To all you Dopamax users, I mean Topamax users :lol:
Did Topamax rev up your MAV symptoms before you started to feel better? I added it to my fex August 3 and have been on the full dose of 75mg for two weeks now. I want to give it a fair amount of time as I hear it can take longer than most meds but my MAV symptoms are way worse than before I started this med. And I mean WAY worse, hence why im writting you guys and not vacationing… :roll: I learned early on to be brave and endure the initial crappy se’s because they usually go away and the bad ones did. But my MAV symptoms are really bad. I have a call into Dr Fife and will talk to him on Tuesday.
I just wanted to see if anyone who took this med had felt worse for his long before they got better? Fex had me close to 90% which I was extatic about but still had some problems with driving and Dr Fife thought topa might help with that component. And I’m willing to stick it out longer or do what it takes physically! I just hope that when I’m off of it completely that fex will still have the same effect. I’m thinking next step will be just to go up on the fex and call it a day.
Unfortunately, these meds all affect everyone differently. I stuck it out for 5 weeks on Topamax and felt worse pretty much the whole time - and I never made it past 25 mgs. I tried going higher, but the increased MAV symptoms was more than I could function on. (Though I felt a lot worse at 25, I could still muddle through a day at work - barely.) And, honestly, my boss was even glad when I gave it up because he said the difference in how I was on and off the Topamax was very noticeable. (He could tell I felt worse than usual, wasn’t thinking as clearly, always seemed tired, etc. etc.) It could be that Topamax just isn’t going to be the right med for you. That said, it does sound like you went up pretty high, pretty quickly. It’s possible that’s making your symptoms worse. Have you tried going back down to 50 or something like that to see if that makes a difference? Could be worth a try, rather than nixing it completely right now, if you want to keep giving it a try…
Everyone is different but it did not make me feel worse for any 2 week period. It made me feel terrible for about 5 days every time I changed dosages (once when I started and all 3 times I upped my dose) but usually by day 6 each time I was back to “normal”. Those 5 days or so were like a really bad MAV attack, but it faded after 6 days or so. The problems did not last for two weeks.
I don’t know what advice to give you on how long to stick it out. Topamax has worked wonders for me, but it obviously does not work for everyone. See what your doctor says. You might try it out for another week or so at least and see if things might start to get any better for you since you have come this far already. But since you were 90% before at some point you don’t want to be suffering any more trying for that last 10%.
Unfortunately, these meds all affect everyone differently. I stuck it out for 5 weeks on Topamax and felt worse pretty much the whole time - and I never made it past 25 mgs. I tried going higher, but the increased MAV symptoms was more than I could function on. (Though I felt a lot worse at 25, I could still muddle through a day at work - barely.) And, honestly, my boss was even glad when I gave it up because he said the difference in how I was on and off the Topamax was very noticeable. (He could tell I felt worse than usual, wasn’t thinking as clearly, always seemed tired, etc. etc.) It could be that Topamax just isn’t going to be the right med for you. That said, it does sound like you went up pretty high, pretty quickly. It’s possible that’s making your symptoms worse. Have you tried going back down to 50 or something like that to see if that makes a difference? Could be worth a try, rather than nixing it completely right now, if you want to keep giving it a try…
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Yes Erika,
I think that’s what I’ll do. I’ll go down to 50 for awhile as this is what someone else suggested who is doing really good at 50. I like to know that I’ve given the medication a fair amount of time. My dr said 6-8 weeks. I’ll be curious to see what he says. Thanks for your advice.
