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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Sooshi on February 22, 2004, at 13:14:12
In reply to Re: Topamax help =() » sjb, posted by Sooshi on February 22, 2004, at 13:02:26
Posted by katia on February 22, 2004, at 14:52:04
In reply to Re: Topamax help =() » sjb, posted by Sooshi on February 22, 2004, at 13:02:26
Hi everyone,
I am BPII/Mixed and have been on Lithium (made me a zombie), Depakote (afraid of the PCOS possibility), Lamictal - got the rash.
I have been off of meds for about 7 weeks now except for Seroquel for sleep (small doses) and 12 gs of fish oil. I was doing GREAT for about 5-6 weeks even thinking that I wasn't bipolar that there had been a mistake and I never needed meds again (pretty typical I know).
I've got samples of Trileptal and Topamax here - anyone care to comment on their experiences with both? I am not sure which one to start with. I'm starting to get irritable and depressed. energy's turning.
Anyone suggestions? Please?!
Katia
Posted by headachequeen on February 22, 2004, at 16:28:55
In reply to Re: Topamax help =(), posted by sjb on February 22, 2004, at 7:25:33
> First, not ALL experience weight loss with Topomax, and for those that do, it is generally temporary. >
> A quote from a article in the New Yorker about the supplement industry was helpful for me and may be for others as well:
>
> "Yet, despite thousands of weight-loss studies and an increasingly focused search for solutions, there is NO (caps inserted by me) evidence that any prescription, over-the-counter product, or supplement has ever kept a person's weight down for much more than a few months. At best, such drugs or supplements are short-term answers to lifelong problems; at worst, they intensify the disorders they attempt to cure." From Miracle in a Bottle by Michael Specter, The New Yorker, February 2, 2004
Here I take my stance at the chalkboard and assume my teacher's role again... thought I had left that life behind long ago when I entered the journalism life... forgive the pedantic stance, please...
BUT...
Let us remember first and foremost that Topomax is not intended to be first and foremost a weight-loss panacea. It was developed, if my weakened cognitive skills are kicking in properly <s>, to deal with seizures. In that respect, it has been a boon to the epileptic and to others with seizure-related illnesses and problems.
Along the way it was discovered that it has useful side-effects: it tends to eliminate migraine head-aches; it has a propensity for suppressing appetite; it would seem from the conversation among the people here that it helps some of us who suffer emotional mental health problems. It has negative side-effects, too many to list.
The useful side-effects, when working in tandem with its original raison d'etre, are great. However, when it is used specifically with the intent that it cause weight loss or it change the psyche's approach to life, then we are asking it to perform its random effects, not its intended effects, and we are hoping that it will do the unexpected.
There are no magic buttons or potions for weight loss. We all know that. No one who has gained weight for whatever reason, medical problem or simply because the chocolate cake and the butter pecan crunch ice cream were too hard to resist, thinks otherwise, but it is nice to have help and nicer yet to have hope.
As one who takes Topomax for its primary intent, to help with seizures and in the hope that one of its side-effects will kick in and the migraines will be defeated as well, I am more than happy.
The migraines have been absent from my life for almost fourteen months now.
The seizures, while not totally absent from my life, are no longer weekly or nightly, sometimes bi-nightly, events.
The weight-loss side-effect, again random, I realise, has kicked in too. The weight I gained while being treated for depression, thanks to the depression itself, some of it caused by the undiagnosed epilepsy (misdiagnosed as symptoms of depression and when diagnosed several years ago, ignored by a doctor who did not want me saddled by the stigma of epilepsy... depression is less a stigma????? go figure!) an thanks to the meds used to treat the depression that led to weight gain,
I have lost weight and kept it off for a year now; the weight loss began at 25 mg... I think it depends upon the metabolism of the individual...
not the dosage...
my sister-in-law was on Topomax and is now on another medication instead (she decided that she preferred to be able to have a drink now and then) but has not gained weight and still has a small appetite although she has not taken Topomax
for over two years and it may be longer. She had been off it for quite a while when I was first prescribed the med.
She still eats only one main meal a day with a light breakfast... a scrambled egg with cheese and juice or perhaps yoghurt and juice in the morning.
As I do she craves protein and her main meal is usually chicken or fish, occasionally beef with fresh vegetables... with the occasional snack of cheese... neither of us is able to finish a large meal... small portion of potato with a touch of sour cream or melted cheese on top with the vegetables which we prefer raw anyway LOL...
and we no longer indulge in chocolate bars or other sweets... with her birthday and our anniversary coming up, they are a day apart, we are both concerned about offending family members who have great plans afoot...
dinner at a favourite restaurant for the whole tribe and we will be the ones ordering salads... we just do not have the great appetites...
It may not have the same effect for everyone but this is a SIDE-EFFECT, it is not the planned effect...
and as someone told me a while back when I posted that I had reached a plateau and was no longer losing weight, it was time to do it the old-fashioned way... to work at it...
actually it was time to work at other things, not weight loss... I had to work on the body that had lost all that weight!!!
My body and I are considering the prospect of having to buy an entire new wardrobe when spring gets here...
nothing that fit last summer will fit this summer...
I have dragged out the sewing machine to make some alterations in favourite clothes... but some things are just not a possibility... and I could cry!
now we have a blood sugar problem...
it ain't all beer and skittles...
we have entered the low blood sugar arena this body and I... and that is a new challenge...
saw the doctor the other day and he is furious that my psychologist would kick me loose in winter when I have the worst time of all...
we have to get through February and March, traditionally my worst phase of the year and the psych-man says that I am doing so well I don't need him any more...
so time will tell...
maybe one of those random Topomax side-effects will replace the psychologist???
if not I have some strong help right here....
kat
Posted by Mags on February 22, 2004, at 18:24:33
In reply to headachequeen » sjb, posted by headachequeen on February 22, 2004, at 16:28:55
I agree with much of what headachequeen has said. I went on Topamax as a mood stabilizer and to control headaches and it has done a great job of the headaches. We are still working on doseage for my rapid cycling. As far as my appetite I have found that I stopped craving carbs almost immediately, so I have lost some weight BUT I do not think this drug is worth going on just to lose weight as there are so many side effects. The big one being the cognitive ones. Some days I feel like an idiot!!
Plus the original poster only mentions being depressed not BiPolar..this drug can CAUSE depression!
I realize losing weight instead of gaining on a psych drug sounds nice for a change but at what cost?
Mags
Posted by Mags on February 22, 2004, at 18:27:36
In reply to Re: headachequeen, posted by Mags on February 22, 2004, at 18:24:33
Posted by headachequeen on February 22, 2004, at 21:19:55
In reply to Re: headachequeen, posted by Mags on February 22, 2004, at 18:24:33
> I agree with much of what headachequeen has said. I went on Topamax as a mood stabilizer and to control headaches and it has done a great job of the headaches. We are still working on doseage for my rapid cycling. As far as my appetite I have found that I stopped craving carbs almost immediately, so I have lost some weight BUT I do not think this drug is worth going on just to lose weight as there are so many side effects. The big one being the cognitive ones. Some days I feel like an idiot!!
> Plus the original poster only mentions being depressed not BiPolar..this drug can CAUSE depression!
> I realize losing weight instead of gaining on a psych drug sounds nice for a change but at what cost?
> Mags
The idea of taking a drug for its side-effects really worries me...
I have a real problem with the side-effects from the main AED I have to take and wonder how on earth anyone can want to take something for its side-effects... sigh...
kat
Posted by katia on February 22, 2004, at 23:41:59
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by headachequeen on February 22, 2004, at 21:19:55
> The idea of taking a drug for its side-effects really worries me...
> I have a real problem with the side-effects from the main AED I have to take and wonder how on earth anyone can want to take something for its side-effects... sigh...
> katTo me it seems like just the evolution of meds. Who ever thought an anti-seizure med would be used as a MS?
Posted by sjb on February 23, 2004, at 8:35:48
In reply to headachequeen » sjb, posted by headachequeen on February 22, 2004, at 16:28:55
I am so glad it is helping you and others you know. I by no means intented to 'dis the drug for it's original label use for seizures, headaches, etc. I think it is wonderful that this drug has helped people with these problems, such as yourself. The fact that you and others have also have had long term appetite suppresant, that's great also. My post was meant as a general observation, not a 100% thing, and for those of us who tend to blame ourselves when a drugs benefit change or lose effect. It has been my observation that most on this board turn to Topomax for its weight-loss rep. Perhaps, drugs being prescribed for off-label use, need more scrutiny and long-term studies.
Posted by sjb on February 23, 2004, at 8:43:12
In reply to Re: topomax » headachequeen, posted by katia on February 22, 2004, at 23:41:59
I think it's fair to say, that many benefits have been found on drugs originally developed for an unrelated malady. I also think it goes without saying that if the manufactures can jump on a potential money-maker from a side effect, such as weight-loss, they will do so quickly, perhaps too quickly.
Posted by Sooshi on February 23, 2004, at 9:26:35
In reply to Re: headachequeen, posted by sjb on February 23, 2004, at 8:35:48
Hi sjb - I know that you didn't mean to dis Topamax! That's why I clarified my message WASN'T for you (see (nm) post on 2/22/04...I had accidentally posted the message to you). In fact, I think most everyone is AGREEING with you! That Topa should definately NOT be used as a diet drug alone, which is where it seems to be headed here lately. I, for one, thank you for you insight!
Posted by headachequeen on February 23, 2004, at 16:42:36
In reply to Re: topomax » headachequeen, posted by katia on February 22, 2004, at 23:41:59
I like the evolution thought... but I would like to know that the random effect was more controlled...
we have read too many posts here from people who have tried topomax (to use it as an example) for its side effects and found that it didn't work or that the other side effects kicked in and caused problems causing them to be disappointed or to some degree harmed...
I guess, being a staid and sober second thought type, I am concerned about the 'which one will I try next approach'...
and knowing the side effects with which I have to contend on a daily basis, I fear for those who have to face other side effects on a random basis...
did that emerge the way I wanted it to? or randomly?
kat
Posted by headachequeen on February 23, 2004, at 16:46:58
In reply to Re: headachequeen, posted by sjb on February 23, 2004, at 8:35:48
> I am so glad it is helping you and others you know. I by no means intented to 'dis the drug for it's original label use for seizures, headaches, etc. ... My post was meant as a general observation, not a 100% thing, and for those of us who tend to blame ourselves when a drugs benefit change or lose effect. It has been my observation that most on this board turn to Topomax for its weight-loss rep. Perhaps, drugs being prescribed for off-label use, need more scrutiny and long-term studies.>>
Oh, but that is my point, my concern, and my constant soapbox exactly...
we are too quick to try this drug and that one for the off-label effects...
and then get upset because of the side effects (too often random effects), the damage, the disappointments, and on and on...
When it works for the proper need then fine...
and if controlled for the random use then that is one thing...
but there seems to be a flood of people dictating to doctors...
and ads telling them to tell their doctors what to prescribe...
I know, I know, the old Canadian attitude that demands that we do not do that...
can't advertise drugs and so on...
but it is a worry to my way of thinking...
you have hit the nail on the head...
there are those who are helped but it is not a magic bullet...
kat
Posted by headachequeen on February 23, 2004, at 16:47:56
In reply to Re: topomax-off label, posted by sjb on February 23, 2004, at 8:43:12
> I think it's fair to say, that many benefits have been found on drugs originally developed for an unrelated malady. I also think it goes without saying that if the manufactures can jump on a potential money-maker from a side effect, such as weight-loss, they will do so quickly, perhaps too quickly.
and to this the choir choruses a loud AMEN
kat
Posted by helenag on February 24, 2004, at 14:29:24
In reply to Re: topomax » sjb, posted by headachequeen on February 23, 2004, at 16:47:56
Topamax has been an excellent mood stabilizer for me. I have been at 300mg since December and because OF the appetite suppression, I am going to have to ask my doctor to decrease my dose. Not that I mind losing the weight, which I continue to do so at 2-3 pounds a week, but because I think it is getting unhealthy to eat once a day. I have literally no appetite all day till the end of the day. Just what nutrition my body is missing is bothering me. At christmas time, I was in a size 10. I am now in a size 6. Yes, yes, as a woman it is so nice to be thin thin...but this is NOT healthy.
Anyone who would go on this drug for weight loss only is taking a foolish chance. I may be one of the few people for whom this side effect took by storm, but I stress, SIDE EFFECT. I have also dealt with dry mouth, cognitive problems, and tingling hands and feet.
Posted by headachequeen on February 24, 2004, at 14:54:01
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by helenag on February 24, 2004, at 14:29:24
> Topamax has been an excellent mood stabilizer for me. I have been at 300mg since December and because OF the appetite suppression, I am going to have to ask my doctor to decrease my dose. Not that I mind losing the weight, which I continue to do so at 2-3 pounds a week, but because I think it is getting unhealthy to eat once a day. I have literally no appetite all day till the end of the day. Just what nutrition my body is missing is bothering me. At christmas time, I was in a size 10. I am now in a size 6. Yes, yes, as a woman it is so nice to be thin thin...but this is NOT healthy.
> Anyone who would go on this drug for weight loss only is taking a foolish chance. I may be one of the few people for whom this side effect took by storm, but I stress, SIDE EFFECT. I have also dealt with dry mouth, cognitive problems, and tingling hands and feet.
>
>Isn't it interesting that so many of us find that Topomax leads to one meal a day... and so many of us also find that it leads to an end to cravings of junk food...
good grief health food fanatics are us...
but I really think that the statement you made
> Anyone who would go on this drug for weight loss only is taking a foolish chance. <
must be repeated again and again...
I keep hearing of and reading of people who keep taking drugs to try to achieve something from the non-intentional things they are meant to do...
as it were the accidental things they do...
and that really frightens me for them...
yes, I am happy that I managed to lose the weight that other drugs and depression allowed me to gain... but I would not want to be able to take this drug simply to lose weight...
that to my way of thinking is dangerous... as you term it, a foolish chance and you cannot say it too often or too loudly...
kat who is now a size ten was once a size four and would like to be a size eight I admit... but will settle for the ten.
Posted by Herspirit on February 24, 2004, at 20:35:30
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences? Â, posted by sherry gomez on January 24, 2001, at 18:21:32
I'm taking 300mg. Topamax, 300mg. Effexor, and 3mg. Risperdal for depression. I've been on Topamax and Risperdal since May 2003 and Effexor since 1996. I also put drops in my eyes for glaucoma. For the last several months my eyes have felt terrible. Dry, blurry, like they have a film over them and generally my nose runs at the same time. Does anyone else have these symptoms and correspond them to Topamax? I have tried lowering my Effexor dosage to see if that was the problem and it wasn't. I tried the eye drops and that wasn't it. I tried lowering the Topamax to 200mg. last week but I became edgy and my eyes weren't any better so we put it back up to 300mg.
My optometrist suggests putting punctal plugs in my tear drainage holes but I really want to find out why my eyes feel this way. If it's the Topamax, then I can deal with it. I just want to know that I'm not alone. And perhaps know what others did about it. I don't really want to stop taking the Topamax because I've been doing so well on it in combination with the other meds I'm taking. If it is some other kind of allergy (I'll go to an allergist), then I can rectify that problem by getting rid of the allergen (hopefully).
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by Sooshi on February 24, 2004, at 21:08:46
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences? » sherry gomez, posted by Herspirit on February 24, 2004, at 20:35:30
Hi Herspirit,
I am definately experiencing the same thing, and I take Topamax, 200mg. If I don't drink enough water, which is most of the time, my eyes get too dehydrated, and they feel very dry and blurry. I've seen my optometrist about this and she confirmed it. She gave me some artificial tears to put in them for when they get very irritated, but said the best thing to do it to KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED. You do not need to stop taking your Topamax, you just need to drink water, water, water if you are taking Topamax!
Hope this helps some,
Sooshi
Posted by Herspirit on February 24, 2004, at 21:41:55
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences? » Herspirit, posted by Sooshi on February 24, 2004, at 21:08:46
I must admit, I haven't been drinking enough water. I drink, but generally beverages with caffeine in them, coffee and diet iced tea. I'm going to have to make a concerted effort to drink water and like you said, LOTS OF IT! Plus, my kidneys need it too! When you say, lots of it, about how much do you drink in a day, ounces wise?
My optometrist also had me using artificial tears but I would have to be using the constantly for them to do me any good. My eyes only feel good in the shower. The minute I step out, it's back to the blurry, dry feeling.
> Hi Herspirit,
>
> I am definately experiencing the same thing, and I take Topamax, 200mg. If I don't drink enough water, which is most of the time, my eyes get too dehydrated, and they feel very dry and blurry. I've seen my optometrist about this and she confirmed it. She gave me some artificial tears to put in them for when they get very irritated, but said the best thing to do it to KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED. You do not need to stop taking your Topamax, you just need to drink water, water, water if you are taking Topamax!
>
> Hope this helps some,
> Sooshi
Posted by headachequeen on February 25, 2004, at 9:52:57
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences? » Sooshi, posted by Herspirit on February 24, 2004, at 21:41:55
>
> My optometrist also had me using artificial tears but I would have to be using the constantly for them to do me any good. My eyes only feel good in the shower. The minute I step out, it's back to the blurry, dry feeling.As Sooshi said, drink lots of water.. the kidneys are at risk from these AEDs ... but if you were told that you need to have plugs put in your tear ducts are you sure it is strictly a reaction to Topomax?
Don't stop drinking the water now... that is vital to counteract other side effects.... at least eight large glasses a day and that is probably not enough and don't be side-tracked by this theory that coffee and salad dressing and whatever substitutes for water... they do not help the kidneys, they actually dehydrate one...
but if your eyes are that dry then you need to see an eye specialist, an opthalmologist... and have this person tell you what you need.. if you are being treated for glaucoma, see your opthalmologist about this dry eye condition...
I have had dry eye for a long time and blocked tear ducts as well...
we always made jokes about it ... people are always described as growing to look like their dogs, instead I took on their ailments, developing dry eye and blocked tear ducts, ailments common to the breed, then they discovered that my eye lid has to have certain corrections, another condition common to the breed I choose, in order to relieve the extreme pressure on my eye (I often think my eye is going to pop out and fly across the room, other times it looks as if it is bulging out a la frog)...
recently a surgeon inserted temporary plugs...what a difference... because of the redhead thing, he would not insert permanent ones but cauterised the tear ducts and it is heaven...
in a couple of weeks he will do the next phase and start on the eye lid reconstruction and then push the eye itself back into place...
in the meantime my eyes feel so different because they are no longer dry and burning ... I do not want to scratch or tear them out...
they irrigate themselves and the topomax had nothing to do with it...
It CAN cause dryness but not to that extreme and it is worth checking in case we are blaming it for something it is not doing...
meanwhile the extra fluids will help overcome the topomax involvement...
as for the feeling that there is a shadowy screen over your eyes... has the opthalmologist checked for cataract???
there is a spidery cobweb effect that accompanies cataract...
and topomax neither hurries it along nor makes it worse...
kat
oh and I ought to add that there is an article in today's paper on the use of topiramates in the treatment of migraines and the great success in the use of topomax ... and my neurologist, as the head of the headache whatsis is quoted, describing it as being a great tool in fighting headaches...
it works for some but not all; some have to give up because of side-effects like tingling and nausea...
some find it cuts the headaches down to one or two a month...
and while it is expensive it is a blessing for those whose lives it changes...
kat
Posted by sickofmyfatclothes on February 25, 2004, at 11:56:48
In reply to Re: topomax » helenag, posted by headachequeen on February 24, 2004, at 14:54:01
> > Topamax has been an excellent mood stabilizer for me. I have been at 300mg since December and because OF the appetite suppression, I am going to have to ask my doctor to decrease my dose. Not that I mind losing the weight, which I continue to do so at 2-3 pounds a week, but because I think it is getting unhealthy to eat once a day. I have literally no appetite all day till the end of the day. Just what nutrition my body is missing is bothering me. At christmas time, I was in a size 10. I am now in a size 6. Yes, yes, as a woman it is so nice to be thin thin...but this is NOT healthy.
> > Anyone who would go on this drug for weight loss only is taking a foolish chance. I may be one of the few people for whom this side effect took by storm, but I stress, SIDE EFFECT. I have also dealt with dry mouth, cognitive problems, and tingling hands and feet.
> >
> >
>
> Isn't it interesting that so many of us find that Topomax leads to one meal a day... and so many of us also find that it leads to an end to cravings of junk food...
> good grief health food fanatics are us...
> but I really think that the statement you made
> > Anyone who would go on this drug for weight loss only is taking a foolish chance. <
> must be repeated again and again...
> I keep hearing of and reading of people who keep taking drugs to try to achieve something from the non-intentional things they are meant to do...
> as it were the accidental things they do...
> and that really frightens me for them...
> yes, I am happy that I managed to lose the weight that other drugs and depression allowed me to gain... but I would not want to be able to take this drug simply to lose weight...
> that to my way of thinking is dangerous... as you term it, a foolish chance and you cannot say it too often or too loudly...
> kat who is now a size ten was once a size four and would like to be a size eight I admit... but will settle for the ten.
>As someone who would be overjoyed at being a size 10, let alone even a 16, I must take exception. When I mean fat clothes, I mean size 26. I DO NOT overeat. I have a metabolism of minus zero. I am a very pretty woman and take care of my appearance, but I CANNOT lose more than a pound or 2 unless I live on an apple and nothing else a day. I walk about a mile aprox. 3 times a week. I am not sedentary.I have 6 dogs and 6 cats. I am busy. I cannot afford, nor would I have gastric bypass surgery. A dear friend died last fall from complications from that surgery. I am slowly building my dosage, as prescribed, with no side effects as yet. Do you still deny that this is a worthwhile try at boosting my metabolism, as the literature has tended to show, given my circumstances? How many meds were discovered for other worthwhile purposes while using for other problems. If I were having adverse side effects, I would stop immediately. NO weight loss is worth that. But I'm not. So is it wrong to try?
Posted by PoohBear on February 25, 2004, at 12:20:41
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by sickofmyfatclothes on February 25, 2004, at 11:56:48
I think that Kat has spoken very well for herself, but if I can put in a word on her behalf, I will at this point...
I have been taking Topamax for the last two months as a mood stabilizer and as a sleep aid. Please note that both of these symptoms are not the primary purpose for which Topamax was formulated, as it is primarily an anti-seizure medication. Somewhere along the way people noticed that it helped with migrains, made people sleepy and decreased appetite. Along with these it has a number of very significant adverse side effects. I'm dealing with the cognitive side effects right now as I'm struggling to type this note...
My pDoc put me on this to offset the difficulty I have in getting a good night of sleep, itself a side effect of Effexor. She also thought it might help counteract the weight gain I've got from Remeron. It really has only helped with moods, so we're going off it and back to Seroquel.
You have my utmost sympathy. I have battled my weight for the last three years, finally losing successfully with Weight Watchers. I am very near my goal now, but am having problems with interference from antidepressents.
Many medications are used for purposes other than for what they were intended. If you decide to get a doctor to prescribe Topamax to help you lose weight, you must do it realizing several things:
1. It will decrease your appetite, but not your ability to eat, so if you eat "by the clock", you will still do so.
2. To get any weight loss benefits you will need to take rather large doses, in excess of 100mg per day, perhaps 200-300mg or more. Do you want the cognitive and other side effects that come with that much of this particular medication?
3. You say you can't afford surgery. Okay. Topamax is NOT available as a generic. Do you have REALLY GOOD INSURANCE? It's VERY expensive, especially at the doseages you'll be looking at and for the length of time you'll need to take it.
4. In the long run, and I mean the LONG run, surgery will be far, FAR less expensive, both monitarily and to your brain chemistry and for side effects. You can bypass your stomach, but Topamax could 'potentially' DESTROY your kidneys. You can live without your stomach, you CAN'T live without your kidneys.
Look at all the alternatives, go into it with your eyes wide open.
All the Best,
Tony
Posted by Sooshi on February 25, 2004, at 15:48:31
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences? » Sooshi, posted by Herspirit on February 24, 2004, at 21:41:55
Oh, I meant I saw my Opthamologist, not an optomotrist...I don't wear glasses!
I drink a minimum of 6-8 8oz glasses of water a day. I keep a big jug with me all day, and when it's empty, I know I've at least had that much. I try to go beyond that, but rarely make it. I would be in the bathroom every 10 minutes if I did. Weak bladder and all.... All I know is, if I get to drinking below this amount, the blurriness gets really bad and the irritation/dryness is beyond bothersome.
Give the super-water drinking a try, and if that doesn't relieve it, you really ought to have those tear duct thingies checked into!!
Posted by headachequeen on February 25, 2004, at 16:40:31
In reply to Re: topomax, posted by sickofmyfatclothes on February 25, 2004, at 11:56:48
> As someone who would be overjoyed at being a size 10, let alone even a 16, I must take exception. When I mean fat clothes, I mean size 26. I DO NOT overeat. I have a metabolism of minus zero. I am a very pretty woman and take care of my appearance, but I CANNOT lose more than a pound or 2 unless I live on an apple and nothing else a day. I walk about a mile aprox. 3 times a week. I am not sedentary.I have 6 dogs and 6 cats. I am busy. I cannot afford, nor would I have gastric bypass surgery. A dear friend died last fall from complications from that surgery. I am slowly building my dosage, as prescribed, with no side effects as yet. Do you still deny that this is a worthwhile try at boosting my metabolism, as the literature has tended to show, given my circumstances? How many meds were discovered for other worthwhile purposes while using for other problems. If I were having adverse side effects, I would stop immediately. NO weight loss is worth that. But I'm not. So is it wrong to try?
>
I am not sure to begin with if this med boosts metabolism. I would check that aspect if I were you before starting to take a medication that has other side effects... intense tingling, so-called, in the extremities, nausea, kidney involvement, hair damage and even fall-out, eye involvement, and I forget the rest...
I am a very active person... I walk a couple of miles every day, often more than that. Yesterday, for instance, I walked a couple of miles before nine in the morning because it is February and I simply have to walk because I do not want to go back onto those wretched anti-depressants and become a zombie again...
I have worked with my dogs for years doing obedience and agility, and that means a lot of running -- weave poles, tunnels, dog walks, teeter totters, and the like and believe me, that takes a lot of moving around... running and the like...
then I do tracking with the dogs as well...
up hill and down dale...
so I am anything but sedentary but losing weight has not been a factor in my life until recently...
some of it came with the topomax that was prescribed by my neurologist and I think some of it may have come when I tossed out the antidepressants while some may even be a side effect of my new-found sense of self direction, I am not sure but would like to think so...
my metabolism has not changed...
I am still the same person...
my thyroid has been thoroughly screened because the opthalmologist thought that it might be causing some of the eye problems...
the metabolism is still the same one I had two years ago, before I began the topomax experience... the appetite has changed...
the food interests have changed...
I wish I could say like others here that Topomax is helping me sleep...
I still find it almost impossible to sleep at night... although when it is time to stagger out of bed in the morning, I am ready to do my best sleeping... ironic isn't it...
Topomax has not helped me sort out that part of living...
I don't know if it has done anything about stabilising my mood... but there is still time...
it has done a good job of stabilising the epileptic part of my life and eliminating the migraines HALLELUIA on both counts...
and the appetite suppressant part has helped me move from the larger sizes to the sizes closer to the me I used to be; I think and hope this means a return to greater energy to do the things I want to do and need to do...
it is far easier I think for a person my present size to run around the agility course or to follow a dog on a track up a rocky hill and down again, or to climb through a river to get a photograph she desperately wants, or thinks she wants, than it was a few sizes ago... and probably safer too...
as for the cost of gastric bypass... it costs me over 400 dollars a month for the Topomax ... over 4800 a year... and that will increase if the dosage must be increased...
this is not an inexpensive medication...
one needs a good medical plan as has been mentioned...no one is suggesting that anyone needs to be unhappy or suffer overweight ... we are suggesting that there needs to be caution exercised in the approach to embracing a drug as powerful as this as a panacea to all one's problems...
it must be monitored... at least the person using it must be monitored...
I see a doctor monthly; there are regular blood tests; other tests are performed to be sure that the meds are not causing problems that make the cure worse than the disease and the disease is bad enough, believe me...
The neurologist kept regular and frequent checks for the first 18 months and then follows up yearly... more often if there is a need...
and he is checking on the medication and its effects as much as on me and the progress of the disease...
the disease is basically controlled now...
it is the medication that he wants to keep under control at this stage...
that is the message that we are trying to send...
kat
Posted by Herspirit on February 25, 2004, at 19:13:44
In reply to Re: Topamax Experiences? » Herspirit, posted by Sooshi on February 25, 2004, at 15:48:31
> Oh, I meant I saw my Opthamologist, not an optomotrist...I don't wear glasses!
>
> I drink a minimum of 6-8 8oz glasses of water a day. I keep a big jug with me all day, and when it's empty, I know I've at least had that much. I try to go beyond that, but rarely make it. I would be in the bathroom every 10 minutes if I did. Weak bladder and all.... All I know is, if I get to drinking below this amount, the blurriness gets really bad and the irritation/dryness is beyond bothersome.
>
> Give the super-water drinking a try, and if that doesn't relieve it, you really ought to have those tear duct thingies checked into!!
>
>
I see my Opthamologist on March 22 so we'll see what he has to say and what he sees. So far today I have drunk (I think that's the way to say it) 6 8oz. glasses of water and I think I'll at least make it through another. I took a 20oz. bottle and a 16oz. bottle to work with me this morning. I thought it would be difficult for me to drink water but it really isn't. I did miss drinking coffee tonight though. I thought I shouldn't have any though as that would counteract the effects of the water. I'll keep the caffeine for during the day and just make sure I double-up on the water.
Posted by lucy lu on February 25, 2004, at 23:43:41
In reply to Re: Does topamax cause cognitive deficits?, posted by LBcats on December 7, 2003, at 11:01:49
I have spoken to my doc about the speech problems and he said they are a side effect.I stutter or repeater multiple times the last word I said, rather than slur my words. They are related to what helps prevent seizures as how I understood him to explain it to me. It is very annoying to me because when talking to people I will use wrong words all the the time when it is obvious that it is not the word I wanted to use. I will say hammer for screwdriver, rod for reel, lock for key . The tingling/cramping seems to come if I am not drinking enough water. Other beverages are not a substitute. But these nuisences are well worth how well I feel on Topamax for mood stablization compared to probably 12 other meds including a rash from one that almost resulted in a hospitalization.
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