Posted by TJO on August 4, 2006, at 5:17:35
In reply to Re: Topamax dosage?, posted by TJO on August 4, 2006, at 5:13:46
As a bipolar medication it depends on what flavor of bipolar you have. In Bipolarland you don't always need the full 400mg a day, and you can often get away with taking it all at bedtime. However, if you're subject to ultradian rapid cycling (where you flip between extremely manic and severely depressed several times a day, even several times an hour) as I am, it's best to take 25-50mg first thing in the morning, 25-50mg in the afternoon, and the balance of your dosage at bed time. If you have any breakthrough periods of ultradian rapid cycling, talk to your doctor about taking an extra 25mg of Topamax (topiramate)every hour on the hour until you're ready to go to sleep that day. You'll find the ultradian rapid cycling abates pretty damn fast that way, sometimes in a matter of three or four hours.
As always I'm for a slow titration. Unless you're seriously flipping out or seizing all over the place, start at 25mg and increase by 12.5 to 25mg a day each week as required until both symptoms and side affects abate. Topamax (topiramate)is extremely dosage sensitive and you'll find that side effects will actually decrease in intensity, if not go away, once you hit your proper dosage. So as odd as that reads, it will take an increase in your dosage for some side effects to go away. Presuming, of course, that Topamax (topiramate)is the right medication for you.
from:http://www.crazymeds.org/topamax.html
Tammy
poster:TJO
thread:672643
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060802/msgs/673542.html