The doc thinks the A.D.D. is probably caused by frontal lobe seizure activity he saw. I've been having a downhill slide at work for the past few years with focus. Very frustrating and has caused me a lot of worry about continuing to support myself without switching to a less analytical job, which means selling my home I remodeled and the garden I love puttering around in. OK, major future tripping here that's not productive - sorry.
Has anyone have these cognitive issues with the drug when they were ramping up and had it go away? I want to give the drug a good try if so, but if not, then it's time to try another drug or an alternative medicine like acupunture.
Comments
Re: Does the mental confusion with Topiramate fade after awhile?
Submitted by Islandhopper04 on Sun, 2008-07-20 - 18:31
I just started on Topamax and I love it. I do notice the mental confusion. I can relate to you. I have a high IQ and some days feel low on the spetrum do to the Topamax but everyone at work know that I am on and has a good laugh with me. I am not epileptic but I do have severe anxiety, ADHD, migranes and sensory integration disorder and my psychiatrist wanted to try the Topamax. My psychiatrist is not so sure that I have true ADHD. He thinks it may be caused by something else. He isn't telling me what that something else is. I am not sure that i want to know. All I know is that I love the Topamax and it helps with my appetite that the anxiety certainly did not help with. The migranes and sensory issues are going away as well. Many members of my immediate family had epilepsy and passed away due to grand mal seizures. I wish they had the opportunity to try Topamax.
I just started on Topamax and I love it. I do notice the mental confusion. I can relate to you. I have a high IQ and some days feel low on the spetrum do to the Topamax but everyone at work know that I am on and has a good laugh with me. I am not epileptic but I do have severe anxiety, ADHD, migranes and sensory integration disorder and my psychiatrist wanted to try the Topamax. My psychiatrist is not so sure that I have true ADHD. He thinks it may be caused by something else. He isn't telling me what that something else is. I am not sure that i want to know. All I know is that I love the Topamax and it helps with my appetite that the anxiety certainly did not help with. The migranes and sensory issues are going away as well. Many members of my immediate family had epilepsy and passed away due to grand mal seizures. I wish they had the opportunity to try Topamax.
Re: Does the mental confusion with Topiramate fade after awhile?
Submitted by belimawr on Fri, 2008-06-20 - 12:01
Well, I'm glad I was able to point you in the right direction. Yeah ,the site's humor really helped me, too! Nice to see informal comments rather than drug company comments, not to mention rumors of what can happen, since I lived them out several times and the official line I got was that they didn't exist.
My gf's youngest has adhd. I knew from experience some things to help, perhaps they will work for you. He's naturally slim, so I made sure he ate a lot of heavily fatted meat, vegetables, and exercised. It was a major fight, but he has never had to take medication due to that diet and lifestyle regimen. We have had to make him stay in the corner for an hour before he'll eat carrots tho, but he did it! I got the high fat idea fro ma tv news program which chowed some epileptsy patients did not have high enough body fat, so the lack of it around their brain caused them to seize-when increased, it stopped.
My brain ,as a kid, and the youngest's, speeds up to the point it will cause stuttering and "skipping". I was able to stop it with meds (ativan), exericse, and b complex, though I occasionally have problems. Sleep helps. Perhaps your brain processes things to ofast, which is why you are having problems?
My bp went to 178 one day, and everything I tried did not work until an ativan/benzo. I do not even have a normal cholesterol, it is so low, but it scared me about palpitations (I had them). I wouldn't totally abandon meds with epilepsy, either, and woudl call your Dr. There are number of drugs you can keep trying-and despite the promise of new age alternative therapies, I've only seen them work as an adjunct, not as a monotherapy.
Good luck though!
Well, I'm glad I was able to point you in the right direction. Yeah ,the site's humor really helped me, too! Nice to see informal comments rather than drug company comments, not to mention rumors of what can happen, since I lived them out several times and the official line I got was that they didn't exist.
My gf's youngest has adhd. I knew from experience some things to help, perhaps they will work for you. He's naturally slim, so I made sure he ate a lot of heavily fatted meat, vegetables, and exercised. It was a major fight, but he has never had to take medication due to that diet and lifestyle regimen. We have had to make him stay in the corner for an hour before he'll eat carrots tho, but he did it! I got the high fat idea fro ma tv news program which chowed some epileptsy patients did not have high enough body fat, so the lack of it around their brain caused them to seize-when increased, it stopped.
My brain ,as a kid, and the youngest's, speeds up to the point it will cause stuttering and "skipping". I was able to stop it with meds (ativan), exericse, and b complex, though I occasionally have problems. Sleep helps. Perhaps your brain processes things to ofast, which is why you are having problems?
My bp went to 178 one day, and everything I tried did not work until an ativan/benzo. I do not even have a normal cholesterol, it is so low, but it scared me about palpitations (I had them). I wouldn't totally abandon meds with epilepsy, either, and woudl call your Dr. There are number of drugs you can keep trying-and despite the promise of new age alternative therapies, I've only seen them work as an adjunct, not as a monotherapy.
Good luck though!