How Long Do Topamax Side Effects Last? (Page 7) (Top voted first)

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I began Topamax a week and a half ago as a migraine prevention. I am experiencing random facial, hands, and feet numbness. Mental fogginess, dull headaches, and tiredness. For those of you who have had success with migraine prevention and have taken this medication for a long time: How long did your side effects last? I have heard only a few weeks. I'm not sure If I can deal with this constantly much longer. I am contemplating which is the lesser of the two evils side effects vs. migraines. I have lost 10 lbs. though. Any advice?

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102

I have been on Topamax for four years now. My dosage is 100 mg two times a day. I experience all the side effects everyone has spoken about already. I have tried many other medications for my migraines, finding nothing that had helped prior to four years ago. I just recently got married and obviously we want children in the future and Topamax is not something you can do that with. What do you take while being pregnant, before and after?

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104

Hello to all members,
I need some help because I think I developed some kind of neuropathy. Can you help me with this doubt? I took topamax during one month and during this time I started to feel burning and pain like needles in my shoulder, neck, in the hips. and ankles. I stopped the medication one month ago, and I still feel this pain, I´ts minor during the day but at night it´s to strong, I turn to left. to right, my shoulders burn and feel needles in the neck and shoulders. The doctor said that after the medication this will disappear in 2 weeks, but it passed one month and the pain is getting worse. Does someone know what kind of problem i´m having? It´s some kind of neuropathy? Does someone know some histories like mine and if this will pass? How long it takes to disappear all this effects after stopping the medication? I would appreciate if someone could give me some feedback. (in reply)
Thank you.

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105

You mention supplements, and then warn against a medication, but you never specify what the medication is.

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110

The side effects most complain about were my symptoms before taking this medicine, perhaps the medicine isn't too blame. For me, I had debilitating migraines every day, was in ER 2-4 times a week, I haven't been to the ER since starting topimax 1 year ago. The dizziness & a few other annoying symptoms took about 4 months to subside, but I had those before taking topimax. I have had all of your symptoms fly 6 years now and doctors still don't have a diagnosis. Brain fog, debilitating fatigue, loss of appetite, daily migraines, dizziness, inability to work or drive, overwhelming body pain and back, tingling & numbness in face, hands, feet, skin.....the list goes on. I've been on 100 mg topiramate for 1 year now. I tried switching to gabapetin and within a month I was in the ER with a debilitating Migraine. Now I'm on both, 1600 gabapetin for body aches & topiramate. We will see if this works, if not then it's time for the experiment. Maybe look into antibiotics instead, maybe you were floxed!

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111

This medicine has my brothers severely messed up he's been in a mental ward for almost 5 days he was having side-effects he went to the doctor every time they increased his dose by 25 milligrams he had a nosebleed which was the dangerous side effect he also increased it by 25 milligrams until two days after his last increase in dose he went missing for 20 hours and we found him an hour and 45 minutes away from his home in the woods after we had to call on a search team we were told by the doctor at the emergency room that this drug could not cause psychological problems so he administered medication to sedate my brother which made it worse then they locked him up in a mental hospital it took me four days of calling every hour and driving 2 hours everyday for the doctor to even return my call to get a little bit of history on my brother now they have him on any antipsychotic medicine my brother has never been psychotic he went to the doctor with feelings of anger and depression we still have no sign of him getting well yet :( we are scares to death

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113

Also I forgot to mention that since I started taking topamax it worsened my eyesight! I too had bad taste in my mouth lost weight that people always told me I looked sick not healthy. I have loss of memory episodes! I am glad to be off dang medication! Try neolife it works Natural whole food supplements

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115

I am so sorry for everything you have gone through! How terrible! I started taking it in September around November is when I started having abdominal pains and loss of appetite, diarrhea. I didn't even put it together that it might be the Topamax. I scheduled a colonoscopy and an upper GI. Had lot's of blood work done. I started noticing a lot of hair loss when I washed my hair, memory was terrible along with word retrieval. By Easter I was so thin everyone was wondering what was wrong with me, I looked so sickly. Not long after that I put it together. Just the other night on the news there was a warning about the dangers of Topamax. I started out on 200 mg., I've been reading that you should taper up by 25 mg. increments and taper off the same way. My doctor told me the other day to just decrease by 100 mg. every two weeks. I'm really nervous about doing this because everything I've read says differently. If anyone could give me some advice on this matter I would be extremely appreciative. Thanks so much!

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116

I am so sorry for everything you have gone through! How terrible! Topamax has awful side effects. The more stories I read about the more I can't believe I ever started taking it. Just the other day in NJ, there was a report on abc news about the dangers of Topamax. I wouldn't be surprised if it were taken off the market! My heart goes out to you!

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120

Hi . I feel for you as I have tried all the preventative drugs throughout my 50 years of being a migraine sufferer. One of them was Topomax and it it did nothing to help only gave me horrible side effects. One of which was hair loss. It didn't all fall out but a lot did and what was left went frizzy. I would have put up with that if it had worked for the migraines but it didn't. I advise you to ask your Neurologist for Candesartan tablets. They are a blood pressure tablet but are also the newest prophylactic for migraines. I am on them and they are helping. You have to research and suggest things in this game! Good luck.

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122

Five months after ceasing Topiramate I still have a metal taste. I've consulted my GP who ordered blood tests but they showed nothing untoward. I also developed tinnitus which also remains to this day -its like having someone sit on my shoulder blowing into the neck of an empty bottle :( Fortunately the tingling I had in my face stopped shortly after I stopped this medication as did the confused episodes. My memory's better though its not as good as before I took Topiramate. By the way I was prescribed this medication for Silent Migraine.

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123

I just started Topamax last night the generic form "Topiramate" 50mg and after reading all these comments I'm stopping NOW! I woke up with the numbness and tingling crap and I don't like it! I woke up confused and agitated as well. I called my doctor on the way to work and told her I did not like the feeling and that I needed something else other than this medication. It's a very scary feeling to wake up feeling numb and confused! I thought I was having a stroke this morning. What a horrible feeling! I wish I would've been warned at least!

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124

What dosage are you on.? I am om 100 mg for about 5 weeks so far no results in helping my migraines I've lost 9 lbs, get dizziness, have sleep issues, and fatigue, dry mouth. I am working may way up to 150 mg prescribed by my dr. I am curious of your dosage. If there is hope it will help & the side effects will subside I'm willing to stick it out a little longer.

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125

Yes I still have the taste and hypersecretion, visit the dentist no problem the dentist said but hope it will go away. Off for 3 months

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126

How long are you tired I'm so tired all the time I can't function at all I had brain surgery 4 years ago I went blind over a 9 month period after surgery my vision got better but now my head achs are so bad they put me on topamax 75mg in the morning and 75 mg at night I've lost 23 pounds but I can't go outside with my kids because of the heat its horrible how long does the tired feeling last I've been on this for 6 months but they uped the dose about a month ago

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127

I feel the exact same way. I am so glad I am not the only one. Ever since I started on the 100mg dose and higher, my anxiety has skyrocketed and I feel like I'm going insane.

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132

I was on Topamax for about 3 years. I did experience the normal numbness, loss of concentration..all of those went away with time. But the severe depression, anxiety, and memory loss were all things I began suffering with and it got only worse when increasing my dosage, finally at 400mg a day. My work even started saying they were noticing me in a "daze", not understanding simple tasks. I have been off Topamax now for 5 years. I barely remember my late 20's. But my memory loss is still here and apparent. After reading this blog, I'm wondering if this has all been due to the drug. None of my doctors, all which were all aware of each other...ever connected the 2. Now what I want to know is can or how can I get my memory back. I was a college grad, that had a brain, now I feel like an i**** at times.

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134

I stopped taking topamax 18 months ago and still struggle to end sentences, poor memory and forget words. It's so frustrating. I was talking to a friend I have known for a year and had to ask her name. So embarrassing. I fear the side effects are permanent for me. I hope you are not the same. I was on it for over a year.

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135

Been off Topiramate for over six months now and as previously posted I STILL have the metal taste, tinnitus along with the dry mouth and throat I developed during the early days of taking this medication. Dental checks result in no dental problem being detected. Also I don't feel my cognition has returned to pre Topiramate levels although this may have something to do with continuing Silent Migraine symptoms. Also I've regained the 10lbs I lost whilst taking it :( See consultant in a few weeks but dread taking any other medication offered as don't want any more lasting side effects.

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137

I just started Topamax for seziures & migraines. And I just started feeling tingling in my left hand and my left foot. I was just wondering how long this will last?

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138

I started having severe migraines almost daily two years ago after a head injury. I've been through the triptylines, Amitriptyline (sedation + weight gain), SNRIs, Cymbalta, Effexor (high blood pressure + no decrease in incidents), Botox (decrease severity but not number of incidents), and now just starting the anti-epileptics with Topiramate. I increase the dose weekly by 12.5 g and I'm up to 90g currently. I already have cognitive issues when I'm tired and have had no increased problems with finding words. I have a bit of tingling. I've increased my water intake on advice of pharmacist to avoid kidney stones so I haven't had dry mouth. This latest increase in dosage, I have noticed being more tired. I could nap anywhere, anytime. My headaches have already decreased incredibly. I've logged only one headache in the last 14 days (I spent 5 hours outside in a crowd concentrating) and it only reached a 4/10 on the pain scale, and resolved with an Advil + Tylenol.

So in my experience so far, Topiramate has been the best migraine prophylactic med in the past two years. I also use sumatriptan + maxran for acute migraine care however I've not taken that in over six weeks.

If this Topiramate doesn't pan out, I'll move on to the cardiac pressure type meds. Migraines, be gone!

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