Topamax - severe weight loss

Hi all

I've been on Topamax for a little over a month now, and from what i've read in other's post weight loss is common, loss of appetite is a common side effect, I just want to know how much of a problem is was for other people. I have absolutely no appetite. I don't feel hungry at all. I have to remember to eat and pretty much force myself to eat because of the lack of appetite. I already have a small frame and lost about 10 percent of my body weight in the first three weeks. At first I didn't realize how little I was eating because I didn't feel hungry but once I noticed the rapid weight loss I started increasing my intake and have maintained my weight but not been able to put the lost weight back on.

I was just wondering if the loss of appetite was as much of a problem for others. I had other side effects at the beginning that have pretty much gone away, every once in a while I'll still get tingling and numbness here and there but nothing too bad. I haven't had very much sucess with it yet I just got up to 75mg a day, but we just hit monsoon season here which doesn't help, I always feel worse when the storms come in. So I'm willing to stay on it a while longer.

I also had loss of appetite. It made many foods taste awful! I would have been happy loosing a few pounds, but then it made me severely nauseous so that I couldn't get out of bed. I had to stop taking it within the first week, since that's not any better than the migraines.

I couldn't eat the first 3 weeks because of nausea. After that, my appetite was back in full force. The one side effect I was HOPING to get from that drug was loss of appetite. I really could have used a lot of weight loss. lol

I just reread what I wrote. I don't want you to think I was minimalizing your issues with this medication. I realize that weight loss can be just as serious of a problem for some people as weight gain is for me. I apologize if it founded that way.

I tried this med for a week and couldnt handle the severe nausea. I understand your concern about the weight loss though. When we lose weight at a rapid pace like that without trying its very scary. I would give it another few weeks as it could take up to 6 weeks for the med to kick in. If you don't see a difference and are still losing weight I would get off it and try another.

Thanks for the input, I do get some nausea in the evening, but nothing real bad, it was just the weight loss that was concerning me. Its just the absolute no feeling of hunger, no stomach growling, no hunger pangs, nothing, its weird I had no idea it would be that extreme. I know that right now I have a super fast metabolism that is probably linked to some thyroid nodules that I was finally able to get into an endocrinologist to be told they had nothing to do with my migraines so that has a lot to do with why I've always been real thin (which I'm sure I will be really thankful for when I get older!), but it really makes me nervous when I start getting close to being under 100lbs because I have been leveled out at healthy weight for my height for a long time even with the hyperthyroidism.

But it seems like force feeding myself a higher calorie intake than normal and adding protein shakes has kept me above that mark so I'll keep holding out to see if this side effect goes away. (And don't worry Brenda about thinking that your comment was minimalizing my problems, I know a lot of people say the weight loss is the side effect they hope for). my biggest worry with already being on the small side is mineral depletion and stuff like that, but now that i'm aware of the severity I can still make myself eat I just have to conciously remember because its crazy how much you rely on your belly to tell you! If it continues for much longer I will definetely discuss it with my Dr. Thanks.

I had severe weight loss on this med also. I went down to 85 pounds. I don't think it is a good drug for someone who is already low in weight.