Posted by headachequeen on July 10, 2004, at 13:48:40
In reply to Topamax, posted by Momof4 on July 10, 2004, at 9:47:31
> First time to post a message on the board and I noticed that the last message was a few weeks ago. I hope you guys are still around. I started taking Topamax back in Feb. 25mg qhs. for about a month then increased to 50mg, still quite small of a dose. Just recently, last week increased to 100mg at bedtime. My p-doctor has prescribed it for multiple reasons. No sure Dx of Bipolar, but mood swings, depression, nocturnol binge eating, panic, anxiety and 35lbs overweight that I blame the fluctuating doses of Celexa for (well not completely I guess but it sounds good). I have experienced my fair share of crud in my lifetime and yet I am only 35 yrs old. For the first time in a long long time I am feeling alright. Motivated, not finding myself in such a dark cave anymore. Is it the Topamax regime I ask myself, I don't know. Short of the side effects that are driving me nuts sometimes I am a little apprehensive to discontinue the medicine in fear that it is the Topamax that has helped me out. Yes, I feel that dreaded tingling in my extremities and on occassions in my face. I experience a word fumble from time to time, wich I can make excuses for. The thirst factor is hard to tell due to the fact that I drink water all the time, always have and always will. I am a diabetic who has always relied on medication but since the Topamax, have been able to discontinue the diabetic medicine all together and my HA1C was at an unbelievable low. I guess what I am trying to say is that with any medication you take the good with the bad, and as with any medicine what may be good for me may not be good for another. So far so good, and I would be lying through my teeth if I told you that I am not looking forward to dropping weight on this medicine either. On top of the benefits it is providing me, more than anything right now I want to loose weight. I believe now that I have the ability and the motivation to get up and go, it will make it much easier, not to mention that things really taste different now anyway. Has anyone experienced weight loss on 100mg dosage? Enough babbling for now. I am glad to have come across this board and will be even more glad to see that people are still around. :-)
> Wishing you all the bestSalut! Every so often I wonder if I have fallen off the face of the earth so far as this message board is concerned and if everyone else is learning stuff that I am missing <GGG> so I am glad to know that it is quiet for periods of time and not just ignoring me :)
I too am diabetic... Type II brought on, no doubt, by overweight that was caused by depression and drug side effects and all that stuff... of course it was not my fault :) well not all my fault...
The Topomax has had some interesting side effects that were not listed in the warnings that were eventually made known to me... by my sister-in-law who took it for a year or so, and by members of this group... the only other warning I had was that my neurologist told me it would help with migraine and would probably cause weight loss (and of course I said that I could not consider a drug that might do that... and if you believe that, then let me tell you about this swampland I have for sale....)
I should also tell you that the side effects of tingling (HA! understatement indeed) were already present and annoying to say the least from the Tegretol that was not really working, hence the decision to try Topomax as well... the Topomax seems to have increased the effect of the Tegretol, but not totally; I still have breakthrough seizures (yes, here she goes, whining again, sports fans... sorry)
but since I started Topomax the breakthrough seizures are fewer and less intense... so Topomax does have a positive effect...I do not find the drastic effects that have been listed and feared here and elsewhere...
however, I have been careful to increase the dosage slowly and over longer periods of time...I, like you, drink gallons of water as I am always thirsty... the restaurants we frequent know me well and the staff are forever bringing jugs of water to the table as soon as we sit down... it must be written on my forehead because even new staff members seem to know about the water person <G>
I have also found that my sugar levels have changed since the Topomax though and I do not understand it... nor does my main physician... but he is not complaining and nor am I...
I am not on meds for my diabetes simply on an exercise, sleep (now that is funny), and food plan... it was not really controlling or changing the weight, oh maybe a few pounds, but nothing like the Topomax has done and it has to be the weight change that has done it because without the excess weight the insulin to blood sugar ratio has to have changed...
I know that at one time as the blood sugar changed my eye sight changed dramatically and I had to get glasses or else... now I have to have the prescription changed, between the surgeries on my eye lids which has eliminated the pressure on my eyes and the extreme dryness and the change in the sugar levels there is a change... I no longer need my glasses unless the sugar levels suddenly go up...
my fatigue levels change too if the sugar levels suddenly jump...
so somehow the two are working together.. wish I could figure out how...I agree with you... one has to take the good with the bad in all these things...
and if something is working then one has to accept the side effects and work with them...and having said that, if the neuro does not change the tegretol when I see him on Wednesday I am changing neurologists because the side effects it causes for me are too much to endure... and that is for me the extreme end of the argument...
I am taking three medications to deal with the side effects which are physically debilitating... I cannot deal with the physical pain and discomfort...
so it has to go; I do not understand how it can be considered such a competent or acceptable medication when Topomax is such a feared one...
to me Tegretol ought to be banished from the earth...
one person's poison and all that...I still wonder about the weight thing with Topomax... it has slowed down... but will it stop entirely???? that could be a problem LOL
kat
poster:headachequeen
thread:5053
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040710/msgs/364751.html