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- Bipolar Disorder (https://www.neurotalk.org/bipolar-disorder/)

- - Topiramate (https://www.neurotalk.org/bipolar-disorder/8722-topiramate.html)

Has anyone had the side effect of drowsiness on this drug as I am sleeping an awful lot since my pdoc put me up to 100mg from 50mg on it. Just wondered. I would appreciate any feed back plus any other side effects that I should expect to have from this drug thanks.

Boxer

topamax!
I have never taken this med.
I have heard of others taking it and causing them to be very drowsy, and have memory loss and other decreased CNS symptoms. I think it is in the anti convulsant family and used with other mood stabilizers. do a google search on this med and you will find a lot of information.
I also remember that some people can lose weight on it but am not sure.
Again I have never taken this medication.
I cna't remember but has the doctor tried lamictal?
thanks for posting to us this morning.
((((HUGS)))
bizi
how are you doing?

causes sleepiness according to Crazy Meds

Topamax

http://www.crazymeds.org/topamax.html

Quote:

Topamax's Typical Side Effects: The usual for anticonvulsants.
A pins & needles effect that usually goes away after no more than a week or two. Weight loss and appetite suppression - but please note that not everyone gets this side effect. Sodas and other carbonated beverages will utterly taste like ***, so you may as well give them up now if you're considering Topamax.

Memory loss, aphasia (weird words coming out in place of what you meant to say or write), word find problems (not being able to recall the names of people, things or concepts), and a general cognitive impairment that has earned this drug the nicknames "Stupamax" and "Dopamax." As Topamax typically makes you really sleepy and has a long enough half-life, you can usually get away with taking it all at bedtime.

For tips on how to cope with these side effects, please see our side effects page.
These aren't all the side effects possible, just the most popular ones.

Topamax's Not So Common Side Effects: Dry and/or itchy eyes along with assorted vision problems. Topamax also has a warning for rare forms of myopia and glaucoma, so if you get any sort of visual weirdness, have your eyes checked immediately!

Fortunately discontinuing Topamax usually takes care of these issues, but you can't let your doctor just blow it off as an eye thing. You may find yourself not able to drink coffee any more, so be prepared to quit the bean.

Because it does hit the temporal lobes so hard you can get a zombification effect that is typically experienced only with antipsychotics. Unlike the antipsychotics it's not such a sure thing it will go away in a matter of a couple of weeks. And since the olfactory bulb is wedged in that neighborhood, food in general, and not just carbonated beverages, may not taste quite the same.

If you were experiencing frequent, intense déjà vu or jamais vu you might experience the other as the damaged temporal lobe starts working correctly.

These may or may not happen to you don't, so don't be surprised one way or the other.

Topamax's Freaky Rare Side Effects: Tongue paralysis. Combine that with not being able to get the right words out and you're all set to apply for the position of village idiot. There have also been a couple of men who started lactating after taking Topamax.
You aren't going to get these. I promise.

For all side effects read the PI sheet Hell, read all of them below and really indulge your cyberchondria.

Topamax

Hi

Here is the PI sheet for Topamax:
http://www.crazymeds.org/topamaxpi.pdf

another site:
http://www.healthsquare.com/newrx/top1541.htm

Quote:

Topamax / Topiramate
Some side effects, such as fatigue, are more likely to surface with high doses of Topamax. Others occur regardless of dosage. While many tend to disappear after the first 8 weeks of therapy, it's still important to report them to your doctor. Only your doctor can determine if it is safe for you to continue taking Topamax.

More common side effects may include:
Abdominal pain, abnormal coordination, abnormal vision, agitation, anxiety, appetite loss, back pain, breast pain, chest pain, confusion, constipation, depression, difficulty with concentration, difficulty with memory, dizziness, double vision, drowsiness, fatigue, flu-like symptoms, indigestion, language problems, leg pain, loss of coordination, menstrual problems, mood problems, nausea, nervousness, nose inflammation, rash, sinusitis, slowing of movements, sore throat, speech problems, tingling or burning sensations, tremors, weakness, weight loss

Hi Boxer,
I was on Topamax for about 2 months one summer. I don't remember the sleepiness but that would have been a good thing in my case. And I was up to maybe 75. I don't think I was on 100.
I do remember the constipation and heartburn. I had to eat small meals throughtout the day to deal with the heartburn.

Some people do very well on Topamax.......... maybe some of the side effects will go away with time -- that is what Crazy Meds says somewhere. (When I was taking the med, I logged on to crazy meds every few days!)

Other than the sleepiness thing how are you feeling?
I hope that you feel safe and cared for.
Mari

I have been on topamax for five years....except when I went up to 200 mg I have had no side effects except for a diminished interest in eating sweets. I take 100 mg now. I think I can handle 150 but my doctor prefers me on 100.
Bobby

Sometimes called Dopamax, I used it for about 3 months in 2005, and I had heartburn and stomach issues, and it did not HELP keep weight off, which is why I was prescribed it in combo with the other stuff, Seroquel. I just decided that the heartburn and all was not worth it, but I guess it can work for some people.

Thanks to all of you for your feedback and I hope that it helps others who have been prescribed this drug. It helps a lot to get feedback I think from people who have experienced the drug first hand and their views and side effects if any. Thanks very much!

Boxer

I just wanted to add....I do not post on this forum, but was provided a link at another forum....Just to let you all know...It is very important to have your eyes checked while on Topamax.....This has been my experience with this drug...I have since discontinued using it after taking it for about two years...

I know many of us use Topamax for nerve pain...I just want to let everyone know that is taking this drug that you really need to get a good exam with an opthamalogist. I had my eyes examined last year...I thought the doctor was good, but knew the exam was lacking. I really just put off seeing another doc and should not have done that.

When I tested positive for RA, my doc put me on PLaquenil and told me I must see an eye doc to make certain my eyes are healthy. Plaquenil can ruin your eyesight as well and the damage is irreversible.

I did not go right away, but have only been on the Plaquenil for about two months. I went yesterday to find that there are serious problems with both eyes, the left being worse than the right. I was given the Amsler Grid Test and the Humphrey's 10-2 fields test. I seemed to have lost a lot of my peripheral vision in the left eye and did not realize it until yesterday. The eye doc said both eyes have lost too much peripheral vision (I think that is what I have lost) for someone my age...so she is thinking it is the Plaquenil....I am sending information on Topamax as well...so she will determine if the Topamax might have had an adverse effect on my eyesight as well....

It is very important to get your eyes checked...and a suggestion might be to go to a good teaching hospital where they have the machines to do a really good check of your vision, not just the regular eye exam.......