How Long Do Topamax Side Effects Last? (Page 9)

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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Topamax is such a horrible drug! My neurologist put me on it for migraines. I was taking 150mg daily. It actually caused me to have Aura migraines, which I had never had before. I had almost every single side effect from it, tingling in my hands and feet, Brain fog, memory loss, cognitive impairment, slurred speech, problems spelling, anxiety, visual disturbances. My hair was falling out in clumps! It causes irreversible alopecia. I did some research on it and found out what a horrible drug it is and how people were having withdrawals after trying to stop and ended up back on the medication because of the withdrawals. I decided right then and there to wean myself off the medication after being on it for 9 months. I have now been off of Topamax for 6 months and while my hair is no longer falling out, it is not going back either.

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I have been on name brand topomax for 19 years..I am 67 yesrs old and in the last month noticed my stream of urine was coming out slowly and i could not completely empty my bladder. I have always been a very healthy woman. Did an experiment today and did not take my morning dose of 25 mg and my steam of urine has come back to nearly normal. I take 50 mg daily. One in the morning and one at night. So if anyone has issues with their bladder or kidneys, this medicine is toxic for that organ. I am starting to taper off tonight.

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When I first started Topamax (Topiramate) for Complex PTSD (I also suffer migraines) about 6 years ago, I started at a small dose (I don't remember), but I got severe tingling in my hands that really intensified when I was driving. I told my doctor and he cut the dose back and titrate me up to the or dose. I think the dose was 50 mg.

I know take 250 mg/day and have no problems. I rarely have migraines (maybe 3x/yr), but also have other diagnoses that can contribute to that.

I think the best thing to do is to talk to your doctor about titration to see if that solves your problem. It worked wonders for me and I'm highly sensitive to medication. Unfortunately, I have 10 medications that I have to have refilled monthly and 6 of them required either a medication change and/or dosage change almost immediately. One (Abilify) took a year before they figured out it was causing the horrendous symptom, grind my teeth until my jaws hurt and I looked like I was chewing. There is no generic and with insurance a replacement for a lost prescription 2 years ago was $1,038 for 30 tablets! Thankfully, I never lost any.

Best of luck with Topamax and your reason for taking it. For me, it has really helped. I also have a friend who takes it for seizures (400 mg/day) who has great success with it, too.

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Has your memory gotten better? I will be going to graduate school next year. I noticed this last semester my memory and verbal communication has gotten horrible. Hoping going off Topamax will fix the issue.
Thanks.

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I believe the side effects do subside. Definitely get off of it as soon as you can. Wean yourself off slowly just like you did when starting Topamax. I didn't have any withdrawals to speak of like the others I've read. Best wishes!

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Anyone ever experience being very ill on this drug like diarrhea 3-4 times a day ? Also no relief from what it was prescribed for ? I was diagnosed with migraines. I am seeing some results but not enough to matter my hearing hasn't returned in my right ear, ringing is still present, as well as being off balance and my vertigo. I also have experienced every side effect of this drug and it's been a living hell. Any comments, help is much appreciated really struggling here.

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I stopped taking it, I was doing 50 morning 100 at night, I couldn't see where it was helping me.

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I started the generic form of Topamax on Monday for migraines. I can't say I get them often but at least a few a month especially in the summer when storm fronts come through. Since Monday I have been having really bad abdominal cramping when sitting and standing that seems to come in waves. It doesn't seem to matter if I eat or don't eat same with drinking. Sometimes it feels like eating and drinking actually makes me cramp more. I don't know the dosage I am on as I just realized today that this could be a side effect. Also noticed I have been more tired than usual and foggy. Moving physically slower as well. Has anyone had these complications and since I've only been on it for less than a week should I be okay to just stop taking it? I forgot this mornings dose but am still having pain today.

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Do you feel changing to the name brand helped.Do you think that the topamax helped you at all.

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I felt sick on it, pulled out in front of cars because of lack of concentration and could not even make change.....horrible.

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I still have memory issues and have been off for several years. I still wonder if it's cuz I was on topamax. But I'm 36, I shouldn't have memory loss like this yet

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My daughter has been taking Topamax for over 2 yrs now. Yes she has lost weight which has been great. Has been taking 75g, but the pins and needles she is experiencing in her whole body I'd awful, she is in so much pain and at times struggles to walk. The Dr is now slowly taking her of the Topamax.
I will be glad when she off them.

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I Have been taken topamax for a few months now cause i was having severe migraines after a car accident i was in i was having the same side effects as you but mine started tapering off about 2 weeks of taking it but the 2 weeks of the side effects was worth it cause i don't get severe migraines anymore so if you can handle the side effects it's worth the wait. I hope that helps you

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I was on 400mg for a few years, lost so much weight I was below 100lbs, I had confusion, memory loss, depression..it got so bad w the depression I was hospitalized. My neorologist came and saw me while I was there, how did they not piece it together?? I look back and being on that drug was the worst. I would never recommend it.

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My prayers are with you, your family and your brother. Keep fighting every hour of every day for your brother and his life. You have RIGHTS! HE has rights! Don't let ANYONE tell you otherwise. You also have the right to remove him and take him home into YOUR CARE. As long as you continue to get him the psychiatric and medical care he needs and deserves. They MUST give you information on his condition and if I were you, I would take as many family members with me as possible on my next trip to the hospital. Strength in numbers! DO NOT BACK DOWN. HE NEEDS YOU! Now more than ever...good luck and Godspeed

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Hi I came off in march cause if my hair thinning. Used to be so thick now u can see me scalp Has yours started to grow back yet?

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I too was on topamax for migraines and experienced almost everything you were saying. I did enjoy the weight loss until it got out of control. I never remembered to eat. It puta you in kind of a false state of anorexia. But the mental foggieness got to the point where I was forgetting nouns to use in sentences and seemed more like an illiterate zombie. I was in college at the time and could afford all these mental symptoms so I had to stop taking it. Also it can cause kidney stones and I already have so many I didn't want the chance to create more. But all your experiences are quite normal for this drug and they say the do get better. I just couldn't afford the time to wait. I get botox shots now for chronic migraine. Not the most pleasant experience in the world but it keeps them totally away for 3 months. It is lovely. Best of luck to you.

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I've been on Topamax now for over 2 years with no problems. Was on 100mg daily and recently increased dosage to 200mg due to recent frequency of migraines. Due to the increase of dosage I have been experiencing some fatigue, but it has been recent, so will see if it wears off. Not life altering. My migraines were! Definitely worth it!

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I have been having this same problem. It's effecting my job. Has your memory improved? I just stopped taking Monday. Will my memory functions come back?

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My 17 year old daughter has migraines. So the children's hospital gave her topamax 4 x daily equaling 150mg. So since she has taken it she has had bad anxiety, inflicted self harm, and started smoking marijuana. She is type 1 diabetic and had weight loss surgery on the first of the year. This has been an awful summer. Could it be the topamax that has changed her so drastically?

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