Posted by Mel1234 on May 11, 2002, at 23:11:51
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by sparkinark on May 10, 2002, at 21:44:46
>and am now up to 200mg Topamax daily. I quite
>like both so far except that the Topamax seems
>to be making me cognitively dull and I want to
>sleep all day. I've also gained about 15lbs so
>far.How quickly did you go up to 200mg? The faster you go up, the harder the side effects hit. If you are feeling dull, you're on too much too fast. I had the same problem at 200mg no matter how slowly I went up, but after cutting down to 100mg for a week, I was able to go back up to 175mg without too much trouble. As for the weight gain - are you experiencing any loss of appetite? Topomax has been difficult for me in that I eat less, but I'm also exercising less because it (topomax) gives me muscle fatigue. I think the key is to find a level where your appetite is decreased, but your energy is not so bogged down that you stop being active. In my experience so far (about 2 months), it takes a while to find that level.
> I'm also struggling with a lot of anxiety --
>more than I've had even in the past -- and I'm
>not sure if that's just part of my condition or
>if it's coming from the Topamax (which I
>suspect).
I had this problem a LOT when I first started. It faded in the first month or so once I got on a stable dose that was not too high.>How does one know whether they are on enough
>Topamax or not?
My doctor's opinion is that anything 100mg - 400mg is fine, and that what really decides your dose is the side effects. I'm not sure I entirely agree with him - I have the same feeling that I should be on more, BUT I have found that the side effects are the limiting factor. I'm a full-time student, so I'm particularly sensitive about any feeling of cognitive slowness. :-) I am losing weight, but this is NOT the miracle drug my pdoc made it out to be - I'm losing weight quite slowly. It beats continually gaining weight, though!>He had discussed earlier that he'd like to just
>get me on Topomax long-term without the Zyprexa
>but I'm not sure that's going to do the trick.
Apparently topomax has mood-stabilizing effects for some people. I'm not BP, just depressed, and I find that it doesn't stabilize me at all - sometimes I feel less stable in fact (I take it in combo with Wellbutrin). But, as with most drugs, I think this varies from person to person.Hope some of this helps. :-)
poster:Mel1234
thread:5053
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020510/msgs/106066.html