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Topamax Side Effects

Sun, 08/31/2008 - 09:44

Topic: Medication Issues

i've been on Topamax for two months now 50mg a day.. first month was great(no seizures YAY) and no side effects.. this second month though i've been having really bad side pains, constipation this whole month, back pain, and abdominal pain constantly.. i saw an internest they said i wasnt having an "infection" so that wasnt the problem so they wouldnt do anything for me so i went to another hospital and they said maybe my colone was irritated from eating lots of hot food lately so they gave me a laxative and stuff (sorry for the details) and it helped for a few days but i was still having the pains and after i stopped the meds the constipatin came back.. and its just worse.. i've also lost 10 pounds this last two months.. could these all be side effects?? i'm also on Keppra 1500mg a day but i've been on that since january and havent had any side effects from it.

Comments

Re: Topamax Side Effects

Submitted by just sam on Mon, 2008-09-01 - 09:01

I've been on Topamax for a year and wanted to respond to your post. Weight loss is a well known side effect to this medication. I too, have had ongoing stomach issues, but to the opposite degree. That being said, I just looked up the medication again, and found that the side effects are separated into different categories. There's "less common", "more common", and "incidence not determined". That is further broken down into "more common" and "less commmon" symptoms. I'm not sure I'm allowed to post the link here. I found that your symptoms of back pain and constipation are listed under the last category, along with a whole host of other symptoms. This tells me that it probably is the medication, if you feel you've ruled everything else out. Be sure to drink alot of water. Perhaps you can add something to your diet so that you can counter that constipation issue. Hope this helps.

Re: Topamax Side Effects

Submitted by Rodney on Sun, 2008-11-23 - 12:33

hello i just wanted to ssay i have been on topamax for 3 years my docter started me at 200mg and anouther docter moved me all the way up to 1200mg the only side efect that i had was the memory and the weight loss i lost over 120lbs on it. but now im having alot of kidney trouble that might be related. i will let you know if it is.

Re: Topamax Side Effects

Submitted by clcsidi on Sun, 2008-11-23 - 15:31

I think you should let your neurologist know what is going on because if the Topamax change is in order, the neurologist is the one to make that call. All the things you have mentioned are known side effects of Topamax and the other docs should have considered that and maybe made a ohone call. (Docs won't always pick up the phone when the answer is that easy to get.) Call your neuro in the morning, be persistant and ask if it is related. The only way to really tell is to stop the Topamax and see if the symptoms improve. Thn depending on how severe they are and what the neurologist thinks they were indicating ( flank pain can indicate kidney stones with Topamax, but I think unless you had underlying risk factors it would take longer than a month) it could also indicate a kidney infection in which case you would be VERY sick. Weigh loss is common. Bottom line is you need to let the prescibing MD know what the issue is because it very likely could be the Topamax.

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