Topamax And Anxiety/social Phobia?

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Hi everyone. My 14 year old daughter has been on topamax (25 mg twice daily) for a number of years. She is being treated for anxiety, depression, mood disorder, tics, ADHD and has recently added social phobias to her list of complaints. The meds being used to treat her are Risperodone for the mood, Clonidine for the tics, Prozac for the depression/anxiety, and Topamax to control weight gain that occurs with Risperodone (and possibly to help with anxiety/tics). As she gets older, she seems to be retreating into herself even more. The anxiety is amping up, the depression too. She sleeps all day, and hasn't wanted to leave the house all summer. When I do manage to get her out of the house, the social anxiety is too much for her and she has severe meltdowns. Before she was put on all these meds, depression and anxiety weren't really the issues that they've eventually become. She was a happy social child who simply had a tic disorder, attention deficits, and was somewhat paranoid from time to time. But none of it was close to being this bad. My question is, can the Topamax somehow be bringing out the worst in her, even at such a low dose and after so much time on the medication? Are some people more "sensitive" to this medication than others (ex. those with mood disorders)? Could it account for the steady increase in anxiety and depression that have far surpassed the original complaints 7 years ago?

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1

The first thing I'd do, if this were my child, is speak to the doctor about the Risperidone as being the possibly culprit.

It is a very potent antipsychotic and is well known to cause such issues in some people that it. Other side effects, as listed by the FDA, may possibly include nausea, dizziness, somnolence and mood swings.

My ex-husband was on it for awhile and he had to stop taking it, due to horrible weight gain and the fact that he couldn't stay awake, even on the lowest dose.

Is there anything else I can help with?

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2

Thank you for the information. I had not considered the Risperidone to be the culprit. Upon reading the possible side effects, I agree that this is a possibility. I'm curious, when your husband got off this medication, was another one substituted for it? Our psychiatrist and I agree that she does need to be on something for the paranoia and mood swings, but I know little to nothing about anti-psychotics, other than Abilify, which is outrageously high. (First one we tried, worked ok, but had to get off of it because of the cost. I do understand that there is a generic available, so maybe this will be an option again for us)
Thank you for your answer, have a great day!

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3

No, he just quit taking it. He frequently did so with his medications, then would wonder why he crashed into depression and suicidal ideation, again.

When we split, he was only still taking one SSRI antidepressant.

I hope you get things worked out. Please post back and keep me updated!

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4

You are a loving mother, and I want to praise you for your commitment in seeking help for your daughter, and not accepting theses terrible side effects associated with these drugs. I am not a physician, however, i have been in the health industry for 18 years. A little background about myself; I am a certified personal trainer, an advocate for an autistic granddaughter, and a current student in college studying special education. When my daughter (my granddaughter's mother) was a child she had the exact symptoms you are describing..and things got worse as she got into her teens). Asbergers is a type of autism which is often gone undiagnosed due to the high functioning aspects. I have a granddaughter who was recently diagnosed with autism and this has opened my eyes wide open. i finally understand now that my daughter also has a type of autism which explains everything...all the behaviors! I just wanted you to have a different outlook. Research this to see and if you want my help in researching or just to have someone to talk to please contact me. I dont want you to think im seeking any money... Just offering you support.. Which i wish i had! {edited for privacy}

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5

If I were you I would take her of as soon as you could see a other dr, I am on this pill for about ten years and regret the day that I began with it. It change your hole personality. Please don't leave her on it, not even just that, read the side effects it makes you neves, give a lot of negative thugs, and make you feel dead inside.
There is a lot of other options.
Love
Tersia

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6

I think that’s the risperdol.
It made my mom so much worse mentally-now she is dead.
That stuff is so bad for people unless the benefits for that person exceed the risk.

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7

I'm more willing to bet that the anxiety developed independent of topamax and probably the other drugs too. Topamax has a few pretty annoying side effects (worse memory, brain fog, tingly hands and feet, etc) but anxiety isn't a typical one. But if you feel confident that the benefits aren't outweighing the risks + side effects then I'd speak to her doc about tapering off it. It's not a real silver bullet for weight loss anyway (wasn't for me)

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