Topamax...to start or not to start?
Posted , 2 users are following.
I have a history of migraines and recently started having ringing in the ears non stop for about six weeks now. After going to an ENT, I went to see a neurologist. After two EEGs, I was told I have a seizure disorder. Not the convulsing kind, but didn't even know I ever had a seizure. Anyway, my neuro wants to put me on Topamax 25mg and gradually get up to 100mg per day. He warned me of the cognitive side effects and said if I have them to stop taking it and he'd try a different med. I'm a teacher and we are just starting the school year. I cannot have memory loss, vision trouble, speech problems, etc. when I am in charge of over 100 students. I haven't started taking it because I am scared. Did the side effects come on gradually? Or build over time? I am going to get a second opinion. Also, if I had never gone to the neuro for the ringing in my ears and headache, I would never have known about seizures, so weighing the option of taking no meds until I can get a second opinon. Any advice would be appreciated. I am a 50 year old female.
0 likes, 3 replies
kerrylou82 rayna86715
Posted
I've just started taking Topamax, 50mg/day split between morning and night. Like yourself, I read horror reviews of the side effects and even my neurologist didn't recommend I take it. I requested them regardless and sat on the prescription for ages. After many days off sick from work and hours of agonizing pain in bed, I finally gave in and tried it. It wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be. I can still form a sentence coherently and word-find with the occasional brief pause for thought. There is definitely a slight blurriness that could be likened to having a large glass of wine, but nothing debilitating. What I do find most strange is that my emotions feel quite flattened since being on the tablets. I don't feel like I could manage to generate any emotional extremity at the moment, which is odd as I often experienced massive highs and lows throughout a day, laughing wildly one moment and getting frustrated by very little the next. I suppose it's not a bad thing to feel a bit calmer. I haven't had a migraine since being on Topamax and don't feel like I will - my head feels quite 'stable' - but it's definitely a medication that needs to be eased into gently. The side effects are real, but not as horrifying or debilitating as others have claimed; at least, not on 50mg a day anyway. Good luck.
rayna86715 kerrylou82
Posted
Glad to hear it's working for you. Thank you for sharing your experience with Topamax. I think I have convinced myself to give it a try and see how I do. I don't take any other medications, so maybe side effects won't be as bad with not mixing meds. He wants me to work up from 25mg a day to 100 per day. Wondering if keeping a smaller dose wouldn't work for seizures. Have an appointment in about a week and figured I'd start taking it before I see him. Thanks, again, and I hope you continue to be migraine free.
kerrylou82 rayna86715
Posted
I hope this has worked out well for you. Just an update from me. I'm now on 200mg per day: 100mg in the morning and 100mg in the evening and I want to cry due to having not tried this medication sooner. I'm sure it will not work for everyone but it has been a wonder drug for me. The fuzziness has gone now that my head has become used to the medication. I occasionally get pins and needles in my feet for no reason and sudden bursts of head rush for no reason, maybe a couple of times a day for each. It's tolerable. Emotionally I've gone from flat to labile since the medication increase, which is odd. I got teary seeing a photo of a gecko earlier. No idea why. But again, it's a minor inconvenience. I have a lot more energy and my appetite has decreased, which is supposed to be a side effect of the drug, but also a bonus as my migraines used to tire me out so I would use food as a pick-me-up when I wasn't even hungry. I still get headaches, but the ones you can carry on with - the ones that can be eased with a nice bubble bath and head rub - but I haven't had a migraine since being on Topamax. I will still keep an eye out for bad side effects, but for anyone who doesn't try this medication due to horror stories, I would say anything is worth a shot if you're living in pain.