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Topamax Side Effects

Sun, 08/31/2008 - 09:44

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 jodymorse on Wed, 2012-07-11 - 19:43

I'm on 500 mg Keppra, 50 mg of Topiramate/Topamax (total of 7 pills a day). Tired , slight memory loss and yes weight loss. Took 4 seizures in a matter of 5 months 2 in one day and 2 car accidents (1 car totaled) before I was diagnosed with epilepsy. This site is the best. SO glad I found it....I have no recollection of any of my seizures. I can only go by reading the narrative on the police report of a witness who saw me in my car clutching my chest as if I was having a heart attack. I was on a different med before being put on Topamax but had wicked allergic reaction...I'll deal with being tired...people are jealous of the weight loss:)  

I'm on 500 mg Keppra, 50 mg of Topiramate/Topamax (total of 7 pills a day). Tired , slight memory loss and yes weight loss. Took 4 seizures in a matter of 5 months 2 in one day and 2 car accidents (1 car totaled) before I was diagnosed with epilepsy. This site is the best. SO glad I found it....I have no recollection of any of my seizures. I can only go by reading the narrative on the police report of a witness who saw me in my car clutching my chest as if I was having a heart attack. I was on a different med before being put on Topamax but had wicked allergic reaction...I'll deal with being tired...people are jealous of the weight loss:)  

Re: Topamax Side Effects

Submitted by elizabeth meehan on Wed, 2012-08-01 - 11:32
My son had a lot of difficulty on Topomax, difficulty finding words, stomache aches, neuropathy, loss of appetite although great for those who want to loose weight not so great for teenagers. Also seemed to have more fatigue. He was then placed on lamotrigine and has been seizure free for a long time, and the side affects, are negligible and hard to assess if they are even medication related. If you are a student you might find the impact on word retrieval with topomax pretty annoying: students have told me they ironically call the med. "dopomax" As parents of a child with epilepsy we have discovered that it takes time to find the meds with the least side affects and best seizure control. My suggestion is don't be satisfied and work with a neurologist---ER staff may not be as well trained in epilepsy and you want a specialist with a lot of clinical practice and who knows first hand the range of symptoms and efficacy of various medication regimes. Keppra can work like a champ or else have some unpleasant side affects, not at all helpful for our son with left temporal, frontal, partial complex epilepsy. Others anecdoctally have reported to me it works well for them. Our impression is if you don't have good seizure control, and or have difficult side affects, don't be afraid to pursue alternatives with a neurologist. Figuring out the best meds in our view has been a combination of expertise and the art of a good practitioner. Don't be satisfied with difficult symptoms. Good luck and best to you. The epilepsy foundation in your area can also help with referrals. Get hooked up with a good neurologist!

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