Just got a prescription for Topamax

I have avoided taking this for years, but daily headaches have pushed me to the brink. I really hope this works.

Good luck to you. I hope you have success. Many on this site have.

HI Shirley

I have had success. Some have not. It took about a 1 1/2 months to 2 months for the side effects to settle down. It reduced the severity of migraines by 1/3, which for me was a suitable trade off.

Best of luck.

Angela

I really appreciate it. I have had a headache five out of the past seven days! I am finally at the point where the side effects may be better than the headaches. Here's to success!!!

I too resisted taking any preventative for years and finally broke down this past February and tried Topamax. Things had gotten really bad for me; I had no life left and found myself barely able to do much more than go to work (and even that I can't do full-time - am on a partial medical leave)

I titrated up VERY slowly - starting at 15mg and going much slower than most. I am now at 50mg and will probably stay here as long as it keep helping...and it is helping. I tried going up a little and couldn't deal with the side effects. I'd prefer to take the lowest dose possible anyway.

It has reduced my nearly daily migraines by about 1/3 to 1/2. Some weeks are better than others.

Good luck and I really hope it gives you some real relief!
Jane

Woke up with a headache. This is the fourth day in a row I hope tomorrow will be better


Thank you for the good wishes Jane. I really liked the cat

The first morning in five days!!! This is so nice. Have a great day

Hi there ,

I'm new to this site , i'm in to my 7th week of a migraine it's horrilbe i could just cry all day i'm also on topamax .

louise xx

How long have you been taking the Topamax? Is there a chance it will work? I really wish better days ahead for you. Sending you hugs.

It will take time. I was initially put on it by my first neurologist. My new neuro didn't want me on it. While I was only it - it did help after about a month or so. There were side effects but they were worth the benefit. Good luck!

Two days in a row!!!!!!! I hope it continues. So far no side effects to report, except I had been feeling a little achy in my joints getting up from a chair or first thing out of bed and that is gone too. I don't know if it is related to the Topamax or not. What a great thing to have a day without a headache

The barometer is causing sinus pressure, but so far, no headache What a relief for a few days.

Not so far, but the dose is 12.5 mg per day.

No headache day 5 - feeling a little of the 'dopey' effect. Slightly stupid. Feeling a little tired during the day.

Woke up at 4:40 with a headache day 6 - Last night we had a water main issue and a lot of books and the carpet in our basement were destroyed, so it may have had something to do with it

I feel a little silly posting this every day. Does anyone really want to read it?

Post away. I can feel your excitement. Topamax was a nightmare for me. Helped at first but then gave me one of the worst headaches I had ever had -- so bad it scared me. With that on top of the side effects of feeling stupid, I quit cold turkey. I hope you have better success. It seems to be the most successful for people with daily migraines.

Topirimate works for me. I've been taking Topomax for 4 mos. and settled on 50 mg as the tolerable working dose for me. I used to get frequent migraines with a drop in barometric pressure. These have ceased completely. As for tyramine and nitrite migraines the jury is still out. Side effects were transient including tingling in the feet and possibly a little cognitive impairment. Nothing compared to post migraine mental impairment. I ran out of Topomax for a couple of days and suffered a 2 day migraine. You should taper off this med if you choose to stop. Give it a chance and at a start low dose increasing to effect. Some experience a tolerable 25-50% reduction in migraines with 25-50 mg. Though some migraine sufferers will require higher doses and are more subject to the side effects. To one who had 10-12 migraines a month down to 3-5 a month the transitory side effects was worth it. I also take Relpax 20-40 mg for breakthrough. Since my insurance only pays for (3) 40 mg tabs a mo. I cut them in half. I now have a stock of (9) tabs. I can look at the bottle without worrying I'm down to my last 20 mg.
This reply is based on personal and first hand observations as professional health care worker and a 40 yr. migraine sufferer.

I haven't had a chance to read all the replies so forgive me if I am repeating someone.
I am on Topamax, and of all the preventative meds I ever tried this one shows some promise.


The trick to avoid unpleasant side effect, or minimize them, is to start slowly, from 25 mg, and increase very slowly - but very slowly, not sooner than after a month has passed and you feel more like yourself again.
And by no more than 25 mg increments.
The higher the dose you are currently on, like say 75 mg, you can even increase at slower pace.

Never mind this way it takes ages to reach the required level - you weren't on it your entire life, you can wait a little longer.
I am sure if I had to catapult to 125mg in a month or two, I would be on it today.
For me, from 100mg to 125mg about 6 months has passed, just so you know. But then I didn't feel any difference!

Don't let your dr force you into it too quickly - after all YOU take it, not her/him.
YOU suffer the s/e, not her (or him).

Good luck with it.

Risa

I just wanted to say I agree with Leosa and Risa. I knew about all the scary side effects of topamax and I started with a 1/2 pill every other day. If the purpose is a reduction in headaches, (not for example, a reduction in blood sugar) the patient should have control over dosage and start out small.
I take 3 1/2 pills of 25 mg daily and that seems sufficient for me at this time.

It didn`t do anything for me but caused me to loose to much weight. I think the problem that I had was my m never went away and Topomax is a preventitive. It`s no help when you already have a m.I know someone else that has been taking it for awhile now with no help. They also have daily migranes. I also knew someone who started to take it and helped her. But I don`t know if it had to do with the fact that she only had one m a month.

I like reading that something is working for someone. It's inspiring. I share in your excitement!

Topamax immediately made my headache worse even though I took the smallest dose possible. Don't remember dosages now as it was years ago. I thought my eyeball had ruptured. This is what is so bizarre about these migraines - that something will work for one person and not another. I'm imagining right now what a whole day without a migraine would be like. AHHHHHHH.

Good for you! Keep going and getting better!