Topamax for migranes, help!!?!

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

Topamax was pretty foul for me, but I know someone who had virtually no side effects from it whatsoever. I reacted negatively even at a starting dose of 12.5mg, while they were on 400mg a day and doing fine. For some people, the bad side effects of topamax go away over time (or never arrive) whereas for others, the side effects are intolerable and the person simply stops the drug.

Unfortunately, I don't know a lot of people with migraines who HAVE had good results on topamax, and am of the opinion that it should not be used as first-line prophylaxis for migraine simply because it's the only anti-epilepsy medication with an on-label indication for migraine: it is by no means the best for the vast majority of people, due to the high specificity of it's action and the high incidence of side effects.

First, are your migraines being managed by a neurologist? If they're not, they need to start now. A regular doctor might not be able to give you the most accurate advice or run the most relevant testing for your migraines. I had a regular doctor suggest a starting dose of 50mg topamax a day, which is TOO high and is very likely to cause those sorts of adverse effects when compared to tapering onto it much more slowly. A neurologist would not say such uninformed things.

Having a bad reaction to one anti-epileptic is very unlikely to mean you'll react poorly to ALL anti-epileptics, as epilepsy medication all works on different areas and functions of the brain. Your doctor might also recommend using a different class of medication for your migraine prevention entirely, like SSRIs.

I switched from topamax (which made me so stupid I couldn't add numbers or remember things I'd just been told, and made me sleep 18 hours a day) to gabapentin, (no side effects) and then tapered onto keppra (cognitive ENHANCEMENT, heck yeah!) about two months later. Now I take both keppra and gabapentin at a stable dose, and for me and my brain, they have been pretty effective prophylaxis.

If you are willing to try again, there WILL be medication that works better for you out there. The first step is seeing a neurologist and talking about your migraines with them.

This pranayam will clear your left and right brain and improve your memory. Do it for 15 minutes daily, for life. Your feedback at some point will help a lot.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom pranayam –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril
then -keeping the left nostril closed deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30 minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.
December 19, 2010

I get migraines too, but I refuse to use drugs. I honestly recommend trying something else. I take ginger root capsules every day to prevent migraines and drink at least one cup of black coffee every day. When you do get a migraine, take asprin, tylenol, or ibuprofen. Put an ice pack on your head and sit in a quite room in a reclining chair.

I have been taking Topamax for almost 5 years. I, like you, could not tell what was happening to my body and my parents didn't notice either for some reason. We are not big on doctors. I have been off Topamax for 6 months, I weened off by myself which I do not recommend. I still have severe memory problems and my brain is always in a fog but I get fewer migraines. I also gained all the weight back that I losed while taking it. I wish I could tell you something better but I can't. It might not be permanent but it takes a long time to come back. I hope everything works out for you, good luck.

Topamax almost 5 years