Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Topomax and Weight Loss

Wed, 02/02/2005 - 21:24
I am quite worried at this point. We moved to Nevada about 6 months ago. My wife has been trying to get into a neurologist for 2 1/2 to 3 months. She has been diagnosed with JME since 1996 (took 3 years to diagnose, previous doctors didnt believe us). The neuro center our PCP has referred us to wont accept her as a patient until they get her records from Boulder, CO. This is the only neurologist our PCP trusts in this area. We have had difficulty in getting this done and have been trying extremely hard.My wife eats normally as she always has, but still continues to lose weight. Currently she takes Dilantin and Topomax for Seizures, Inderol for benign tremors, Synthroid, Prozac for the depression caused by dilantin. She has been on the topomax for about a 1 1/2 years. Since moving to Nevada, she has gone from 195lbs to less than 140lbs. The 8 months on the topomax while in Colorado, she lost 15-20 lbs. I am extremely worried at this point. The neuro's at this center wont even talk to her about it. Our neuro in boulder is no longer covered on our plan, but is trying to expedite the records dept for the transfer of records.At this point, my wife wants to cut her dose in half or even wean herself off the topomax. Does anyone have any advice on what we can do? Similar problems?

Comments

Re: Topomax and Weight Loss

Submitted by tina girl on Thu, 2008-10-09 - 22:01

Tina Garofalo

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with Topamax and the weight loss.  I lost a good twenty pounds but then my weight stabilized and I stopped losing so quickly.  It seems that you lose the most when you first start the medication and then once you've been on it for some time your metabilism regulates back to where it should be.  Eating a well balanced, high protein diet and getting plenty of rest will help.  Its not easy to adjust to this medicine but in my case it has helped significantly to control my siezures.  Best of luck to you and many Blessings, Tina

Tina Garofalo

I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with Topamax and the weight loss.  I lost a good twenty pounds but then my weight stabilized and I stopped losing so quickly.  It seems that you lose the most when you first start the medication and then once you've been on it for some time your metabilism regulates back to where it should be.  Eating a well balanced, high protein diet and getting plenty of rest will help.  Its not easy to adjust to this medicine but in my case it has helped significantly to control my siezures.  Best of luck to you and many Blessings, Tina

Re: Topomax and Weight Loss

Submitted by littlelulu on Fri, 2008-10-10 - 11:24

Hi Tina,

 

When I first started topamax I lost about 15 pounds and I’m small to begin with…5’1..110 pounds at the start so me losing 15 pounds was not a good thing at all…I looked like a rack of bones before long. After my body got used to the med I was able to adjust my diet and keep some of the weight on which was good..but I’m still just about 100 pounds. Now I’m in the process of switching over to Keppra because Topamax was giving me kidney stones and I’m again struggling to eat…haven’t eaten a thing in about 3 days…no appetite and the smell or sight of food just makes me want to hurl. There’s something about these seizure meds and suppressing appetites….hopefully once I get used to Keppra I’ll be able to eat again…

Best of luck to everyone….~LuLu

Hi Tina,

 

When I first started topamax I lost about 15 pounds and I’m small to begin with…5’1..110 pounds at the start so me losing 15 pounds was not a good thing at all…I looked like a rack of bones before long. After my body got used to the med I was able to adjust my diet and keep some of the weight on which was good..but I’m still just about 100 pounds. Now I’m in the process of switching over to Keppra because Topamax was giving me kidney stones and I’m again struggling to eat…haven’t eaten a thing in about 3 days…no appetite and the smell or sight of food just makes me want to hurl. There’s something about these seizure meds and suppressing appetites….hopefully once I get used to Keppra I’ll be able to eat again…

Best of luck to everyone….~LuLu

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.