Topamax?

Does it get worse before it gets better???

I’m in my 3rd week at 50 mg and feeling pretty rocky. Would love to hear your experience! Hoping to hang in at least until 4 months but need encouragement!

I didn’t find that it made me more dizzy, if that’s what you mean by “rocky.” I had a lot of OTHER side effects - tingly fingers, constipation, ghosty trails when I looked at things first thing in the morning, fizzy drinks tasting icky, appetite loss. (I wish the appetite loss was still here!) Much less tingly fingers now, no ghosty trails - and almost no dizziness either!!

Was your dizziness ever this bad? Mine certainly fluctuated A LOT so maybe yours is doing that too? Would hate to think it’s the med doing it to you, but of course that is possible. It sure took the dizziness AWAY for me, though not for several weeks.

i am so glad that is has worked for you! how many mg are you at?

I’ve been at 150, but my hubby was hoping I could try less because he thinks I’m mentally more “dull” than when I was at 100 - I know I’m not as sharp, but I guess I can’t see that it’s as bad as hubby says it is. So I told my neurologist yesterday, who suggested I try alternating my dose, 150 one night and 100 the next. So I just started 100 last night. We’ll see!

Hi Salem
I worked up in my dose of topamax rather slowly: started at 15mg once per day for 3-5 days. Then 15mg. twice per day. Then 30mg. once per day, then 45mg. per day. Then 60mg. per day. I’ve gone back and forth between 45 and occasionally 75mg. depending on how I’m doing. I do not ever remember feeling worse due to the topamx but more because I’ve really goofed on the food triggers/beverages. I do remember feeling “different” or wired, zingy, sedated, foggy, etc. but I will get wobbly again if I am wiped out at bedtime anyway. Were you rocky to begin with or is this a new drug-acquired symptom?? That makes a difference I think. I’m just over the 3-month mark with topamax but I intend to give it a full 4months or more and also work with the neuro on maybe benzos to supplement since past 60mg. the topamax tingles me into freezing.
Gail

Hang in there - it does get better. As I mentioned in another similar post, Topamax is one of those meds that takes a while to see if you 1. can tolerate it and 2. if it will work for you. The 3-4 month use range to find this out is pretty common. I am on 75 mg (had to come down from 100 mg due to the cognitive issues) and have been on it for over a year now. It works very well for me in in combinations with low dose Klonopin. Yes, I do have some side effects, but they are tolerable, at least compared to feeling how I did before being on the meds! The first two weeks were sheer hell on Topamax but then it got better and the side effects were more intense initially but they too got better. You also tend to get used to some things. :wink:

Best of luck!