![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 630 to 654 of 1838. Go back in thread:
Posted by headachequeen on July 15, 2004, at 14:32:32
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by summer2002 on July 14, 2004, at 15:26:16
>>I am on 400 mgs on lamictal and was on 50mgs of topamax (I had been as high as 200mgs). I stopped the topamax for a couple reasons:
>
> One - I had white floaters or something else in my right side vision. Went to good eye doc and she couldn't find anything wrong. They are still there but not so bad. Maybe I'm just crazy.
>
If there is no reason for these floaters and no damage to the eye, then they may go away on their own... indeed should go away on their own... what did the eye doctor say about them???? and their shelf life????> Two - on doses above 100 mgs my cognitive functions dropped dramatically - when I wrote I would double up words. No tingling hands.
how fast did you increase the dosage??? cognitive skills are impaired by topomax but usually we hear from people so affected, for short term only... I know that I for example found it a problem for a bit but after I quit panicking, it went away and things returned to normal... and that is important for me... believe me!!!!!!!
>
> Three - this is why I stopped. I couldn't take a deep breath. I would inhale but couldn't breath deep enough. I found myself constantly yawning but still couldn't catch my breath. Lung xay ok. Went to heart doc and everything ok. Going to lung doc but of course the symptons have gone away since I stopped the topamax. It could be stress but I have never had these problems before. Has anyone had similar problem?
>Someone else here mentioned that it does affect asthmatics on occasion... but I cannot remember who said it or what the effect was...
where are our super memories??????
we need you.....
> I wish I could stay on higher dose of topamax - at 200 mgs I dropped a lot of weight.again the answer may be to increase at low increments over slow time period.....
kat
Posted by bridgey1128 on July 16, 2004, at 19:05:51
In reply to Re: Topamax » Momof4, posted by headachequeen on July 15, 2004, at 14:28:05
I have found that as I have gone up all of a sudden my FACE has broken out! EGADS! I didn't even have acne this bad when I was a teenager! This is horrid. I am coping best I can and it's just on my chin. no where else really except a tad on my forehead. Since I have gone up to the 150mg I have noticed finally my appetite dropping. It's like, when I DO eat I am hungry but I could go all day and not eat if I didn't happen to think about it. If my stomach grumbles I think..oh yeah I had better eat. I take mine split up. 100mg at night and 50mg in the morning. I have never had nausea with mine at any point. The tingling has gone away but every now and then I see a floaty. The headaches have gone away with the weather so I am assuming that was what it was. I have noticed my anxiety has come back though. Is it because it's the week before you know what? I geuss we shall see. I have been really paranoid this week. It's driving me bonkers. I have some Ativan that I take when I feel that knot in my stomach. Otherwise I feel downright nauseous from that. I can't take it long before it stops working, so I just take it whenever I feel it coming on. I have had some serious anxiety attacks before and they are NOT FUN! I get really moody and I start literally wringing my hands. I had never heard of the losing the hair side effect. I have always shed like a sheepdog so that wouldn't mean much to me. Of course, I have always had plenty to lose though. Anyway, I've rambled enough :) ta ta
Shell
Posted by andie1970 on July 18, 2004, at 15:32:58
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by bridgey1128 on July 16, 2004, at 19:05:51
I'm so glad to find this string of posts. I started topamax about ten days ago, on 25 mg, then on 50 mg after about 5 days. I felt so great after the first few days, no appetite, and no desire for alcohol! no side effects. what a wonder drug, no head aches. Then the nurse told me to start one in the morning and one at night, and i did, and that's when the terrible heartburn started. I am burping like crazy, icky bile kind of burps which make me feel nauseous. So it's not just that nasty taste in the mouth, but the constant burning. So I began taking them both at night, and taking zantac. It seems to be a little better, but I still am burping, not a bad, but bad enough where it's burning, and feel still nauseated and am wondering if anyone else went through this? Am crossing fingers either it goes away OR can you take something with it at the same time? Can I take zantac at the same time, or calcium magnesium supplement at the same time? I'm wondering if anyone has found anything that would work and I know ginger ale and seltzer used to work for my stomach, but I read that those are horrible with this medication. I've been reading Zonegran has many less side effects, but I'm willing to wait a little longer with this before changing. if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears! (all heartburn too!) Thanks!
Posted by heathermom on July 18, 2004, at 16:01:34
In reply to Re: Topamax » luddy, posted by headachequeen on July 13, 2004, at 8:26:13
hello all. i posted here several months ago inquiring about topomax's side effects. i check back regularly, and i have practically every side effect that you all have. i am currently taking 300mg. /day for bi polar disorder. it has worked wonderfully, and the side effects have pretty much subsided. my binge eating has all but gone away. i have not lost any weight, but my weight is steady and under control. (yea!!) i wasn't overweight to begin with, so this is a victory. the tingly feelings are few and far between, and the stupids have faded. one thing i am curious about that i haven't heard anyone mention......
i used to crave junk like the dickens. chips, cake, ice cream, crackers. if it was processed, i wanted it. now, all i want is freah food. fresh fruit, veggies, oh God, i would kill for avacado, or whole milk yogurt!! i go to the whole foods market...i would never go there before. my kids get a candy bar, and i get a banana. and i WANT this! anyone else experiencing this kind of stuff? it's crazy, i tell ya. i just don't know what to think. i go out to eat, and i am voluntarily NOT eating the deep fried stuff, and I DO NOT want to eat at mcdonalds....and that used to be my favorite place. it makes me sick to think of that place now. i would rather stay home and prepare a nice bean burrito.
there, anybody get what i mean???
ok. i hope that made sense. best luck to all of you. i know i kind of left the subject. i'm sorry. happy trails! heather.
Posted by headachequeen on July 18, 2004, at 16:27:44
In reply to Topamax and BAD heartburn, posted by andie1970 on July 18, 2004, at 15:32:58
> I'm so glad to find this string of posts. I started topamax about ten days ago, on 25 mg, then on 50 mg after about 5 days. I felt so great after the first few days, no appetite, and no desire for alcohol! no side effects. what a wonder drug, no head aches. Then the nurse told me to start one in the morning and one at night, and i did, and that's when the terrible heartburn started. I am burping like crazy, icky bile kind of burps which make me feel nauseous. So it's not just that nasty taste in the mouth, but the constant burning. So I began taking them both at night, and taking zantac. It seems to be a little better, but I still am burping, not a bad, but bad enough where it's burning, and feel still nauseated and am wondering if anyone else went through this? Am crossing fingers either it goes away OR can you take something with it at the same time? Can I take zantac at the same time, or calcium magnesium supplement at the same time? I'm wondering if anyone has found anything that would work and I know ginger ale and seltzer used to work for my stomach, but I read that those are horrible with this medication. I've been reading Zonegran has many less side effects, but I'm willing to wait a little longer with this before changing. if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears! (all heartburn too!) Thanks!
Oh, dear... this is the thing that several of us... are you there, Bridgey me dear buddy and fellow sufferer <g>????... have been crusading against for quite some time....
such a sudden change in dosage is the worst thing that can happen...
I repeat, WORST thing that can happen and if that is not sufficient warning, then let me say that it is the WORST thing you can do to yourself as you begin the relationship with Topomax, at least, if you want it to be successful...The only successful way to have this stuff work for you and not to have unpleasant if not downright UGLY side-effects, is to maintain at least two week intervals between increases in the dosage... AT LEAST two week intervals...
and most neurologists recommend that one reach the planned maximum for one time of day before starting the other time of day...
oh dear for a writer an English teacher (retired I hasten to insist) that is a terrible explanation...
allow me to rephrase that so it makes better sense...
if there is a planned limit, say 200 mg twice a day, then one is normally told to start in the evening and to reach the goal in the evening before starting the morning dosages...and NORMALLY, the neuro would tell one to proceed at one's own pace.. the two-week increment is to be followed only if one is comfortable...
if one feels that it is too soon to increase the dosage, then one is usually advised to wait a few days, even a week or two, before going on to the next level...I know from bitter and nauseating experience, not to mention ghastly effects such as heartburn that you mention, that starting the morning dosage too soon can be really unpleasant...
take the increases at your own pace, not that set by a nurse...
a nurse for pete's sake????? when did nurses get the right to prescribe meds?????life gets stranger by the moment....
kat
Posted by headachequeen on July 18, 2004, at 16:33:29
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by heathermom on July 18, 2004, at 16:01:34
> hello all. i posted here several months ago inquiring about topomax's side effects. i check back regularly, and i have practically every side effect that you all have. i am currently taking 300mg. /day for bi polar disorder. it has worked wonderfully, and the side effects have pretty much subsided. my binge eating has all but gone away. i have not lost any weight, but my weight is steady and under control. (yea!!) i wasn't overweight to begin with, so this is a victory. the tingly feelings are few and far between, and the stupids have faded. one thing i am curious about that i haven't heard anyone mention......
> i used to crave junk like the dickens. chips, cake, ice cream, crackers. if it was processed, i wanted it. now, all i want is freah food. fresh fruit, veggies, oh God, i would kill for avacado, or whole milk yogurt!! i go to the whole foods market...i would never go there before. my kids get a candy bar, and i get a banana. and i WANT this! anyone else experiencing this kind of stuff? it's crazy, i tell ya. i just don't know what to think. i go out to eat, and i am voluntarily NOT eating the deep fried stuff, and I DO NOT want to eat at mcdonalds....and that used to be my favorite place. it makes me sick to think of that place now. i would rather stay home and prepare a nice bean burrito.
> there, anybody get what i mean???
> ok. i hope that made sense. best luck to all of you. i know i kind of left the subject. i'm sorry. happy trails! heather.
Heather, personally, I think this IS the subject...
You have persevered with Topomax and found that you got past the side effect stage and into the effect stage...
It is doing the appetite curbing thing...
in that it is curbing your desires or cravings for junk food...
strange isn't it???? I keep wondering about that part of it and which some scientific type person would explain it to me...
why do I no longer crave potato chips and dip???
why do chocolate bars, chocolate cookies, chocolate anythings no longer call my name when I walk past them in stores???
why do I prefer salads with lemon juice instead of those really rich, thick dressings??? for that matter why would I rather have a salad than head for the dessert menu???
I have a lot of questions about this med that I really would like to have answered LOL
I enjoy the fact that it works on the headaches and tempers the effect of the other anti-seizure med, making it work better but I also enjoy eating healthier because I am healthier in other ways... and I am no longer so horridly overweight...but now I would like to know how it works....
and I am so glad it is working for you too and that you hung in there...
glad you are here too...
kat
Posted by bridgey1128 on July 18, 2004, at 18:06:56
In reply to Re: Topamax and BAD heartburn » andie1970, posted by headachequeen on July 18, 2004, at 16:27:44
Andie...I learned the HARD way about going up too soon on the meds and mine was from 25mg to 50mg. Mine wasn't heart burn but I lost my sight!! Now that was a scary side effect. That morning I was fine but the further in the day the less I could see until that night it was like big blobs in front of me. Since it was the weekend I called the Dr on call, who was NOT my Dr, and his advice? STOP THE MEDICATION..YEAH RIGHT! Oh that's the EASY way out. I was not a quitter so I came on here and luckily Kat told me to simply back off for a week or so and it would go back to normal! Well..it worked and when the other side effects wore off I went up. My Dr himself tried to say that he didn't think it had anything to do with the Topomax...WHAT??Yeah right...generally my eyesight just goes in and out like that. Riiiiight. The point is....you will have some SERIOUS side effects if you go up any sooner than 2 or 3 weeks. If the Dr or nurse..I agree with kat I don't think a nurse has any business prescribing medication...tells you otherwise....DON'T LISTEN!!! Listen to your body...go...up....s...l...o...w..l...y or listen to other people who have been there if you haven't had many side effects, because BELIEVE YOU ME! You don't want them! This can be a great medication but it can have some pretty bad side effects if you go up too soon. So good luck! We're all ears :) and good support..oh yeah and pretty good advice..hehe
Posted by headachequeen on July 19, 2004, at 10:36:53
In reply to Re: Topamax and BAD heartburn, posted by bridgey1128 on July 18, 2004, at 18:06:56
> Andie...I learned the HARD way about going up too soon on the meds and mine was from 25mg to 50mg. Mine wasn't heart burn but I lost my sight!! Now that was a scary side effect. That morning I was fine but the further in the day the less I could see until that night it was like big blobs in front of me. Since it was the weekend I called the Dr on call, who was NOT my Dr, and his advice? STOP THE MEDICATION..YEAH RIGHT! Oh that's the EASY way out. I was not a quitter so I came on here and luckily Kat told me to simply back off for a week or so and it would go back to normal! Well..it worked and when the other side effects wore off I went up. My Dr himself tried to say that he didn't think it had anything to do with the Topomax...WHAT??Yeah right...generally my eyesight just goes in and out like that. Riiiiight. The point is....you will have some SERIOUS side effects if you go up any sooner than 2 or 3 weeks. If the Dr or nurse..I agree with kat I don't think a nurse has any business prescribing medication...tells you otherwise....DON'T LISTEN!!! Listen to your body...go...up....s...l...o...w..l...y or listen to other people who have been there if you haven't had many side effects, because BELIEVE YOU ME! You don't want them! This can be a great medication but it can have some pretty bad side effects if you go up too soon. So good luck! We're all ears :) and good support..oh yeah and pretty good advice..hehe
Andie, it is vital to take it slowly as Bridgie says... going up too fast can simply make things impossible... and uncomfortable to put it mildly...
or disastrous ...
increase the dosage no sooner than every two weeks and do not jump around with the times unless you have reached the maximum half doses...
for instance if you are going to be taking 100 mg twice a day and have reached 100 mg in the evening then go to morning for 1m mg... do not bounce from evening to morning and back again...as for nurses suggesting when to take meds...
I have the greatest respect for nurses and the work they do, but they are not supposed to prescribe meds especially this sort of stuff...and I would be very careful, Andie....
kat
Posted by andie1970 on July 26, 2004, at 20:01:50
In reply to Re: Topamax and BAD heartburn » bridgey1128, posted by headachequeen on July 19, 2004, at 10:36:53
Hey there, and thank you so much for your posts! I just wanted to reply that THANKFULLY my heartburn is no longer. YAY! It went away almost a week ago and I feel fine and ready to move on, am only taking 50 mg at night at this point. Hardly any tinglies in the hands and feet anymore either. A little scared at the next 25, but it's been 2 weeks this time since I moved 25 mg, not like the last time moving 25 mg in one week, so maybe it will go better. Again, should I go all at night? All 75? Trust me, it will again be the nurse. The doctor is only in once a week :) Thanks again!!!!!! I love this site, wow.
Posted by headachequeen on July 27, 2004, at 9:41:08
In reply to Re: Topamax and BAD heartburn, posted by andie1970 on July 26, 2004, at 20:01:50
> Hey there, and thank you so much for your posts! I just wanted to reply that THANKFULLY my heartburn is no longer. YAY! It went away almost a week ago and I feel fine and ready to move on, am only taking 50 mg at night at this point. Hardly any tinglies in the hands and feet anymore either. A little scared at the next 25, but it's been 2 weeks this time since I moved 25 mg, not like the last time moving 25 mg in one week, so maybe it will go better. Again, should I go all at night? All 75? Trust me, it will again be the nurse. The doctor is only in once a week :) Thanks again!!!!!! I love this site, wow.
stick to increasing it at night... as my grandfather would have said, learn from the mistakes of others; you don't have time to make them all yourself...when you have reached the half dose total so to speak then go to morning...
as in if the evening total is 200 mg a night, and morning is 200 mg then start morning when you reach the 200 mg at nights...
and do not start the next 25 mg until YOU feel comfortable at this dose... no matter what the nurse says...
just smile and say mmhhmmm as the old Scottish song says and go home and do what your system tells you...and I agree about this site...
it is great...
must get my neuro to join it; he could learn much here...kat...
Posted by bridgey1128 on August 21, 2004, at 9:42:21
In reply to Re: Topamax » bridgey1128, posted by headachequeen on July 13, 2004, at 13:23:39
I have had some seriously bad headaches the past 2 weeks. I am going to the Dr Monday. It started with the floater, which the eye Dr did not see. He also did not dilate my pupil to see if anything else was wrong. I was sort of ticked at him so I did not insist he did so that was probably my fault. I have had sensitivity to light and the headache is only on the right side of my head. Even my teeth hurt. It's like an invisible line or something though. The left side has not hurt unless it was a general weather headache and then Advil would take away the pain on THAT side. Advil, Tylenol and even my Bextra hasn't helped. My back muscles are like rocks. I have gotten my husband to try and massage it but it literally hurts his hands! He says it's like massaging a rock. Anyway, any suggestions or "been there done that" situations? Kat? I know you always have some words of wisdom! HELP!
Posted by headachequeen on August 21, 2004, at 15:10:43
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by bridgey1128 on August 21, 2004, at 9:42:21
> I have had some seriously bad headaches the past 2 weeks. I am going to the Dr Monday. It started with the floater, which the eye Dr did not see. He also did not dilate my pupil to see if anything else was wrong. I was sort of ticked at him so I did not insist he did so that was probably my fault. I have had sensitivity to light and the headache is only on the right side of my head. Even my teeth hurt. It's like an invisible line or something though. The left side has not hurt unless it was a general weather headache and then Advil would take away the pain on THAT side. Advil, Tylenol and even my Bextra hasn't helped. My back muscles are like rocks. I have gotten my husband to try and massage it but it literally hurts his hands! He says it's like massaging a rock. Anyway, any suggestions or "been there done that" situations? Kat? I know you always have some words of wisdom! HELP!
Oh, Bridgey! this sounds really unpleasant -- to put it mildly...
Topomax is one of the favourite meds to deal with headache problems... and I have never read or heard of it causing headaches... so this would be a new twist if it were...You certainly should have insisted the eye doctor properly check, but you don't need me to tell you that...
is there anything else changed in your life style? diet? exercise levels? other meds? I have been reading a lot lately about meds that interact unfavourably with other meds...
At the moment I am not taking Topomax or Tegretol... have a series of tests coming up on Monday and they told me to quit taking the meds until after the test...
which means then that I have to start over at square one with Topomax...
not sure if I will bother with the wretched Tegretol ...
so I shall be monitoring the results as I start over very carefully...
one thing that has been happening since I quit using the Topomax is a return to headaches... so far nothing totally debilitating, but the nagging ones that will not quit...
perhaps there is enough Topomax stored in my system to calm the headaches??? I know that when dealing with allergens they claim it takes up to three months to get the residual effects out of the system... maybe this is similar???Another thought is to take great care as to what foods you eat if headaches are a problem as certain foods can trigger headache... as can the barometric pressure changes... as if we can control them!!!!
and I have been meaning to mention but kept forgetting that for those who are worried about weight gain, eating an ounce or two of nuts... cashews, pecans, or almonds are the ones that I have seen most often recommended... before a meal helps to curb the appetite...
another suggestion was to have a little olive oil.. a tablespoon or so.. with herbs for flavour, and use it as a dip or spread for a bit of wholewheat bread (white turns to sugar in a flash) and have it as an appetiser, or in this case <g>, anti-appetiser....
it does help...but I am afraid that I cannot help you at all, Bridgey...
have never had the floater problems with the Topomax so cannot draw on any experience or advice that I might have been given...at the moment, I am waiting to see what happens Monday -- another of those sleep-deprived eegs, this time the telemetry version and they told me it would take about six hours... whoopee-di-do-do-DO! No coffee or other stimulants for the next 48 hours... and no sleep from the time I awaken tomorrow until I get to the hospital Monday morning for the test...
then they want me to sleep during it (should not be a problem LOL) and preferably to have a seizure or two during it...
now, if I could schedule the seizures, I would simply not have them...
The suggestion is that I bring a lunch and a book to read in case I cannot sleep (I have seizures only when asleep)Lately the seizures are escalating their attack; the last three or four have begun to be more aggressive... my legs are now moving involuntarily during these episodes...
Such fun....
Bridgey, I am going to ask some of the people I know who are on Topomax about the floaters and headaches... perhaps there will be some answers...
I hope so and I hope even more that this stops for you and soon...kat
Posted by karlak13 on August 21, 2004, at 20:42:49
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by bridgey1128 on August 21, 2004, at 9:42:21
I took up to 600mg of topamax for migraine and cluster headaches and it didn't help me at all. The only side effect I had from the medicine is that it made me forget everything. I became very stupid. It has that effect on lots of people and is a common side effect. I haven't heard of people getting floaters from them. Why don't you call your pharmacy and ask the pharmacst if that could be a side effect of the medicine or look at the insert if you got one. I hope you feel better soon.
Posted by bridgey1128 on August 21, 2004, at 20:55:38
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by karlak13 on August 21, 2004, at 20:42:49
Thanks. I have looked up info on the internet and have found that people have gotten floaters from them. I have found that my Pharmacists really don't know a whole lot about it to be honest because it's such a new drug. When I told them what it did to my eyes, made me lose my sight when I went up too soon, they were surprised. My Dr actually denied that the Topamax was to blame and my eye Dr tried to blame it on my contact wear. DUR! I have never had a problem with contacts!!! and I have never randomly lost my vision in both eyes. I just hope this isn't indictative of something much worse. My vision hasn't been blurred, just that floater. But my eyes have been a little more sensitive and it has come and gone. SOmetimes they will be horribly sensitive and then others not so much. I have been really REALLY tired all of a sudden, and it's the END of my period. Usually this happens the week before and the beginning of my period. I slept for 13 1/2 hours last night and woke up feeling like I had been hit by a train. The depression part is just horrid although I don't really feel depressed right now, just tired, worn down and irritable. Anyway, thanks for listening and trying to help.
Posted by headachequeen on August 22, 2004, at 12:54:14
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by bridgey1128 on August 21, 2004, at 20:55:38
> Thanks... although I don't really feel depressed right now, just tired, worn down and irritable. Anyway, thanks for listening and trying to help.
Bridgey, it is so difficult to get from day to day with so little help out there...
your comments about the pharmacists' lack of knowledge about Topomax reminded me of the total dearth of information I was given when I started taking it... my pharmacist who always lauds the help and information provided to customers... told me nothing about it..
I stumbled upon this dialogue by accident and learned a lot about it and learned still more from my sister-in-law (she suffers a spasm/seaizure problem related to a broken back and Topomax was prescribed to help deal with those seizures as well as the extreme headaches she gets as a result... the spine is supposedly healed, although she has metal rods and pins and binder twine with a bit of chewing gum holding everything together... the pain is so intense on an ongoing basis that she has been prescribed morphine...)but the help that I have found here has been much more useful ... and I have at times shared information from people who have lived it, so to speak, with the pharmacist...
someone has to educate them! <g> so it is up to us... we are after all the ones who need to use this med...as for the doctor and eye doctor trying to find other reasons for the floater and the loss of vision... that is beyond frustrating...
right now my neurologist is trying to find other reasons for the break-through seizures instead of changing the tegretol to another med and I am sure there must be more than one primary anti-seizure med...
it cannot be the fault of the tegretol... he seems to think that this particular med is sacrosanct.
When I mention the side effects from it that plague me, he keeps telling me that they are typical of Topomax ....
except I had the side effects BEFORE I was given the Topomax and they lessened to some degree after I started using it as well...
for that matter, the break-through seizures lessened in frequency and in degree after the Topomax ....
so why not accept the fact that the Tegretol does not work for me???and why are things not simpler???? :( I want it all and I want it gift-wrapped...
kat
Posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 12:38:15
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by dfwHomer on September 1, 2001, at 14:47:31
When will the Topamax kick in for binge eating? My daughter is taking 50mg per day this week, then 75mg next week and 100mg the next week. I think her doc. is keeping her there. We are hoping she can lose the 30 lbs she gained with SSRI's and the eating(of course) Thanks so much
Posted by bridgey1128 on September 27, 2004, at 14:30:44
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 12:38:15
WHOAH!!! She had better not do that!!! You have to go up SLOWLY!!! She is in DANGEROUS territory and her Dr must not know very much about Topamax if he is speeding her like a freight train gone mad. She will have more problems than weight gain if she ups it that quickly. Usually you need to go up NO MORE than a 25mg increment every 2 to 3 weeks. She is getting into some seriously dangerous medical problems with her eyes if she doesn't watch it. I literally lost my eyesight going up from 25mg to 50mg after only 2 weeks...I would REALLY reconsider. THat Dr sounds rather reckless and thoughtless. Also, weightloss is very individual. I am takling 150mg and still no weight loss so do not depend on this to be a weight loss drug. Some people start losing weight right away and some never do. PLEASE tell your daughter to NOT LISTEN to her Dr and listen to her body. When the other side effects wear off like the tingling, nausea (some people have) or other things THEN and ONLY then will she know it's safe to go up. DON'T let her risk her eyesight or other kidney or liver problems because she is eager to lose weight that might not come off with this drug. It's not worth the bad side effects from going up too soon too much. BEEN THERE DONE THAT AND NOT GOING TO DO IT AGAIN! I have been on 150mg for quite some time for my bipolar and it seems to be holding steady. The fuzziness is slowly wearing off but that has taken months. Like I said, since this is such a fairly new drug Dr's REALLY don't like to admit they don't know much about it. So tellyour daughter to listen to her body and NOT the Dr!
Posted by headachequeen on September 27, 2004, at 15:13:55
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by bridgey1128 on September 27, 2004, at 14:30:44
> WHOAH!!! She had better not do that!!! You have to go up SLOWLY!!! She is in DANGEROUS territory and her Dr must not know very much about Topamax if he is speeding her like a freight train gone mad. She will have more problems than weight gain if she ups it that quickly. Usually you need to go up NO MORE than a 25mg increment every 2 to 3 weeks.
Bridgey is sooooo sooooo right...
this is NOT, I repeat NOT, a medication to be increased in such a rush...
when it is prescribed properly, it is to be increased in slower time periods... usually in two-week increments at the fastest...
and the proper way is to be increased in two-week increments if the patient feels comfortable then; if the patient is not comfortable, then the patient is told to wait a few days before going up another 25 mg... and the next increment is not to be tried for at least, I repeat, at least, another 25 mg...
I am presently back on 600 mg twice a day and that was attained by 25 mg increments... starting in the evening and then when 300 mg evening increments had been achieved, I started with the morning dosages...
originally I reached 200 mg twice a day that way... then when it was decided I should go up to 300 mg, I started adding 25 mg at a time, evenings first for another 100 mg and then in the mornings.... with the two weeks in between...
and I have been pretty well blessed with no side effects...
any side effects and back I went to the previous dosage until I was comfortable with the previous dosage then I tried the next increment....this is not a race to achieve the weight loss... it does not and will not happen in a couple of weeks....
it is a slow thing and I have been told that once it starts... by the technician involved in the original weight loss studies and tests... if one stops using the topomax the weight comes right back...
kat
Posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 15:25:40
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 12:38:15
I have another question for you all.....as far as my daughter not wanting to binge, do you know when that urge will start to go away? I am going to take your advice and make sure she does not go up too quickly. Thanks so much for this infor.
Posted by headachequeen on September 27, 2004, at 15:39:24
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 15:25:40
> I have another question for you all.....as far as my daughter not wanting to binge, do you know when that urge will start to go away? I am going to take your advice and make sure she does not go up too quickly. Thanks so much for this infor.
As with so many things and so many meds, topomax works differently with different people...
I found that it killed my interest in and my obsession with chocolate and junk food and my need or desire or demand or whatever it was to eat when I was bored or lonely or .....
it was a form of binge eating I have come to realise now...
and that it did it very quickly... and I have also come to understand that my particular form of binge eating was attached to my epilepsy; when things were really active and my seizures were making my life difficult, I was always groggy and tired and could not get out to do things, could not be active and therefore happy, I would eat for want of other activity and to overcome my feelings of deprivation... my interpration of events, based on recent events and discoveries...
topomax really put a stop to these mass attacks on fridge and chocolate bar counters...
and really made a difference in my weight...we have a very important wedding on 09 October -- we are surrogate parents to the groom and his siblings (their parents both died of cancer about ten years ago, ten months apart) and I am anxious about the day, it will be a long one with the service at noon and the dinner, a thirteen-course banquet, from six-thirty until almost 0100... and I must not have a seizure... after the last battery of tests, my nocturnal seizures have been occurring during the day and have been really horrendous, not the tonic-clonic type, but a type that put me into a coma for up to an hour, totally unaware of my surroundings followed by a day or two of being unable to focus or read, sometimes unable to speak clearly...
this I do not need at that time...
to make it worse, I am unable to find anything to wear to the service... I have a dress and jacket for the dinner but do not want to wear it to the service... too fragile for the afternoon demands... so have decided to wear a suit I absolutely love... but have to have it taken in... SIX sizes at least.... and having decided today that it is what I want to wear.. the only alternative is a suede suit, the skirt I can manage but the jacket is big enough for my husband to share with me....
so that is out of the question...
here I go trying to find a dressmaker willing to do the work in time... and a hairstylist willing to do my hair and makeup at 0700 so I can leave in time to be in Ottawa for the service... can't hope to be steady enough to do eye make-up that morning... that would be the day that my hands would have tremors so badly that I would poke out an eye :(....
the tegritol has been upped to almost triple and is controlling the seizures, so my doctor thinks that it too much and wants it back to what it was... of course, let's drop it down and have more seizures...
the topomax he has not thought of, so it is holding the fort as it were, and I am only having the occasional seizure... as in one or two a day... and with the new timetable I have worked out with the doctors in emergency it is working its way back to nocturnal... but I am going to work back to the heavier dosage of tegretol AND topomas to get through the wedding...
cross your fingers...and Stressed, do not expect the topomax to kick in overnight...
I started losing weight in the first week, three pounds and have lost a lot but it has taken a long time....
and given time and a slow approach to the increase in meds it will work... but it does take timekat
Posted by headachequeen on September 27, 2004, at 15:41:30
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 12:38:15
Just found some more info on dealing with hair loss for those of you who are concerned...
www.hairlosshelp.com
kat
Posted by bridgey1128 on September 27, 2004, at 15:43:07
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by stressed on September 27, 2004, at 12:38:15
What is the reason she is taking the Topamax to begin with? For binge eating? Whenever I get the urge to eat I drink water. With Topamax you're supposed to drink lots of water anyway. Or try chewing gum.
Posted by stressed on September 28, 2004, at 7:54:47
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by bridgey1128 on September 27, 2004, at 15:43:07
She is taking it because she has been on lexapro and gained much weight. Her doc. put her on it to control moods and also to help her binge eating disorder. It is getting out of control. Yesterday she said she felt like she had the flu, and felt really hungry, light headed a bit. That's not good. Thanks for your info, you are helping me more than you know.
Posted by bridgey1128 on September 28, 2004, at 13:16:08
In reply to RE: More info please...stressed, posted by stressed on September 28, 2004, at 7:54:47
hmm Is she bipolar? I have never heard it given to people for binge eating and Lexapro is an antipychotic sometimes given for bipolar. My Dr tried to give it to me and I said if I even START to gain weight I REFUSE to take it. Well I took it for 3 days and gained 5lbs. I said NO FREAKING WAY! And that was that. I insisted he try me on Topamax after much research on my own part and so he did. Is she just binging because of the meds or is she bulemic and being treated for that? There are so many actual weight LOSS drugs available that I can't imagine a Dr prescribing Topamax for this specifically, especially when it may not work. I hope she isn't bulemic because that would be a whole other set of problems. Has she been diagnosed with bipolar because that isn't just mood swings and Topamax isn't to help with "moods". If that is the reason the Dr prescribed it then I would say RUN RUN from that Dr and get a second opinion. He obviously has no clue. Just wondering what exactly your daughter has definitely been diagnosed with. Strong meds are nothing to play around with, especially with an ignorant Dr. and OUR health!
Posted by headachequeen on September 28, 2004, at 14:23:04
In reply to RE: More info please...stressed, posted by bridgey1128 on September 28, 2004, at 13:16:08
There are indeed so many weight-loss drugs available and so many of them are so very very dangerous that it is really something that one has to consider with a lot of research thrown into the bargain.
I am glad that you found this site because there is so much knowledge and experience here.
As Bridgey said, there is a need to identify the reason the doctor suggested this med; is she bulemic? is she bi-polar? what is the actual problem? or is there a need to find a doctor better able to deal with the problem?
I am in a really good position to address that issue, believe me as, in recent weeks I have seen so many doctors following the sudden outbreak of changes in the seizure occurrences.
On the first visit to Emergency, rushed there by ambulance when no one could waken me from a forty-five minute coma, I lay on a gurney in a treatment room for almost three hours. By the time a doctor finally arrived, I was out of the seizure but freezing to death on one of the hottest evenings of the summer, shaking from the 'cold' although I was bundled in warmed blankets...
the doctor went through my medical history that had been taken in triage and informed me that my only problem was that I was over-medicated...
all I had to do was quit taking the medications and I would be fine...
okay, which should I start with...
the ones prescribed for high blood pressure which I have had since I was an emaciated teen-ager, then I could stroke out...
or the meds for the severe lung disorder and I could stop breathing at any point in time...
or the ones that deal with the blockage in my nose from the broken nose from a toboggan accident in my teens and help me breathe...
or the allergy meds... they help me breathe too...
then there is the stuff for the high cholestrol despite my careful diet....
or the epilepsy meds that are supposed to stop the seizures which is why I am here...
you pick, doctor...he wanted to know how I knew I had high blood pressure and how I knew I was epileptic...
well he had been the doctor in emerg who had diagnosed the epilepsy many years ago...
was I sure I was epileptic...
had I proof of that??
and had I proof that I needed meds for hypertension...
would I not be better off if I just quit taking this chemical cocktail???
That was all that was wrong, I was over-medicated and he suggested I quit taking all my meds...
Go home and throw out all the meds...
I would be better in about a week...Anyone ever gone off Tegretol ???? The seizures come on in a hurry and really strong and often...
Topomax??? I imagine the migraines and the seizures set in...
no idea what happens when the blood pressure meds get thrown out, but I do know that without the asthma and lung meds I quit breathing... and on it goes...
where does this guy get off???then he comes back and tells me the blood tech will be in to take some blood samples before I go just to be sure there is nothing really wrong...
half an hour later he tells me I am low in potassium and prescribes an increase in potassium and suggests that I take an aspirin a day to prevent stroke.... and that perhaps I should continue my regular meds and see my regular doctor as soon as I can...
from throwing away my meds and being cured to taking five more pills a day....the next day I was back at emerg in the midst of another deep seizure, unconscious again... this doctor informed me that the meds I was on were not enough to control seizures in an eight-year-old and increased the meds by three hundred per cent while saying that it was just the beginning, a slow start as he put it... he changed the schedule too in an effort to change the time of the seizures
shocked to read the first doctor's notes, wondering if he was really on the planet when he examined me...
well I had been wondering too, but then I was in post-seizure state, so what did I know...two days later I was back again and the third doctor increased the meds again and changed the schedule to try even more to switch the seizures back to night time events...
his dosage and scheduling came really close to achieving success...
no more daytime seizures on his schedule and a whole two and a-half days with no seizures period...
then switched back to the original dose by my own doctor who thought it was waaaayyyy too much tegritol...
funny but he left the increase in topomax alone...
he also questioned the inconvenience of the schedule but I have not changed that....
if I have to stay awake later that is just too bad, the seizures happen at night and not during the day, other than this afternoon...
and that is all right with me...What I am trying to say, is that each doctor seems to see things differently...
you have to ask questions and demand answers...
and you have the right to ask and get answers...
If you are not sure what he is saying, ask again...
take it from someone who has learned the hard way...I now have a new neurologist in the picture and hope to have a more controlled situation...
with medication that controls the seizures and gives me back my own lifestyle...that is what it is all about...
the meds and the treatments are to give us control of our lifestyles with help from the doctors....yes, this is long but I want you to think about it all and realise that you have the right to have control and to help your daughter regain control...
so ask and get answers and if you are not happy get that second opinion...
and we are here to try and help....
whatever it takes...
we are here...
and have probably someone in our midst who has been there....
good luck
kat
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