# Topamax



## candacehp143 (Sep 11, 2012)

Anyone taking topamax for headaches? ive heard ALOT of bad things about it but im about to start taking it. they are starting me at 25 mg for 5 days then 50 mg for 5 days, 75 mg for 5 days and then 100 mgs a day. Ive also heard people losing a good amount of wieght while taking topamax as well! im excited to start taking it cause these headaches are killing me but would like to know what anyone else experienced while taking it. hugs2


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

candacehp143 said:


> Anyone taking topamax for headaches? ive heard ALOT of bad things about it but im about to start taking it. they are starting me at 25 mg for 5 days then 50 mg for 5 days, 75 mg for 5 days and then 100 mgs a day. Ive also heard people losing a good amount of wieght while taking topamax as well! im excited to start taking it cause these headaches are killing me but would like to know what anyone else experienced while taking it. hugs2


I have never taken it but others will be along.

What kind of headaches are you having?


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## vg7707 (Sep 14, 2012)

candacehp143 said:


> Anyone taking topamax for headaches? ive heard ALOT of bad things about it but im about to start taking it. they are starting me at 25 mg for 5 days then 50 mg for 5 days, 75 mg for 5 days and then 100 mgs a day. Ive also heard people losing a good amount of wieght while taking topamax as well! im excited to start taking it cause these headaches are killing me but would like to know what anyone else experienced while taking it. hugs2


Hi, candacehp143. I am not currently taking topamax, but I took it several years ago for migraine prevention. Yes, it is true that it causes weight loss, and it did so for me, which I thought was a fabulous bonus. However, be very careful. I didn't even make it up to the full dose before I had a full blown psychotic episode.... at least that's the only words that I know of to describe it. I've never had any mental issues before nor since, but I was really wacked out. I became very paranoid and I didn't trust anyone. I was very depressed and emotional. I had severe anxiety attacks that shot my blood pressure through the roof. I won't go into all the details of it because I don't like to think about it, but it took several months and a perscription for Xanax for me to recover.

Luckily I had enough sense to realize that something was wrong and did some research on the side effects of Topamax, and although considered a "rare" side effect, mental issues was one of them.

On the up side, I know a couple of other people who have been taking Topamax for a few years with no problems whatsoever.

I now take Amitriptyline for migraine prevention and it works pretty well for me. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.

vg7707


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## candacehp143 (Sep 11, 2012)

well i started it today and so far im ok. i would really love the help losing some of this weight and getting rid of my headaches so i will try it out and see what happens, someone had told me the opposite of that, that they had no emotion, they felt as if topamax caused them to be compltley emotionless so i suppose everyone is different. i really hope it works for me.


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## allowingtoo (Mar 31, 2012)

I take Topomax, 100mg - but not for Migraines. I started when I heard about the book "My Way Out" and how they used it for Alcoholism. I was drinking more than I should and I couldn't quit. Topomax worked for me. My Dr agreed to prescribe for me when I showed her the book and she read it.

I did go through what they called the "Topo Dopo" symptoms when I first started it. It's kind of like being stoned or worse. I've been stoned so I guess it's worse than that. You would have a hard time holding down a full time job if you were taking a high dose of this and trying to think at the same time. The My Way Out website Forum probably has some information on this. It DOES go away in a week or two when your body gets adjusted to the medication. It was very similar to what it was like when I first started taking Zoloft too, so I wasn't too alarmed.

At first I was skeptical but I kept taking it and I really didn't change my pattern of drinking or anything - but then one day I just didn't feel the urge to drink anymore. And then it went from one day to a week to a couple of weeks. Now I drink like a "normal person" or like I used to and not think anything about it. I will have a glass of wine when we go out and that's about it. Although sometimes I will get stressed and then I do admit I will buy a small bottle of wine and will have a couple of glasses at home. But that's rare.

I just wanted to post this in case anyone else reading it knows someone that could benefit from it. All you have to do is read the forums over there and you will see the testimonies of the people that say that this works. Now if it just worked for cigarettes like that I'd be all set.


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## candacehp143 (Sep 11, 2012)

wow i didnt know that! im glad it worked for you! ive also read it is used as a mood stabalizer as well. im on day 2 and i do feel a little strange but nothing too major. im really hoping it works for me cause i hate my headaches! and ide love to shed a few pounds in the process. i wish it worked for smoking too cause im a smoker and a little help with quiting is always nice  thanks for sharing


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## allowingtoo (Mar 31, 2012)

I remember after I posted that some said they took it in the evening so that your body could adjust to the medicine while your were asleep rather than awake. The first few weeks are all about building up a tolerance to the medication. After that they took it in the morning. Some people halved the dosage - as they were so desperate to continue taking it and hold down jobs and such - they took half in the morning and then the other half later. That's not the recommended way to take it however! I can't stress that enough!! These were people that were starting out with higher than usual dosages trying to quit alcohol - not migraines.

When I first started taking Zoloft I had almost the same reaction - it was this weird out of body feeling. Eating something when I started feeling like that helped a lot. Or drinking Milk. Something to coat the stomach.

Maybe you won't have any side effects. Some people don't.


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## allowingtoo (Mar 31, 2012)

If you start suffering side effects you can read the book I posted in the link above ^^ and she lists the side effects she went through in Chapter 3. The book is not very long.

I never did do the hypnosis thing that she talked about though. I tried, I just couldn't sit still long enough for it. I did take one of the Supplements recommended on the forum but not in her book L-glutamine. I think it's included in an updated pdf sheet somewhere on the web and/on her website. It's used to reduce cravings and anxiety.


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