![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1596 to 1620 of 1838. Go back in thread:
Posted by Dr. Bob on July 12, 2005, at 19:30:54
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 12, 2005, at 12:39:25
> How do I get to this message board without having to leave the website
Try bookmarking this page:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/babble.html
Or without frames:
Hope that helps!
Bob
Posted by headachequeen on July 12, 2005, at 23:05:23
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 12, 2005, at 0:27:58
> Just getting started 25mg of topomax yesterday, with lithium increase 450mg and 1/2 tablet and seroquel 50mg. slept well actually woke up later than usual however think I went sleep later though not certain I fade in and out at night who is to tell. Today increased to 50mg of topomax I think I increased to soon doctor said go slow wants me to get up to 300 to 400. right arm feeling little pain. don't know
You certainly did increase the dosage too soon...
it is important to titre up slowly, no faster than in two week increments...
half the total dosage in evening dosages, then starting in the morning to add the rest of the total dosages...for instance if the total dosage is to be 400 mg, work up slowly to 200 mg in the evening, then start in the morning to work up to 200 mg...
this way you avoid the risk of side effects...
kat
Posted by stresser on July 13, 2005, at 7:41:16
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 12, 2005, at 0:27:58
I lost the message board also! Go figure? Can I blame the topomax? I thought all of you weren't writing in, and when I saw that I had some posts via my e-mail, I found it again! Duh?
Have I missed much?
I'm still on the same dosage, and M is also coninueing along on the same.Michelle, are you increasing really fast? You need to listen to Kat and Rainy, because they are the "Queens" of Topomax, and believe me(!!!!) they do know what they are talking about. I followed their advice, and am thankful for it. My daughter and I had no problems at all. Many people have trouble, and my doctor told us to titrate up faster than we did. (Thanks to the two of them) You are lucky to have found this board. Keep writing in and with questions about anything, because we are here to help you. You are here to help us! -L
Posted by michelle1 on July 13, 2005, at 12:11:34
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 12, 2005, at 0:27:58
okay last night ate alot took my meds 5o mgs of topomax 450 and 1/2 of lithium and 5o mg of seroquel and ate 2 sandwiches chicken I grilled was great with nice wedge of onion and some miracle whip can't forget that and two fresh individually wrapped cooked there new at the market. can you tell I have this love affair with food? Still felt that sensation in my arm this mornin around 6am so I heeded yout advice did not increase when should I increase possibly? I've got to stop eating like this maybe should I take one during the day as you somewhat suuggested?
Posted by headachequeen on July 13, 2005, at 15:34:46
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 13, 2005, at 12:11:34
> okay last night ate alot took my meds 5o mgs of topomax 450 and 1/2 of lithium and 5o mg of seroquel and ate 2 sandwiches chicken I grilled was great with nice wedge of onion and some miracle whip can't forget that and two fresh individually wrapped cooked there new at the market. can you tell I have this love affair with food? Still felt that sensation in my arm this mornin around 6am so I heeded yout advice did not increase when should I increase possibly? I've got to stop eating like this maybe should I take one during the day as you somewhat suuggested?
You are not going to like what I am going to say, but it comes from personal experience, research, the experiences of others on this board, and from the advice of doctors and the technicians who have helped in their research with this medication, and other learned sources... and it is meant to help you, so, please, bear with me and take it as it is meant, kindly <s>
You have to back up right now...
go back to the 25 mg of topomax and stay at 25 mg for at least, repeat AT LEAST, two weeks... then, when your body tells you it is comfortable with this new invasion of chemicals, and only then, add the next 25mg to the dosage, and do not add any more of it for at least another two weeks...
some people are unable to increase the dosasge for three, even four weeks...
One thing that happens, aside from the other drastic side effects like hair loss, vision problems and cognitive problems, all of which usually fade with time, is that the topomax does not have any effect on weight loss if you jump right into the deep end. Your body needs time to adjust slowly....
sort of like learning to walk... first we learn to turn over, then we learn to sit up, then we crawl, then we stand, then we take tentative steps, hanging on to things, then we walk unaided a few steps at a time, much later we run....
so with topomax if we want it to be a safe and successful venture....
we also don't suddenly cut it back if we want it to go on doing its job....
I have the interesting fate of working with the neurologist who uncovered the weight loss connection... he did a lot of research into that angle, but has no connection with the migraine part...
when I quit using the tegretol he cut back the topomax as the tegretol as a member of this discussion group had explained to me cuts the efficacy of the topomax...
immediately migraines began again and the seizure control diminished. My own doctor told me to start taking the original dosage of topomax again and dump the clobazam and we are on top of the world...
only one seizure and a minor one at that since I went back to my 600 mg and no headaches...oh, and Stresser and Rainy, I have cancelled the 24-hour-sleep-deprived eeg with a tentative re-scheduling for November (just in case I need the neurologist for an emergency LOL)
I remember last August and early fall and the chaos that followed the sleep-deprived tests and I am not going through that again if I can help it...
topomax and reiki and iet and I are handling this just fine!!!!!!meanwhile, michelle1, go back to the 25 mg for a while.. take it slowly and remember that you can slow down your appetite by eating an ounce or two of almonds or cashews or pecans before a meal...
that helps too...
and I might add, since I dumped the clobazam I have lost another 10-12 pounds... lost it in about a week...
love these drugs that pack on the pounds!!!
I do not need them.... and to add to the joy of the stuff, well the name does make me chuckle, keep expecting Batman to turn up at any moment, it has this nauseating effect... as if I needed that !so I shall stick to the topomax and enjoy life...
I don't skydive or hangglide... but I have started back to nature photography and tracking in the great out of doors and doing agility full tilt and have not had a seizure or even a fugue episode...
so much for the dangers of side effects to topomax... it takes the risk out of living with epilepsy as far as I am concerned...
and beats migraine... and helped me lose all the weight the other drugs helped me gain...
this is great stuff!!!
as long as one approaches it carefully and with respect.
Here endeth the sermon
kat
Posted by Rainy on July 14, 2005, at 11:32:35
In reply to Re: topomax » michelle1, posted by headachequeen on July 13, 2005, at 15:34:46
Not to nag or anything, Michelle, but Kat knows what she's talking about and so do I (did I say brag)? Go back, go back to 25 mgs, and don't increase for two weeks and maybe not then!
Howcome you're taking the Topamax, anyway? If it's for weight loss, it may not work for you. I only lost ten pounds and that might be because it was summertime and I was living on ice water. Food is good, but Topamax isn't the magic bean for losing weight. Almonds are a good idea.
Kat mentioned taking an increase in the morning when you get to a certain point--for example, you could take 25 mgs in the evening and 25 in the morning to increase to 50 when it's time. Not Now.
Kat, congratulations on getting off the clozabam and back to photography, as well as taking charge of your medical life (in this arena). Emergency appointments indeed. This time last year you were not a happy camper.
I'm a week into new bottles of serzone (generic) and Topamax and have to be walking the bottom rings of hell--there's a definite difference in my mood and behavior since I opened those meds. Crabby and depressed and snappish and sullen and annoyed and uncharming. Bipolar II is showing its little face. It always does in the summer but I can usually "be nice." There's something different about the pills.
I am learning Russian, which is good.rainy
Posted by michelle1 on July 14, 2005, at 12:25:43
In reply to Re: topomax » headachequeen, posted by Rainy on July 14, 2005, at 11:32:35
I take it for mood swings i am bi polar , i also have very bad migraine headaches and the the doctor suspects i am a binge eater. i have never been this large in my life i'm not a binge eater i'm a pill eater. doc ran some blood tests showed possible borderline diabetic so she really wants to control my weight in addition to everything else. new doctor who actually cares. really good every one else just loaded me up sent me on my way ignoring my concerns of weight gain which contributes to depression and everything else. self image is alot to me. how I feel about me I feel like a complete failure other than my two beautiful children.
Posted by celticmom on July 14, 2005, at 14:44:31
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 12, 2005, at 0:27:58
Michelle, not sure if your doc mentioned this (I would hope he/she would have if it applies) but Topamax pretty much null and voids the birth controll pill. My sister had her first child because of Topomax. :D
Posted by michelle1 on July 15, 2005, at 21:23:39
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by celticmom on July 14, 2005, at 14:44:31
that's okay I had a hysterectomy no more whammies for me.
Posted by stresser on July 16, 2005, at 10:40:50
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 14, 2005, at 12:25:43
Michelle- Are you taking any anti-depressants? We can't have you feeling like a complete failure, because I'm sure you aren't. You have to get out of this depressed phase, and stop feeling like that so things will get better. Do you exercise on a regular basis? I know how difficult it is to control the binge eating, I love to eat myself, and do just that as well. Stick with the topomax, believe me!! Things will be better in the future, but it takes time, my daughter and I are living proof of it. I wouldn't have believed it myself one year ago, and still am holding my breath as I type this.
Everyone else seems to be doing better these days! I don't get on here as much because of baseball, but that will end in a few weeks. Still at 200mgs of topomax, and things seem to be just fine.
I still have my nasty moments! I miss hearing from you ----Kat and Rainy!!-L
Posted by michelle1 on July 16, 2005, at 13:12:47
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by stresser on July 16, 2005, at 10:40:50
I take seroquel and lithium.
Posted by rainy on July 16, 2005, at 13:36:03
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by michelle1 on July 16, 2005, at 13:12:47
What you don't need is people jumping on you about how you take your pills, right? The Topamax may help to curb your appetite for junk food after you've taken it for awhile, and not eating all that stuff might help you to feel better about yourself. That's so hard to do--at least it is for me. It's easier for me to badmouth myself than change behavior.
I'm a natural grouch anyway, which doesn't help much with depression. I take topamax to help stabilize my moods and it does do that at 400 mgs--it didn't very well at a lower dose, but it kept me from wanting to pig out. So there's hope ahead for you, Michelle.
How old are your kids?rainy
Posted by stresser on July 16, 2005, at 19:01:47
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by rainy on July 16, 2005, at 13:36:03
I agree, a higher dose does seem to work better for most people. My doctor's nurse told me that 400mg was the lowest dose for bipolar. I am only taking 200mg, and it works fine for me, but you never know what the future holds.
Let me just tell you, before I started taking my combination of medications, I was depressed/anxious/intollerable/etc. I couldn't live with myself! Things did get better for me, and my daughter as well. They will for you. Give it a little time. -L
Posted by headachequeen on July 16, 2005, at 20:33:24
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by stresser on July 16, 2005, at 19:01:47
Things did get better for me, and my daughter as well. They will for you. Give it a little time. -L
"Give it a little time" is sound advice...
and is something that should become a mantra for you and for all of us.
Nothing happens to us overnight, so we should not expect change to occur overnight either...
but we do.Thursday I was helping in a friend's shop... she has a storefront where she sells essential oils, jewellery, chakra crystals, and angel figurines, and some wonderful clothing, while the treatment rooms for reiki, iet, reflexology, swedish massage, massage therapy and so on, are in the same building.
This has been our community's summer festival weekend with the main street closed off and all sorts of goings-on. We featured mini-therapies and specials on clothing and jewellery (she also hangs my prints I might add <s>) and when one of us was busy doing treatments, someone was there to deal with customers or book clients.
One woman came in and wanted to try on one of the spaghetti strap thii dresses... she told us she weighs 252 pounds and when she gains about 20 more pounds she just KNOWS her doctor will refer her for stomach stapling...
we were trying to suggest safer ways to lose weight... she has an excuse for her weight gain - she is about 5'5" - a 'sensitivity' (I had mentioned losing 11 pounds or so in a matter of about a week when I quit eating grains of any kind because I have a sensitivity to grains) and she countered with her sensitivity that caused her weight gain: she had a hysterectomy... well, big deal, there were at least three of the practitioners there who were in the same canoe...
I suggested she try the nuts before meals and the raw vegetables and fruit... doesn't work for her, because she is still hungry after a salad (so eat a larger salad???) -- she eats mostly potatoes, meat and brown bread...
I also mentioned that since I started taking topomax and quit the grains, I had lost interest in food for the most part....
the look on her face... one of the reiki practitioners had to leave and run to the back of the clinic because she had to laugh. This woman does not want to lose interest in her food...
she wants the fast fix...
have her stomach stapled get thin, then eat to her heart's content...
and it is not going to work that way.
She quickly told me that topomax would not work for her because it is a pharmaceutical and she just knew that her doctor would never approve anything that dangerous... so, stapling her stomach and then cramming herself with food is safe???????????
Gaining even more weight is safe?????
Then she mentioned that she noticed I had lost a lot of weight so how could I understand her problem.... and added that she often saw my husband and me walking together... and offered to join us...
Oh, I can see that going over really well with the dogs and him... so, we quickly convinced her that her idea was not a wise one LOL
She told me that she walks a lot, from her house to the local variety store in the evenings to get snacks and pop to watch television....
Oh, she needs time too... with her attitude she will never be a candidate for stapling and she has to realise what a risk it is anyway, but did not want to accept the risks... it was the fast track to being slim... with the added convenience of being able to eat all she wanted afterward...She was also disgusted when I told her that I could not perform reiki to help her become slim... it is a great way to balance energy and help deal with pain and to increase the efficacy of medical treatment, not an alternative to medical treatment and certainly not a magical way to banish extra pounds...
told me I would never make any money with that attitude <GGGG>so I have to remember that it takes time to educate people about things... including weight and alternative therapies ....
but Michelle, when you use topomax to help balance mood and food habits, give it time... take the slow approach for your ongoing well-being and let it do its work slowly and safely and don't expect overnight results...
it will happen in its own time...Here I am, slimmer... now a size eight and really comfortable with it, no migraines, and best of all, no seizures for almost a month....
and that is the best news of all!!!! and taking only topomax, no other AEDs....
it is good working stuff as long as it is given time to work....kat
ps -L I miss hearing from you too... and your email address no longer works
Posted by jelly on July 17, 2005, at 18:29:00
In reply to Re: topomax » stresser, posted by headachequeen on July 16, 2005, at 20:33:24
I started out slowly on Topamax and so far, haven't had any noticeable side effects. I'm currently on 50 mg - 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night. My doctor recently increased the dosage to 100 mg - 50 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night.
I'm wondering if going straight from 50 mg to 100 mg will be a big change...or if I'm worrying too much (I've read what a lot of you have gone through). I didn't have any problems going from nothing to 25 mg or from 25 mg to 50 mg. Does everyone have problems when increasing the dose - or is do the side effects occur only at much higher dosages? Should I go a few days at 75 mg or not worry about it and go straight to 100 mg?
Posted by michelle1 on July 17, 2005, at 19:49:52
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by jelly on July 17, 2005, at 18:29:00
My children are 3 and 5. I definitely am glad I have found this website. Finally someone(s) who understands what I am going through. Great words of encouragement. I have taken your advice and cut back to 25 mg and the pain in my right arm seemed to go away. When I do increase I think I should try 25mg in the day and 25mg at night that way not all at once. There is no simple solution to weight lose you have to I think consider everything how long it took to get that way, what are you eating, how has my lifestyle changed. I mean I have so may variables here. The point is I don't want to increase to that eating of the nuts before meals sounds interesting I have already begun to increase my fruits and vegetable thatI loved back in the day before I married the MEAT MAN I DON'T EAT FRUIT OR MANY VEGETABLES.
Posted by Nickengland on July 18, 2005, at 8:59:39
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by jelly on July 17, 2005, at 18:29:00
Hello Jelly & and also hello there to the other posters of this Topamax thread. I'm fairly new to Topamax myself and thought I would join this thread to add my own experiences :-) (I know stesser already - Hi stresser too :-)
I'v been through the more tradiditional mood stabilisers in the past year and not had the best of results which is why I have now finally ended with - and am extreamly happy with Topamax. I also take a low dose of Neurontin for anxiety and find this combination the best so far...and one that I do feel I really dont need to alter in anyway. I think I've found that this is probably "as good as it gets" so to speak and like I say im doing well (such a relief to be able to say that lol)
Im bipolar.. I would fall under the bipolar 2 diagnosis - im from England, here they just call you "bipolar"
>I'm wondering if going straight from 50 mg to 100 mg will be a big change...or if I'm worrying too much (I've read what a lot of you have gone through). I didn't have any problems going from nothing to 25 mg or from 25 mg to 50 mg. Does everyone have problems when increasing the dose - or is do the side effects occur only at much higher dosages? Should I go a few days at 75 mg or not worry about it and go straight to 100 mg?
I would suggest though my experience, if you didnt have any problems going from 25mg to 50mg....the hopefuly you wouldn't have any problems going from 50mg to 75mg - but if you make a 50mg jump..then possibly you may increase side effects? Might be best to stick with what you know you can handle, and what works?
I actually have the Topamax "sprinkle capsules" (just happened to be what my doctor prescribed me) I've started off by actually dividing the capsule in half..so I started with 12.5mg - then going to 25mg and up like this. I've persoanlly found that the slower you increase the far better the decrease in side effects is. Really it makes a big difference.
I did experiment - I tried with 25mg at first and got hit by side effects...but since I used the 12.5mg..its been far better.
Also I only plan (so far) to use 50mg a day of Topamax as my dosage...purely because out of all the medications I take, I always use and only need low doses in general. I guess why take more of a powerful drug if you have your symtoms under control? This is what dosages my doctor prescribes me too.
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by jelly on July 18, 2005, at 11:59:21
In reply to Re: topomax » jelly, posted by Nickengland on July 18, 2005, at 8:59:39
Nick,
Thanks for your kind response. I do think your approach may be wisest. There is certainly no reason for me to hurry right up to 100 mg.
I'm glad you're doing so well with Topamax. I had no idea it was useful for such a wide range of conditions. I had realized it was originally intended for epilepsy, but I've been taking it for migraines. It has worked beautifully. I'm down from one nearly every day to maybe one or two a week. My doctor's goal is one or two a month (almost unimaginable to me!), which is why he increased the dosage.
I had no idea it worked as a mood stabilizer as well. I'm so glad it is working for you and you've hit on a combination that "works." It seems so seldom that one hears of that kind of success in putting together a course of treatment.
Posted by headachequeen on July 19, 2005, at 10:05:06
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by jelly on July 17, 2005, at 18:29:00
> I started out slowly on Topamax and so far, haven't had any noticeable side effects. I'm currently on 50 mg - 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night. My doctor recently increased the dosage to 100 mg - 50 mg in the morning and 50 mg at night.
>
> I'm wondering if going straight from 50 mg to 100 mg will be a big change...or if I'm worrying too much (I've read what a lot of you have gone through). I didn't have any problems going from nothing to 25 mg or from 25 mg to 50 mg. Does everyone have problems when increasing the dose - or is do the side effects occur only at much higher dosages? Should I go a few days at 75 mg or not worry about it and go straight to 100 mg?TAKE IT SLOWLY>>> this is not meant to be interpreted as shouting but as speaking slowly and articulating every syllable... <s>
go up by 25 mg over a two week period...
I cannot say it often enough...
it is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
important if you want this to work.....
25 mg for two weeks then up to the next level...
if the doctor wants you at a total of 25 mg.. then go to 50 in the evening and then start at 50 in the morning... right now you are at 25 and 25... so up it to 50 at night and when it is settled and your system has adjusted... no earlier than 2 weeks....
start adding the other 25 mg in the mornings...if he wants 100 twice a day, then go to 100 at night by 25 mg increments over a slow period of 2 week increments and then start mornings...
it is VITAlkat
Posted by headachequeen on July 19, 2005, at 10:09:29
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by jelly on July 18, 2005, at 11:59:21
> Nick,
>
> Thanks for your kind response. I do think your approach may be wisest. There is certainly no reason for me to hurry right up to 100 mg.
>
> I'm glad you're doing so well with Topamax. I had no idea it was useful for such a wide range of conditions. I had realized it was originally intended for epilepsy, but I've been taking it for migraines. It has worked beautifully. I'm down from one nearly every day to maybe one or two a week. My doctor's goal is one or two a month (almost unimaginable to me!), which is why he increased the dosage.
>
> I had no idea it worked as a mood stabilizer as well. I'm so glad it is working for you and you've hit on a combination that "works." It seems so seldom that one hears of that kind of success in putting together a course of treatment.Ah,the good old migraine...
while I am primarily taking topomax for epilepsy, it was actually prescribed because of its side effect that deals with migraine...
and I have had only one migraine since I started taking it in January of 2003...
that when the neuro I now see tampered with the dosage...
now that I am back on my regular dosage and not taking the other pills I have no migraine and no seizures...
topomax all by itself is doing the job beautifully for me...
and I have no side effects...
no hair loss, no cognitive stuff, no tingles no nothing...
it is incredible...
and best of all, no tegretol...
am I gloating, believe it LOL
kat....
Posted by headachequeen on August 9, 2005, at 17:12:57
In reply to Re: topomax » headachequeen, posted by Rainy on July 14, 2005, at 11:32:35
but Topamax isn't the magic bean for losing weight. Almonds are a good idea.
> Kat mentioned taking an increase in the morning when you get to a certain point--for example, you could take 25 mgs in the evening and 25 in the morning to increase to 50 when it's time. Not Now.
> Kat, congratulations on getting off the clozabam and back to photography, as well as taking charge of your medical life (in this arena). Emergency appointments indeed. This time last year you were not a happy camper.
> I'm a week into new bottles of serzone (generic) and Topamax and have to be walking the bottom rings of hell--there's a definite difference in my mood and behavior since I opened those meds. Crabby and depressed and snappish and sullen and annoyed and uncharming. Bipolar II is showing its little face. It always does in the summer but I can usually "be nice." There's something different about the pills.
> I am learning Russian, which is good.
>
> rainy
Rainy, I have been perusing the archives trying to catch up; for some reason I have not been getting the posts from this board.. wondering if my firewall is causing me to miss posts????found this post and do not remember seeing it...
learning a language is certainly one way to divert stress... or to create it, I am not sure which...
I remember when I decided that I wanted to learn to speak Gaelic... as if there are simply dozens of people with whom I can converse in the auld tongue!!! my stress levels actually eased because I was fascinated by the different approach to language and grammar. As usual I became totally absorbed in, obsessed by actually, the new...
I hope Russian works for you...as for weight loss, almonds and cashews really do help... an ounce or so of the nuts, unsalted preferably, before a meal help take the edge off appetite and are healthy as well...
as for the clobozam, I feel so much better without it..
I am running on 600 mg of Topomax at the moment... 300 mg twice a day and I am doing just fine...
no hair loss, no memory loss, none of the bad things...
I have had three seizures in the past little while but there have been some extreme stresses... and I don't think they can be blamed upon meds; once my lifestyle calms down to something related to calm and stress-free I think it will be smooth sailing again... there were two full months with nothing... not a blip on the radar...
and I like that !!!
This medication works if taken properly and slowly worked up to its right dosage for the individual... other meds can make it tricky to deal with or increase its intensity so one has to be careful and it is not something to play with...By the way, following is information I found in one of my searches:
A slower initial titration schedule for the anti-epileptic medication Topamax(R) (topiramate) Tablets and Topamax(R) (topiramate capsules) Sprinkle Capsules has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Topamax is indicated as add-on treatment for the majority of seizures affecting the 2.3 million Americans diagnosed with epilepsy.
Post-marketing data from physicians with clinical experience with Topamax have shown that slower titration improves tolerability and may reduce the rate of discontinuation due to a lessening of side effects. The new dosing schedule recommends that Topamax be administered initially at 25-50 mg per day, and titrated in increments of 25-50 mg per week until an effective daily dose is reached.
A commonly used titration schedule is to initiate Topamax at 25 mg/day, with weekly increases of 25 mg for the first four weeks. Thereafter, the daily dose may be increased by 25-50 mg weekly to an effective daily dose. Although time to reach an efficacious dose may be delayed relative to the faster rate in the original label, some adult patients may begin to see a clinical response at 200 mg per day of Topamax.
"My own clinical experience and that of my peers, published in the medical literature, shows that Topamax is better tolerated when initiated at a low dose and increased slowly. This new dosing schedule may allow more adults and children with seizures that have not been controlled with other medications to obtain better control with Topamax," said B. J. Wilder, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Neurology and Neuroscience at the College of Medicine at the University of Florida in Gainesville. "It also provides greater flexibility to prescribing physicians in their treatment of patients," he added.
Topamax was first approved by the FDA in 1996 as add-on treatment for adults with partial onset seizures. In July 1999, Topamax was approved as the first "newer generation" anti-epileptic drug to treat partial onset seizures as add-on therapy in pediatric patients as young as two, and in October 1999 was approved as add-on treatment for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults and pediatric patients ages two to 16.
Seizures, the hallmark of epilepsy, are abnormal electrical discharges in the brain that temporarily disrupt normal brain function. Seizures are classified as either "generalized," when the abnormal discharge affects both sides of the brain simultaneously, or "partial," when the discharge affects one part of the brain initially.
Approximately 25 percent of Americans diagnosed with epilepsy have seizures that resist treatment with traditional anti-epileptic drugs, according to a recent report by the Epilepsy Foundation, a national organization serving people with epilepsy. Physicians may prescribe an add-on medication, such as Topamax, when their patients fail to respond to a single anti-epileptic drug. The newer generation anti-epileptic drugs, developed since 1993, generally are associated with fewer side effects than earlier medications.
Topamax is approved for marketing in more than 65 countries and to date, has been used to treat more than 500,000 patients worldwide.
In clinical trials, in combination with traditional AEDs, the most common side effects associated with Topamax in pediatric patients included excessive drowsiness, loss of appetite, fatigue, nervousness, difficulty with concentration/attention, weight decrease, aggressive reaction and difficulty with memory. The safety and effectiveness in patients younger than two have not been established. In adults, the most common types of side effects were somnolence, dizziness, coordination problems, speech disorders, psychomotor slowing, abnormal vision, difficulty with memory, sensory distortion and double vision.
Topamax is available as a tablet and in a capsule formulation that can be opened and sprinkled onto food for easy swallowing. The capsule also can be swallowed whole, offering patients greater flexibility.
Topamax was discovered and developed by the R.W. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute, and is marketed in the United States by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, both Johnson & Johnson companies. Ortho-McNeil markets Topamax and other pharmaceutical products in several therapeutic categories including infectious diseases, central nervous system, wound healing and women's health.
In the meantime, Rainy, I am sending you strength and wishes for all sorts of health and well-being
kat
Posted by Anne Marie on August 9, 2005, at 21:09:15
In reply to Re:topamax weight loss???, posted by dfwHomer on September 1, 2001, at 14:47:31
Hello All!
I was diagnosed about six months ago with Bipolar Disorder. Have had it for many years but really didn't have any truly challenging problems until after the birth of my second child...I completely went bonkers! Have been on every medication I can think of trying to get it under control but have really not had much success to note but have managed to add 55 lbs...which as we all know can do really bad things for the psychie! I recently went off of Zoloft...my most recent poison...because it did nothing but make me irritable and weepy...my doctor has agreed to let me try Topamax in conjuntion with Adderall ( did I mention I also have ADHD?) thinking the Adderall might help ward off the "brainfog" that is sometimes associated with Topomax. Has anyone tried this combination? First, did it help with the fogginess and second, were you able to lose any weight?
Posted by klyates79 on August 9, 2005, at 22:10:58
In reply to Re: topomax » Rainy, posted by headachequeen on August 9, 2005, at 17:12:57
today is my first day taking topamax strictly for weight loss....is there anyone else taking topamax for that purpose and if so how long have you been taking it and how much weight have you lost
Posted by headachequeen on August 9, 2005, at 22:31:29
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by klyates79 on August 9, 2005, at 22:10:58
> today is my first day taking topamax strictly for weight loss....is there anyone else taking topamax for that purpose and if so how long have you been taking it and how much weight have you lost
Heavens above!! Weeks and weeks of no activity and suddenly there is someone out there <g>
I have no experience with Topamax for weight loss alone, so stricctly speaking I should not be speaking, but since I started using Topomax have lost something in the region of seventy pounds...Over the years of trying to deal with this epilepsy nonsense I had gained a lot of weight I really didn't want or need, some of the meds I was given were surefire weight add-ons ...
when I was married I weighed less than one hundred pounds, so that my husband used to joke that he married me because someone had to take me home and feed me...
and I would counter that he did too good a job of it.
with the help of the topomax and whatever it does I am now in control of the seizures and migraines and have left the weight for someone else to deal with... let some other anorexic put it to good use is my theory...I have been using topomax for almost three years now..
the trick is to start topomax slowly...
and to wait between two and three weeks before increasing the dosage...
I found that it was best to start with evening dosages.. as in follow the neurologist's directions (duh) and then when I had reached half of the target dose over a period of weeks, start the next half in the morning, again starting slowly...Instead of following the directions on the brochure he gave me, I started with 25 mg in the mornings and was really ill for a while... so much for basic intelligence... sigh...
when I read the destructions life became much simpler <s>
and drink lots of water with it...
that helps your kidneys to deal with any build up of toxins that might hang around...
good luck
kat
Posted by rainy on August 10, 2005, at 7:22:48
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by klyates79 on August 9, 2005, at 22:10:58
Hi, Klyates. Taking Topamax strictly for weight loss may be disappointing for you. It isn't a weight loss drug and not everyone who takes it loses weight. I lost about ten pounds but there were other variables like: summer and I was living on ice water--I hate summer. We had just moved to a place I did not want to go and I was grieving loss of job, friends and the beginnings of a fraying marriage; my rib had broken during the packing process and I was in serious pain. I couldn't eat worth a damn. Plus I was depressed, living on the deep down side of bipolar II.
So yes, I lost weight, but was it the drug or the circumstances? Please pay close attention to Kat's suggestions about starting slowly even if you become impatient--most people who do lose weight don't see any change until around 200 mgs.
Resist the temptation to just zip on up there as fast as possible no matter what your doctor says.
And sad to say, stupid calories and carbs do count, so focus on the veggies and all that blah blah blah.
Have a just wonderful day with this wonderful message. Really, though, best of luck.
rainy
Go forward in thread:
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.