Since my 30 mg of amitriptyline seems to have maxed out its effectiveness at headache prevention, my neurologist is gradually moving me over to Topamax instead. I'm tapering off the elavil while I taper up the Topamax.

Anybody tried this med? Better, worse, about the same compared to amitriptyline?

He seemed optimistic about it since the Imitrex seems to help arrest the headaches when they are coming on.

My daughter (when she was 10, NO mTBI) took topamax for a year or so for migraines and had wonderful results.

Hope it works for you too!

My neuro tried topamax with me as well.

I had a horrible experience. I ended up going into the doctor's office, he took one look at me, put me in a wheelchair, and sentd me to the ER.

It is a very powerful drug.
I remember feeling lethargic, confused, extremely dizzy, etc. (couldn't really get out of bed)

Also it is easy to draw a blank when speaking (this is a common side effect) and the weight loss is scary. If you are thin it can be too much.

And you may have tingling in your extremities. My neuro said to drink gatorade throughout the day.

For me, it was one of those drugs that made everything worse, but you never know. Just wanted to share my experience, I hope that you have a better one

I tried and did nothing for me. Luckily I didn't have any terrible side effects. Start with lowest dosage possible.

For me even Imitrex didn't do much. So you have better chances may be. Ibuprofen is the only thing works some what.

My Neurologist wasn't too optimistic and was honest about it. One thing he asked is about Lexapro. I tried and not able to continue for more than few days bcuz it gave me terrible stomach pain and nausea.

I even talked to some neurologist in John Hopkins who is doing a clinical trial with Lexapro on people with TBI.

I'd say my experience with this drug was pretty similar. I could only take it for two weeks before the spinning got so bad I was having a hard time getting around my house.

I've been on a very low dose of topomax for about 6 weeks now, 15 mgs 2x a day. I've not noticed a dramatic improvement, but also not any bad side effects at this dose. We're starting so low because I've reacted poorly to every other drug prescribed. I expect the dosage will increase at my next appointment.

One thing I have noticed, is I haven't woken up crying at night because of my headaches for a couple weeks. They still wake me up, I'm just not crying. That IS an improvement, really.

I'm hopeful that a slight increase will bring more relief and not too many other problems.

Starr

My neurologist prescribed me Topomax for a while - the stuff made me delusional and crazy. I felt much better after I stopped taking it. My family was *very* worried about my behavior while I was taking it and they were relieved once I started acting more myself after I stopped taking it. We didn't think a drug like that could cause side effects like that. But I'm very sensitive to medication.

I think it's definitely worth a try. I think most things are worth trying.

Keep in mind (and remind your Dr.) that people recovering from mTBI don't always need the typical dosage for it to work because we tend to be very sensitive to drugs.

Never heard of this drug.

Hope everything works out for you.

I have been on topamax, for a few years. It works very well for me.

I hope you have good luck with it.

Donna

So far, I'm a few days into the transition. 20 mg of amitriptyline and 25 mg of topamax. I feel very sleepy and dizzy, similar to the way I felt when starting amitriptyline. Can't wake up. Go blank and dizzy every time I stand up.

On the bright side, no headaches. On the downside, I can't do anything that might possibly cause a headache.

With the amitriptyline, this lasted a few days and then got better. Should I expect it to improve over time with topamax as well? Or am I stuck this way?