Generic Name: Topamax for Migraine Prevention (topiramate)
Topamax for Migraine Prevention Reviews
"On Topamax, and 6 years ago I had what I thought was a seizure and spots in my right eye. The spots NEVER went away. Other symptoms of this horrible drug - ITCHING, SEIZURES, HAIR LOSS, EXTREME HOT FLASHES, EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS. My doctor never, ever cared about any of it. I quit this awful drug in October 2016. Had a minor stroke shortly after. Do not take this drug if you want to stay healthy and keep your eyesight. I filed a complaint with the FDA, and of course, they didn’t care either. This drug is a result of greedy drug companies and the FDA being lobbied to allow such a destructive drug. Doctors don’t care either. They all just keep making their money while patients end up with permanent damage that CANNOT be fixed."
"On Topamax for 15 years for migraine prevention. Has changed my life. After trying so many things for years and having the quality of my life being severely impacted by migraines, this wonder drug has lessened the pain and nausea from a 9 to a 1."
"I was given Topamax about 2 months ago for recurring migraines; it did nothing but make my life a living nightmare. I started with complete loss of appetite followed by extreme nausea. After that, the psychological effects started. I became extremely paranoid. The anxiety and paranoia got worse the longer I was on Topamax, which was soon accompanied by intense depression. Next came the hallucinations. I would see paintings moving on the walls, see colors and shapes moving across the floor, and I would hear voices multiple times a day. I fully regret ever taking this drug. I want my life back."
"I'm 50 years old and have suffered from migraines since I was about 12 years old. Too long! I've taken every medicine possible for prevention or cure with little or no relief. Too many trips to the ER for shots...the only real fix; then back home in a dark room for much-needed sleep. When my internist suggested Topamax, I jumped at the opportunity. Boy, I'm happy that I did. Yes, I had the initial side effects, lost 35 lbs originally (gained 10 back), have tingling in my fingers & toes but only in the winter when I'm cold. Very manageable. I don't drink pop, but tried one. Wow...it was flat. I do struggle with words at times, but still manageable. My 3/week migraines now down to 1/month are generally managed with Excedrin Migraine. A"
"I suffer from migraines and perimenopause and started to gain those extra pounds that just won't come off. With migraines, it's hard to work out, go for walks, and effectively lose the weight that women in perimenopause suffer from. I am 5'3 and always weighed between 120-125, but now I weigh 140. Since I started on Topamax in February, my doctor put me on 25mg per day for 2 weeks, then increased it to 2 doses a day in the 3rd week. Now it's April 16th, and I weigh in at 125, back to my original weight. I feel back to normal with so much energy. The only side effects I experience are feeling colder with cold hands and increased thirst, which is okay as it prompts me to drink more water, a habit I didn't have before. My migraines are reduced, and I feel alive."
"I've been taking Topamax for over 10 years. At first, I lost 30 pounds. YIKES! I stabilized and gained back some weight to a good weight for me. A few times I've had tingling in my fingers that lasted a very short duration. I've been a chronic migraine sufferer for over 30 years. Started at 20, and I'll be 54 soon. Like many... I've been to many doctors and tried too many meds. This was the only thing that worked. Thankfully, for me, the side effects were minimal. Just because you have one bad experience, don't suffer. Find something. Meditation... something. You deserve a better life. We wouldn't be on this board if we didn't want to discourage or encourage someone else. Keep trying to live pain-free."
"So far so good! No migraines! No more vomiting! I am losing weight! The best part is I am sleeping, whereas before, the insomnia was truly the worst. I pray all this continues. I have had no side effects at all."
"Had chronic migraines and was prescribed this medication. At first, I had no migraines or headaches, but then it got worse. I urge you to not take this medication if you have an alternative. It created a barrier in my conversations. I couldn’t comprehend what people were saying, had trouble creating responses, and felt like I was drugged up all the time."
"Topamax ruined my life! Kaiser put me on it until my psychologist said, “get off of it if it’s not working,” after I told her I had been on it for over a year! This medication caused tingling in my hands, feet, face, and caused me to see people’s faces in distorted ways like a horror film! My headaches are caused by a 2cm round tumor in my left temporal lobe near my cortex at the hippocampus hypothalamus, it causes light seizures and horrible right-side brain headaches! Even though neurologists say it’s not connected, I know from research it is connected, and no one is helping me deal with the horrific, debilitating headaches! So when Kaiser said, “try Topamax,” I said, sure, why not! I lost 2 years of my life with my son, who was a junior in high school, it’s a miracle my husband of 25 years stayed married to me! Topamax ruined 2 years of my life."
"I am 24 years old and I've had terrible migraine headaches since I was in high school. I've been on Topamax for 3 months and only taking 50mg a day since it can lessen the effect of my birth control, and I don't want to heighten the side effects. This has also been good enough to where I'm not getting migraine/tension headaches every day like I used to (it was making my life miserable). I get them sometimes once a week now. My side effects from Topamax are I used to have some hand/feet tingling, but it went away after I got used to the medication. It does make soda taste flat, and sometimes I forget words - but it's kind of how I am anyway. So far, this has worked well for me and hasn't caused me any problems."
"Began Topamax in 2005 after suffering from migraines that would last for weeks. The litany of side effects is true, and its nickname 'Stupamax' is honestly earned. Word recall, memory, trouble focusing, hand numbness, fatigue, insomnia, the works. But the number of days with headaches went from 21 to 9 in the very first month. Now, after years of taking it, my body has been depleted of vitamin B12, and I have been suffering from horrible GI troubles. However, none of my doctors seemed to link Topamax to the B12 depletion. It took Google to figure that one out. But thank you to Google and B12 supplements. I hope this helps someone else relieve any issues they've been experiencing."
"I was prescribed Topamax for migraines. At first, it was amazing, my migraines stopped. But as my dose increased, I began having loss of memory, confusion, and severe panic attacks. These problems persisted for a whole year after stopping the drug. One plus — I have not had a migraine since. This drug changes your brain chemistry. Be really careful."
"I started taking Topamax about 3 years ago. Began at 25mg a day for a week. The second week I was supposed to move up to 50, the third week to 75mg, and then finally to 100mg on the fourth week. I never really had to move past 25mg. My migraines all but stopped after a month of being on the medication and at the lowest dose. I had all the side effects - tingling, weight loss (very happy about it too), forgetting certain words, and the nasty taste of soda. That was okay because I only drink it very rarely anyway. I was getting 1-2 migraines a week and now, I may have 1-2 a year. Most of the side effects seemed to have faded with time as well. Very, very pleased with this medication."
"I have been through so much with this medicine! I ended up dizzy, confused, very irritable, with pain behind my eyes so bad it would give me headaches every day. I was scared to death to drive as my perception was off, sometimes it was so bad it felt like the road was moving, not my car. I had memory loss and couldn't say things correctly or even make deposits at work, I felt as if my brain was trying to come out of my skull. Because of this, I had to go to the gynecologist because I had abnormal periods and to the neurologist because of my head! I also had breast, arm, and leg pain to the point where I couldn't wash my hair or get ready. My legs were so bad I couldn't make it up the stairs! My husband was scared, and I was scared I was losing my mind and had something major wrong with me. This medicine wreaks havoc on your body, brain, and eyes! NIGHTMARE DRUG... I stopped it 3 days ago and I'm getting better already... I'm 42 and a healthy person, or I was!"
"I started Topamax on August 18th, and my life has changed! Today is September 2nd, two weeks without a migraine is a miracle. I’m on 50mg. At first, I was having a hard time at work. Brain fog is an understatement. But I would say it’s gone now. Within the first week, my sensitivity to light disappeared. I actually started crying tears of joy while driving because I could finally see in the daytime without a migraine. And the same thing at night. I don’t have to turn the mirror up anymore. I can see! I occasionally get some tingling in my hands and feet, but not bad at all. I will update again on my progress/side effects in a month or two. Good luck to everyone. This has been such a blessing for me."
"Having thought I was suffering from every ailment under the sun, I discovered it was actually side effects of these tablets. Breast pain, confusion, exhaustion, tingling sensation in fingers and feet, inability to string a sentence together, irritability, anxiety, depression, shortness of breath, heavy limbs. Unfortunately, I am clearly not suited to these tablets. Although, on a positive note, they have stopped my migraines. I'm currently weaning myself off of them, from 75 mg, 25 mg... I've just been prescribed some high-strength B2, to start at 200 mg per day, to increase to 400 mg. In light of these not suiting me, next will be amitriptyline."
"I've been on Topamax for a month for basilar-type migraines, which cause vertigo and headaches. Since being on 50mg of Topamax, I've had 1 vertigo migraine attack when I had been getting them 5 days a week. This medicine has made a huge difference for me. I also have noticed I have more energy and I'm just happier in general. I've lost some weight as well. I'm really happy I've found medication that works for me. I had some side effects like feeling out of it and tiredness for the first 2 weeks."
"A very dangerous medication. I was prescribed it for headaches. Many side effects were problems I was already having. I told my doctor about it, and so did my wife on many occasions. The doctor said to keep taking it, the good outweighs the bad. And if I don't take it, they will not try a new medication, or see me again. So I tried it for 21 days. Hallucination, didn't know if I was awake or dreaming. Many bad things. Then out of nowhere, I shot myself under the chin. Somehow I survived. After coming out of a coma and many surgeries, I did more study on the medicine. I'm 46. In the testing of this drug, 31% of all males between 41 and 49 committed suicide on it. That's one in three males, all within the first 30 days. So I was failed by my doctors."
"Topamax was the worst thing that I have ever taken and I wish I were exaggerating. Everyone is different but Topamax has messed me up so badly mentally and physically and has not helped with migraines. I have never been suicidal but I became fearful of what I might do to myself while I was on this medication. I do not recommend this medicine to anyone."
"I was put on Topamax (brand name) in 2007 as I was having migraine headaches five and six times a month at a minimum (not just bothersome 'headaches' but full-on pain with severe vomiting and preventing me from going to work). At the time, my insurance covered it, and my copay was $10 a month. The only bad side effect I experienced was the tingling in my feet (sometimes severe), but it was worth it considering I went down to one migraine the first year I was on it. I called it my miracle drug (and I lost 30 lbs!). It gave me my life back... and then it came off the insurance company's formulary and went from $10 to $60 a month. As a newly divorced mom, I was unable to afford that, but I was able to move to the generic Topiramate - which only became a nightmare, and I now have lifelong issues (separate review for it)."
"I have taken Topamax for about 5 years. I take 100 mg in the morning, 100 mg in the afternoon, and 200 mg at night. I almost never have a migraine. I used to have one 4 out of 7 days a week. I don't have any side effects, not even drowsiness."
"I have been on Topamax now for 2 years. I reached a breaking point where I almost lost my job because I was calling out of work so much with 3-4 (sometimes 5) migraines a week. I was initially annoyed because I wanted it to work immediately, but I still had migraines. You have to titrate the dose up 25 mg a week. I initially went up to the recommended 100 mg, but I hated the 'loss of words' feeling I had, and found that I had about 1-2 migraines a month. So I decided to go back to 75 mg and see what happened. I had less loss of words and finger tingling, and yet my amount of migraines stayed at 1-2/month. This has been a lifesaver for me. I don't know what I would do without it."
"After trying everything and failing to get my migraines under control, I was at rock bottom. My doctor suggested Topiramate, and it has changed my life. I can go out and live a normal life and not worry about what will happen if I get a migraine or how quickly I can get home. My migraines have completely stopped since I have upped the dose from 25mg to 50mg. I get some tingling in my legs, but I can cope with that if it means no migraines forever. It’s a miracle drug."
"Topamax is truly a lifesaver. I have been on this for many years now for migraine prevention, and I too would get the 'pins and needles' tingling sensation in hands and feet. I've found a daily multivitamin helps with that, and believe it or not, prenatal vitamins take it completely away. I hope this helps!"
"I've only been on this medication for 2 weeks now but it has changed my life. I have lived with chronic migraines since my entire life... since I was 18 months old. I have lived with daily headaches and almost daily migraines for the past 10 years and it has taken over my life. Since starting Topamax, I have had 2-3 manageable headaches and I have my life back! It has even taken away chronic fibromyalgia and arthritis pain, given me back my ability to sleep soundly for hours at a time, and has gotten me out of a daily triptan habit that almost caused a stroke a few weeks ago. The side effects (brain fog, drowsiness, etc.) are nothing new for me given I have fibromyalgia. A life without pain is worth it to me! What a miracle!!"
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