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Topamax- what kind of side effects do you experience?
Tue, 10/10/2006 - 12:16Topic: Medication Issues
hi i have been on topamax for over a month now and i was just wondering what kind of side effects do you experience while on topamax? jenn
Comments
Re: Topamax- what kind of side effects do you experience?
Submitted by RobertBurns on Wed, 2006-10-11 - 13:24
Hi Shygirl
I was on Topamax for a couple of years and it caused kidney stones. I think it's one of those side effects that occurs in every 1 out of 10,000 people, but check with your doctor anyway.
Re: Re: Topamax- what kind of side effects do you experience?
Submitted by Allison on Sun, 2006-10-15 - 20:39
HI Shygirl!
Sorry its been awhile since I've been on this website. I'm currently in a post grad program and so far being successful but its not without its struggles being on Topomax and having seizure disorder! I've been on Topamax since this mid summer '06. The switch over from Dilantin to Topamax was extremely hard so much so that I wasn't able to work. Not that my neuro told me that., my doctor had to get the okay for me to be off when she advocated for me to get STD etc... currently I find its stabilized better than what it was. I 'm down to a lower dose though. I also advocated to take more at night then in the morning. 50 mg in the am and 100 at night. I do find that I'm fighting exhaustion with school, some tingling in my face, feet and hands. Also focusing etc. I have to take my tests in a seperate room but the university has been great with that. The taste with pop was very strong at first too. Couldn't drink any pop. Some of it has started to return. But not all. Have lost almost 20 pounds since this all first started in Jan '06. Oh what else. Someone else advised me to asked about vitamins to help with the tingling but my neuro didn't have anything to offer so I didn't some online research and found that potassium really helps. Hope this helps! Big thing I learned is ask questions and don't start a new drug without doing your own research on it first.
Re: Topamax- what kind of side effects do you experience?
Submitted by quirky on Wed, 2006-10-11 - 09:10
Hi shygirl, I have been on topamax since May this year now and it has helped me a lot. But there are side effects and well, so far I can put up with them. When the doctor first gave me the drug he told me to be aware of possibly losing weight, having memory loss and tingling in hands and feet. They were the 3 things he told me to watch out for. I did my research with people on this site who helped me out a lot to find out what else I might be in for and looked up info on the net. Anyhow, as for my own experiences so far, I only lost a small amount of weight,not a lot, about 7/8 lbs overall over a period of time. I am petite so I am glad I did not lose a lot. I do get tingling in my feet now and then, nothing major. Lasts seconds and then it's gone again. During the summer I did have a few problems but I dont know if it's because of topamax or not. I had abdomnal pain, fever and chills for a week. But that's all gone now. I am sometimes slow to react and my spelling has got bad when typing. I have to check my spelling after typing all the time now. I say the wrong word for certain things now and then,getting mixed up like. My main side effect would be memory loss. Short term memory is what I mean. This can be annoying but if the drug helps with your condition compared to what it was like before you were not taking it, then it's an individual's choice whether to continue taking topamax or not. I personally can put up with the short term memory loss as long as it helps my condition. I hope it all goes well for you. Good luck! Quirky!