HI, I was on Topomax for about 10yrs, just started taking Keppra about 6months ago.  I had lost a good 20 pounds which put at around 100lbs, I am 27, 5'8".  I looked and felt awful, had no want for food to be near me.  I began to dislike my favorite foods because i constantly had to force myself to eat.  I should've never been put on it to begin with because i'm so skinny in the first place.  If it becomes a problem you might wanna think about talking to your doctor about another option of meds.  Good luck and stay safe :)

I was diagnosed with Complex Partial Seizure Disorder a little over 1 year ago. I was started on 50 mg Topamax twice a day. I was glad to start loosing weight since I have over 100 lbs to lose! The negative side was the numbness and tingling in my feet, the sense of going crazy and the word-finding difficulty. Probably the worst problem was the ringing in my ears. I had to retire from nursing on disability. After the second seizure my dose was increased to 100 mg. I was worried the ringing would get louder with the dose increase, but it didn't. I've not had a problem with hair loss. Even though I rarely feel hungry I still have to eat. I have fatigue problems already because of Myasthenia Gravis and Fibromyalgia. I thought all my hard work at dieting was finally paying off and was a little disappointed to find out it was the Topamax that was causing the weight loss.
At your height, your weight is about right, but you wouldn't want to lose anymore. You can always drink your calories with juice or milkshakes if you don't feel like a full meal. I keep salads and sliced turkey handy. Breakfast is usually a glass of chocolate milk with my morning pills and vitamins; mid-morning is either yogurt or cereal; lunch is a sandwich or salad, maybe soup; supper is normally a full meal since I have to cook for my family.
You may have to make yourself eat so you don't lose too much. Try to eat more calorie dense foods like milkshakes. Make your own eggnog. Talk to a nutritionist at your local hospital or look online. Don't go overboard or you'll look like me in six months! :) My weight loss has been slower. I've lost only 35 lbs and part of that was before starting the Topamax. I'm not very active which is another problem. Considering what I've read others have had to say about various seizure meds, I'll take the Topamax over the rest. It's taken a year, but I've finally adjusted - well, pretty much. Having epilepsy is not easy.

My experience with Topamax has been both positive and negative.  Initially, I was on 100 mg for 18 months.  It controlled my symptoms, but I felt sluggish and stupid.  I couldn't think or respond quickly (compared to myself in pre-Topamax days) and was always at a loss for the right word.  My hair also started falling out.  I did lose weight...about 20 lbs, which was a good thing.

With my doctor on board, I slowly withdrew from Topamax.   We were hoping that since the radiation had shrunk my tumor a little, maybe I wouldn't have seizures anymore.  It took about a month to withdrawal.  It was so nice to have my mind back!  My hair stopped falling out too. But talk about the rebound appetite...I gained the 20 lbs back plus another 5.  Wasn't prepared for that!

After about 5 weeks without Topamax the seizures started again.  I went back on it, but this time, my doctor advised titrating up much more slowly.  As it turned out, 50 mg seems to be working fine for me.  My mind is clear, and the seizures are under control.  So far, no unusual hair loss either.  I still feel sluggish, but nothing like it was on 100mg.  No weight loss, but no gain either.  I'd rather be off the stuff altogether, but I can live with 50mg if it means no seizures.

hi, jeanmo, my name is jennifer. i've been on topamax for about 3 months and my dosage is 50 mg in the a.m. and 75 mg in the p.m. i take it for my simple partials and migraines. it has done wonders for both of my problems. although, my neurologist hasn't regulated my medication yet so i may be increasing the dosage if my seizures and migraines return. the weight loss hasn't been all that bad. i think i have maybe lost 7-8 lbs. i do have tingling in my feet every now and then but it's not at all bothersome. my hair has never fallen out. my face sometimes tingles but it is never constant or unbearable. i do sometimes struggle with my words but i hold a full time job as a billing coordinator for an oil, gas and chemical company and i am a mother of three children who are constantly on the move. i'm not sure what the future holds and i know that medication is different for everyone but i know that topamax has been a life saver for me. just be positive and talk to your doctor at the first sign of concern. i hope this helps you.

it is so nice to be able to come here and read all of your stories and know that i am not the only one. I have been on topamax since 11/04 and at first i lost 25 lbs. I am 5'6'' and got down to 105. Now I am always in between 113 and 117. I take 400 mg a day right now because I am having so many auras, but I will tell you this, every time I feel an aura I take half a xanax and it goes COMPLETELY away. I have been having seizures for over 15 years and a doctor never told me that it was an aunt of mine. Back to the topamax, the side effects were so bad at first, but they do get better. Now I can't do anything though, I can't drink alchohol, a lot of caffeine, stay up late. If I do I feel  an aura the next day. But I also have migranes and rarely have a migraine thanks to the topamax. 

I have just been diagnosed with seizures through an eeg the mild ones that you stare in space . I had an accident a couple of years ago and since then I have been diagnosed with seizures , Mood disorder, anxiety and I have bad memory loss and poor concentration. I have read allot of comments posted about topamax and some of there side effects. Im scared to death to take it. I took one 50mg pill like 2 months ago and it made me feel like I was drunk and on speed. I felt like bugs where crawling in my hair , my mouth and whole body was tingling I did not like it at all. I know i need to take this medication for the siezures. My whole family is on me to do so. My doctor prescribed me 50mg at bedtime for 1 week and 50mg in morning and 50 @ night the 2nd week. I feel like 50mg is a little much for me. I only weigh 120lbs and I feel with the experience i had with it last time that it is to big of a dose. My doctor will not give me 25mg , so my question to anyone out there that may know, Can I Break the 50mg pill in half ? I am also worried about the hair loss and other mental problems that I have if it will make me worse? I need some answers please help me. redlynn underscore seventy two at yahoo