posted 10 March 2005 09:58 PM            

Yes Topamax will mess with your head.
No you are not alone.
Yes you are in the right place.

It will get better with time...Stick with us, and hang in there, we'll see ya through.

posted 11 March 2005 01:40 PM            

All of you are really doing well. Yes, you are having some challenging times but you seem to be doing good though at handling everything.

And yes, tops can mess with you mentally. It has something to do with the cognitive part of your thinking. It intensifies everything a bit more and then turns everything around for awhile.

Just remember that it is only temporary and if it starts to get the best of you to come to the board and talk to someone about it.

posted 11 March 2005 07:32 PM            

Sorry to meet under these circumstances, but we are glad you're here.

JMHO You should call your Dr. dear. or call the nearest Hosp nurse's line.

Blurred vision this early on is something you want to run past a professional when you're on this drug.
It's something to be taken very seriously when you're titrating up.

Either way, you should be running this stuff past your doctor before dosing yourself....the other side effects will pass, and when you get up there in dosage the vision stuff for some of us comes and goes....but again you should be paying attention to it this early in the game.

Keep us posted!!!! And nope, you're not crazy!!!

posted 11 March 2005 07:40 PM            

I know it's no laughing matter....but half of us felf like we were walking zombies throughout the day our first couple months.

What I expierenced, was as long as I was titrating up I was out cold at night.

posted 11 March 2005 07:44 PM            

The symptoms that got you on Top to begin with, or the S/E's?

It took me 8 months to get to 400mgs.

posted 11 March 2005 08:40 PM            

Princess did I read it right that you are on 400mg and you did it in 8 months? Now tell me did you or did you not have any cognitive problems with this? What about depression and mood swings? By chance did you get hyper or the normal fatigue set in? There are a few topa users who do get hyper which is hard to believe but it does happen.

I just remember everything turned dark for me. At least inside my house it seemed. Then I went through the cold spell where I was walking around with a blanket on me all the time. I kept the lights down low because the hurt my eyes. I kept the sound down on the TV. I couldn't handle being around too many people especially children. I would go crazy thinking they were drinving me crazy.

I survived it all. Gosh I think back on it all. It was really strange. The crying spells got to me though.

posted 11 March 2005 11:28 PM            

Welcome to the newest comers! Hope this will be as helpful to you as it has been for me!

Also- I tried something different for the last two days and it seemed to work well for me, prob. want to run it by dr. before any of you try it- anyway- I'm up to 100mg a day, and have been so sluggish. So Wed. I didn't take the morning pill and took the full dose at night. So far it seems to work really well for me. Even my students at school mentioned that I seemed more alert Just thought I would pass that along.

posted 11 March 2005 11:50 PM            

There are alot of people who take all their meds or a higher mg dosage of their at night. I have not tried it. I use to take 50mg in the am and 150mg in the pm though.

I think the ones who have to stick to a time schedule are just the seizure patients. I know they suggest it for migraine people too but usually it is what works best for patient.

I am afraid to take it all at night is why I haven't tried it. I am afraid I would get a migraine in the after noon. I guess it doesn't really make any difference since I get headpain at any hour of the day.

posted 13 March 2005 12:58 AM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by Marlene227:

Princess did I read it right that you are on 400mg and you did it in 8 months? Now tell me did you or did you not have any cognitive problems with this? What about depression and mood swings? By chance did you get hyper or the normal fatigue set in? There are a few topa users who do get hyper which is hard to believe but it does happen.

I just remember everything turned dark for me. At least inside my house it seemed. Then I went through the cold spell where I was walking around with a blanket on me all the time. I kept the lights down low because the hurt my eyes. I kept the sound down on the TV. I couldn't handle being around too many people especially children. I would go crazy thinking they were drinving me crazy.

I survived it all. Gosh I think back on it all. It was really strange. The crying spells got to me though.

[/B]

---

Hey Marlene.....

Yep, Originaly my Dr did not want to go as high as 400mgs. Now we are looking at adding another med instead of titrating up again. I would tell you the name of it if I had it perscribed yet....I'll give feedback when I can.

As far as the cognative problems, that was a symptom that I had BEFORE I started the Topamax.....sorry. I was exposed to sewer gas. Thus causing my migraines. My cognative thinking (or lack there of) was one of the indicators that something other than the smell was wrong in my office.

Depression I've been fighting throughout the entire past 8 months. As I think anyone who is cronically ill would be. With or without being on Topamax...but ESPECIALLY being on the med. My doctor wanted to put me on anti-depressants around Christmas, but that was enough for me to fight harder and keep myself out of the funk. I tell you though it is a hard thing to do....and even harder to realize when you are taking it out on the people you love around you. So a big old YES on the mood swings as well. Also for anyone wondering on letters switching around constantly...yep that too.

I still consider myself a "Vampire" because the shades are always drawn as I hiss at the sun....still. And yes everyone walks around my house in shorts as I am bundled in pants underclothes and a sweatshirt.....still. I can see it now I'll be wearing turtlenecks in the dead heat of summer.(I live in WI)

And yep soda still tastes like arse...keep trying......keep getting the rude reality that it hasn't changed

posted 13 March 2005 12:56 PM            

It may take awhile for you. I was in the dark for a good 10 months. Then I think I was finally able to say I was doing my own thinking at 1 1/2. At 1 1/2 though I was at 300mg.
What I am saying is everyone is different and maybe like me you may needed to have gone at a slower dosage increase.
I'm at 400mg now. Don't know about going up anymore. I could maybe 200 more. Haven't decided.
Let me know what your doc adds to your menu.

posted 13 March 2005 07:28 PM            

Had some important news before I left, which may or may not be helpful. My primary doc read my results from the MRI that I had done on Superbowl Sunday, and was told that my brain looked entirely normal. However, the doctor did say that the MRI stated in the section titled "Impression" that there wasy "moderate to marked (heavy) imflammatory changes in the paranasal sinuses with possible mild acute imflammatory cahnges in the maxillary sinuses."

The doc thinks this may cause my headaches, so he has me on antibiotics for the next 30 days, and off of the topomax.

While in Mexico, the weather was warm (85 to 90) with no humidity, and my allergies were no problem, only 2 headaches on the end of my vacation (which incidentally occurred while we were in the most polluted cities of Puebla and Mexico City).

So we will see how it works out. Doc thinks that if the antibiotics work, I should have no headaches, but if I do, then I may need another MRI to see how the sinus thing has worked. Then I may need surgery or cleaning of the sinuses.

RJ - has the warm weather hit you yet?? We had sunny weather (albeit cold) in Michigan, but I welcomed the sun.

posted 14 March 2005 09:41 AM            

The side effects with Topa you can expect to hang out with you for a good while. I have them still to some degree or another, but most people say that they are the worst when you are still titrating (upping the dosage)every week or so. I gather you are still at the begining stages? I am now at a rather high dosage, and can tell you that although it seems like you're loosing your mind....it will pass. For me not having the pain was worth it.

It sounds like you have a few other drug interatctions as well? That definately will add to things

posted 14 March 2005 12:11 PM            

Welcome back Ric! Well - we did get a blast of spring last weekend - but we are on the extreme reverse this week... So it sounds like the headaches will be much easier to control if they are due to inflammation of the sinuses. I hope for your sake that this all works out for you!

Someone asked about vivid dreams...Yes! Actually when I first started taking topa - I used to see colors swirling around when I'd begin to drift off. Lately my dreams have been vivid. Which I am actually glad. For a while, I couldn't remember having any and wondered if I was even having REM. I'd be interested to know if anyone else experienced the colors or the dreams too?

Notanat - so glad to hear that you have gotten some releif. You were on the money with the sinus infection! (:

Princess and Marlene - Did you guys have to keep going in 25 or 50 mg when you were Titrating? Or did you finally get to just make the big jump?

Dear lord...had to edit. Do I always type like a five thumbed Sally? Thank you Topa.

Headache today. Ick. Goin home and goin to bed. Good for nothing right now.

posted 14 March 2005 09:43 PM            

I will call the doc and see what he thinks I should do. Maybe moving back to Acapulco is the idea!! The dry weather and clean air made my sinuses and allergies great, and no headaches ('cept those from the hangover!) One heck of a wedding I went to though.

Anyone noticed how more and more doctors are prescribing medicine to help out with life? My friend in Mexico could not believe how I have to take pills for allergies, chronic heartburn, sinus problems, and whatever else ails me.

I was talking to a friend at church this weekend who mentioned that I should try some herbal or natural remedies from the local health food store to see how they may help. I was also reading about how certain foods and such can cause headaches: http://managingmigraines.msn.com/article.aspx?aid=14>1=6136 which I hadn't known before. But I haven't changed my diet since the headaches started 7 months ago.

Oh well, I am going to cut out all caffiene and cut way back on sugars, as well as pre-processed foods that contain lots of MSG and other things that allow that crap to sit on the shelf for a year or more.

posted 15 March 2005 08:59 AM            

These last few days I have been the , clumsiest, dizziest, worst spelling idiot on the face of the Earth!!!! GRRRR!
I am comming down with a head cold and it is making EVERYTHING 10x more exaggerated!

To give you an example: I was walking down the hall for parent's day at my son's school with another parent and almost knocked myself out COLD by running into the fire extinguisher.

---o.k. THanks for letting me get that off my chest. I know you guys can relate.

RJ to answer your question. Yes and NO. I tirated up by 25 until I hit 200mgs, then My Dr jumped by 100's from there. It seems frightening, but it really isn't. The jump from 200-300 for me wasn't really noticeable. I would have to say that all I could tell was that I was a little more tired than usual. 300-400 was more of the same....I think maybe by then your body is just so used to it?

Goju: My hair started to fall out at about 200mgs. But with the right vitamin supplements you can prevent this.....We posted this before if you care to look back at all. Also, The appetite thing for me worked like it is for you. Some weeks I was hungry, and some not at all......and I do mean not at all. This I noticed was again due to the increase in doseages. For me however I have been at a higher doseage now for awhile, and my appetite has not come back. This is the first time it has lasted this long since I started. Hope that helps?