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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by monkeypants on January 18, 2005, at 15:44:39
In reply to Re: topamax, Wellbutrin and hair loss » stresser, posted by redscarlet on January 15, 2005, at 20:44:46
I also took Wellbutrin & Topamax for about 3 years. I don't think the Wellbutrin contributed to hair loss because I've taken it for much longer than the tmax (10 years) with minimal side effects (I have mild difficulty falling asleep & hyperactivity at times).
My hair did thin a bit while I took Topamax, but even more bothersome was the extreme dry scalp it gave me (anyone else?) I know it can cause decreased sweating (causing the body to overheat at times), so I imagine that the cause of dry scalp is the reduction of moisture to the skin.
I've since switched from Topamax to Lamictal (2 months ago) and notice a mild improvement in my hair quality, but still have pronounced dandruff/dry, itchy scalp that doesn't respond to anti-dandruff shampoos. I'm not sure if the topamax has a long half-life or stays in your system after you stop taking it--does anyone know?
monkeypants
> I was on Topamax for over two plus years and I lost TONS and TONS of hair during the entire time I was taking it.
> I even took mega dosages of biotin and many other vitamins but they had no effect on the hair loss.
> My hair was also very dry.
> Unfortunately hair loss can be a side effect from both the Topamax and Wellbutrin for some people.
> I was also on Wellbutrin 450mgs for all of 2004 (just went off as of this month 1/05) but had no hair loss from it myself.
> (note: I was not on the Wellbutin & Topamax at the same time)
> But I have remained on all the vitamins even after being off the Topamax for a year.
> I'm still trying to get my hair back !
> I now take Zonegran (been on it since 1/04) which is very similar to Topamax. In fact they say it's a cleaner med then the Topamax, meaning the side effect profile is much less.
> You may ask her doctor about the Zonegran if the Topamax is working except for the hair loss.
> However I have heard of some people having the hair loss on the Zonegran, but that is not so for me and I think far fewer people have that side effect from the Zonegran then the Topamax.
> HTH... :-)
>
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 18, 2005, at 16:15:45
In reply to Re: topamax, Wellbutrin and hair loss » redscarlet, posted by monkeypants on January 18, 2005, at 15:44:39
I shed like a dog anyway so I don't know if it's the Topomax or just me. I have plenty of hair to spare anyway. My hair isn't very dry other than I have dyed it for the first time in my life so that is probably why. It isn't brittle and I use tons of conditioner anyway. So who knows! Is Zonegran for bipolar or just depression and does it make you gain weight? Just wondering...Topomax is working but I have to find something that is less expensive and possibly has a generic. This is KILLING me on insurance so that I can't afford anything else like, you know ANTIBIOTICS!
Posted by stresser on January 18, 2005, at 16:32:21
In reply to Re: topomax and mean irrational people » stresser, posted by monkeypants on January 17, 2005, at 16:29:39
I think the wellbutrin may have been making her mean and irrational. The doctor took her off it last Friday, and we are waiting to see what happens with that. Before she became depressed in the first place, she didn't express this type of behavior, so I'm pretty sure it's the medication. It made me MANIC as heck, and I feel 100% better after stopping that medication. I just about lost my mind on that, no kidding. I'm amazed as to what it did to me and I didn't really even know it. He did give me topamax at the same time, and that could be part of the reason I feel better also. (Yes, now he thinks I need it) The topamax may be the culprit as far as her hair falling out, because it is continuing to happen. The doctor told us today to have her stop taking it....she will see him on Jan. 25. That will give her over one week with no meds., and I hope that will be ok. I am wondering also about Zonegran, and the side effects with that. Does anyone know about losing hair on that medication? Her doctor said she is Bipolar, but she took an MMPI test anyway on Monday. That will help with the diagnosis, I hope. Suggestions anyone?-L
Posted by redscarlet on January 18, 2005, at 18:24:53
In reply to Re: topamax, Wellbutrin and hair loss, posted by bridgey1128 on January 18, 2005, at 16:15:45
Zonegran is used as a mood stabilizer for bipolar, that's why I take it.
It does not cause any weight gain.
HTH
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 18, 2005, at 19:34:46
In reply to Re: topamax, Wellbutrin and hair loss » bridgey1128, posted by redscarlet on January 18, 2005, at 18:24:53
red, does it have a generic?
Posted by redscarlet on January 18, 2005, at 19:45:47
In reply to Re: topamax, Wellbutrin and hair loss, posted by bridgey1128 on January 18, 2005, at 19:34:46
Sorry, not yet.
Posted by jenniferg on January 20, 2005, at 3:40:20
In reply to Re: Topamax, posted by sarita0001 on November 4, 2003, at 15:34:41
Hi,
I've recently been put on 50mg of Topomax daily for headaches I have been suffering from the age of 13yr. I was told the Topamax was for migraine patients and the curb of appetite is a plus. I figured, "Why Not!"
Well, It's been about three weeks now and I can't sleep sometimes I feel a tingle or a sensation in my head. I am also absent minded and clumsy which is funny but frustrating. I have come to realize I cannot take one pill at night then in the morning...It puts me in a vegetative state of mind which is extremely bothersome. I also cannot concentrate and ace scrabble and boggle as most enjoyed at one time. As a matter of fact, I found it a little bit difficult to sit in front of my computer. It's almost like I am having this personality change. Now I am on my feet 24/7...screw the phone. I am cleaning, shopping, runnings errands, planning vacation again, visiting friends and family, writing greeting cards trying not to forget when normally I would get stressed and be late for everything. It has really helped me to calm down...I will definitely vouche for that. I really don't like the whole "stooper" feeling, kind of like when you drunk.
So I haven't decided if I like this med. As you have heard from me it has it's strength's and it's weakness's. I will tell you this...I am only taking 25mg to 50mg a day.
I hope this helped Migraine sufferers...
Good Luck!
Posted by iris2 on January 20, 2005, at 10:14:39
In reply to Re: Lamictal weight gain?, posted by monkeypants on January 18, 2005, at 15:31:16
> Thanks for your response, Rainy. I'm not taking Topamax; my weight gain issues are in reference to Lamictal, which I began taking 2 months ago instead of Topamax. Like I mentioned, since starting Lamictal 2 months ago, I've gained 20 pounds, which is the only negative effect so far--but it's a very negative one!
>
>I took Topamax for several months and only became more depressed. I did not have any weight gain or loss from taking the Topamax. HOWERVER as soon as I discontinued the Topamax I immediately gained about 30 pounds. My pdoc said it was from going off the Topamax. I went beck on a small amount of it after gaining the weight for about two months. As soon as I went back on it I lost the 30 pounds I had gained even though I had not had any weight changes form the Topamax originally. I stayed on the small amount for a few months and then very very gradually titrated off of it and by doing this did not gain the weight again. It seems that you are having the same problem I did.
Hope this helps.irene
Posted by stresser on January 20, 2005, at 15:03:28
In reply to Re: Lamictal weight gain? » monkeypants, posted by iris2 on January 20, 2005, at 10:14:39
Are you saying that when you quit the topamax cold turkey you gained weight vs. tapering off? My daughter quit two days ago cold turkey, and now I am wondering if she should go back on to a lower dosage and taper down.?-L
Posted by redscarlet on January 20, 2005, at 16:43:16
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 20, 2005, at 15:03:28
I had not weight gain when I quit topamax cold turkey.
HTH
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 20, 2005, at 16:56:23
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by redscarlet on January 20, 2005, at 16:43:16
Jennifer? Did your Dr START you on 50? If he did no WONDER you have had such problems. NO ONE should START in the middle of a dosage. You should ALWAYS start at the bottom and work your way up. If not, you have the problems you have had and then some worse. You also can't yo yo up and down and go some days 25mg and some days 50mg. You are going to have a LOT of problems if you do that. GO to 25mg a day at NIGHT ONLY. After about 2 or 3 weeks when the tingling wears off (that's a really common side effect) then and ONLY then go up to the 50mg. Topomax shouldnt EVER be started at a higher dosage other than the lowest possible because of the bad side effects it can cause. If you start low and work your way up slow then most people don't have problems until you get to much higher dosage. Then you can have the stupids but they usually wear off. That is why it's important to go up very slowly. Also there is a possibility of damaging your eyesight when you go up too quickly. I went through THAT one with the 25mg to 50mg dosage going up too fast. I lost my eyesight for a few days. You always start at night taking it. Always take it at night. Don't take it in the morning unless you are taking a higher dosage and THEN split it, like 100mg in the morning and 100mg at night. THat is my dosage and it took almost a year to get up to that. I take it for bipolar btw, not migraines and it has not helped with weight loss. But that is just me. Anyway, I wish you much luck and let me know if this helps!
Posted by stresser on January 20, 2005, at 19:02:36
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 20, 2005, at 16:56:23
How long did it take before it started to help with your weight loss? At what dosage and when did you notice it helping your symptoms for bipolar?-L
Posted by iris2 on January 20, 2005, at 19:25:13
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 20, 2005, at 15:03:28
No I tapered off of it but not as gradually as the second time. I do not remember how long it took to go off it or exactly how much I was on now. Sorry.
irene
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 20, 2005, at 21:41:31
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by iris2 on January 20, 2005, at 19:25:13
I think because I was so worried about losing my eyesight I wasn't noticing any benefits right away. I do know that it did help. It doesn't usually help depression as much but I am lucky as I know what causes my depression and I tend to "reason" my way through mine when I have them. It's rather bizarre. My body feels horrid sometimes. It's like two different people and emotions trapped together. I know that what is going on is just my bipolar and I know I will get through it but at the same time I just feel so crappy sometimes and hopeless. I have done better but I can't say I don't have low times but nothing like I had before. I think the Topomax worked pretty well, pretty quickly on the hypomania and that is what I could tell right off, as soon as the eyesight thing cleared up. I didn't feel the need to talk all the time. I could just, well, shut up. I could tell when I needed to go up because I got grouchy and felt more hyper. This didn't mean I had energy, however. I don't necessarily have energy when I am hyper. I don't know how to explain it. I get hyper around people and depressed at home so I don't get in these wide swings to clean clean clean. I don't want to BE in my house. I want to be out with people and go DO DO DO and be with friends and SPEND MONEY. I don't go overboard or anything like someone with full blown mania. Right now I have to deal with staying at 200mg because I just can't afford anymore and since I am doing a show I can't afford to get the stupids! I have way too much music and too many lines to learn. Anyway, I hope you all are doing well and...where is Kat?
Posted by Jenbracha on January 22, 2005, at 1:11:08
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 20, 2005, at 16:56:23
Yes, he started me on 50 mg. But my s/e's weren't all that bad until 2 months later. Then....WHAM...
I do take this at night and have from the beginning, though it isn't helping me sleep the way it did at first....
Probably too late to go back to 25 mg now and start over....
> Jennifer? Did your Dr START you on 50? If he did no WONDER you have had such problems. NO ONE should START in the middle of a dosage. You should ALWAYS start at the bottom and work your way up. If not, you have the problems you have had and then some worse. You also can't yo yo up and down and go some days 25mg and some days 50mg. You are going to have a LOT of problems if you do that. GO to 25mg a day at NIGHT ONLY. After about 2 or 3 weeks when the tingling wears off (that's a really common side effect) then and ONLY then go up to the 50mg. Topomax shouldnt EVER be started at a higher dosage other than the lowest possible because of the bad side effects it can cause. If you start low and work your way up slow then most people don't have problems until you get to much higher dosage. Then you can have the stupids but they usually wear off. That is why it's important to go up very slowly. Also there is a possibility of damaging your eyesight when you go up too quickly. I went through THAT one with the 25mg to 50mg dosage going up too fast. I lost my eyesight for a few days. You always start at night taking it. Always take it at night. Don't take it in the morning unless you are taking a higher dosage and THEN split it, like 100mg in the morning and 100mg at night. THat is my dosage and it took almost a year to get up to that. I take it for bipolar btw, not migraines and it has not helped with weight loss. But that is just me. Anyway, I wish you much luck and let me know if this helps!
Posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 6:15:36
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by Jenbracha on January 22, 2005, at 1:11:08
What do you guys make of the fact that at 375 mgs Topamax I've started to get really hungry and has wine started to taste OK again? At 300 not much interest in food and wine was bitter. (We're still drinking the same brand.) I'm exercising more will power now than I have for months and still gaining weight. Winter weight? Can't be, it's been in the damn 60s around here.
Also, I'm so tired of chopping pills, which I've been doing for 2 months, that I'm going to 400 mgs today 6 days early--I've been giving each 25 mgs two full weeks but I'm sick of this shilly shallying.
Top is working far better as a mood stabilizer at the higher dose which is also $247 less expenseive than the lower one, go figure. (200 mg tabs vs 100) But it's still very expensive and I may have to find something else because we're switiching to an HMO 2/1 that has a higher co pay and it's beginning to look quesionable budgetwise. Also those famous word finding issues are reappearing.rainy
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 22, 2005, at 9:57:44
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by Jenbracha on January 22, 2005, at 1:11:08
No it's not too late to go back down if you are having this many problems. Go back to 25mg and see what that does. Your Dr should have known better than to start you on a higher dose. I really can't believe the carelessness some Dr's have with this medication. Either they just don't believe all the information out there about the bad side effects of going up too soon or they just flat out don't care. RARELY have I heard of someone not having a bad side effect of not going up too fast. However, maybe it's the opposite and you need to go UP on it. When I needed to go up on my medication it let me know in a very BAD way. I had horrible night time hallucinations! I thought they were night terrors until I looked up the definition of that and realized I was totally awake and concious and I remembered every weird and scary detail of them. Once I went up, they went away. Does your Dr plan on you staying on the 50mg? How long have you been feeling so crappy like this? You said you have been taking it for 2 months? You can always go back down to the 25 and if you feel worse go back up. I doubt you will though. Topomax isn't a drug you can just jump right into the middle of a dose. It's one you have to be titrated up on very slowly. I wish you much luck!
Posted by monkeypants on January 22, 2005, at 18:44:37
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 20, 2005, at 15:03:28
Hi all,
This is in response to Stresser's question about Tmax below. I've gained over 20 lbs in 2 months since going off Topamax cold turkey. I thought it was because I switched to Lamictal from Tmax, but it could very well be that I just quit taking Topamax one day instead of titrating down gradually. I wasn't aware of this (go figure, since I can't afford health insurance or a pdoc) until I saw the tremendous weight gain.
monkeypants> Are you saying that when you quit the topamax cold turkey you gained weight vs. tapering off? My daughter quit two days ago cold turkey, and now I am wondering if she should go back on to a lower dosage and taper down.?-L
Posted by stresser on January 22, 2005, at 19:46:08
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by monkeypants on January 22, 2005, at 18:44:37
Thanks so much for the information. I did call the pharmacy and was told to taper down over a period of about two weeks, so she is doing that. They said every other day should do the trick. -L
Posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 20:47:24
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 22, 2005, at 19:46:08
Every other day at what dose?
rainy
Posted by stresser on January 23, 2005, at 18:17:34
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 20:47:24
I started decreasing by 50 g, every day until she sees the doc. It makes me nervous to drop to every other day, until I talk to him. I can always refer back to the pharmacist for advice again on decreasing the dosage. How did everyone else do it?-L
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 29, 2005, at 16:22:23
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 20:47:24
Has anyone noticed any change in their fingernails taking Topomax? My index finger nails have started turning downward in the center and now my ring finger on my left hand is doing the same thing. I have noticed this because my fingernails lie in the bed pointing up at an angle and for them to suddenly start growing downward is really odd. I was just wondering...
Posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:51:27
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 29, 2005, at 16:22:23
No, nothing yet, but I haven't been on it too long. I have noticed that I'm not biting off the heads of people at drive-thru windows.....and that's a good thing. Does it make anyone tired? It's either that or Zoloft, and I'm not liking that part of the treatment at all. I'm not bipolar, but the doctor is keeping me on it because I am showing signs of anxiety/depression/anger (over what I don't know on the MMPI). My face is breaking out...hummmmm? What do you think about that one?-L
Posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:53:32
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 29, 2005, at 16:22:23
Bridgey - Oh, I forgot..... Nice to hear from you!
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 30, 2005, at 11:13:24
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:53:32
Thanks, needless to say, I have been REEEEEEEALLY busy. The show is going really well, but exhausting. I really feel like I need to go up on my meds but there is no way I am doing that in the middle of a show. I have so far managed to stay well and, for the most part, so has everyone else. I think when I go in for my physical I will ask about going up after the show. I haven't noticed my skin acting up other than the regular times during "that time" of the month. I have to admit the fingernail thing is weirding me out.
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