I was on Topamax for 2 years and had all the symptoms everyone else has listed. I also had worked for the prescribing doctor for 2 years so of course I trusted him to know what he was giving me for my migraines. Needless to say I had the gastric bypass done 3 years previously, so really couldn’t eat alot anyway, but found out that this medication causes Anerexia. My weight went down to 83 pounds and my gastric bypass doctor said I was days away from death.. Why would any doctor in their right mind give me Topamax?? I took myself off of it per my gastric bypass doctor’s suggestion, but still cannot seem to function or gain weight.

I have been on Topomax for almost four years. I am on the for migraine relief. I have a little tingling on my fingers and have lost weight, but i was overweight. My migraines helped relieve my headaches enough so I can enjoy my life with my two daughters and my husband. I read all the warnings before starting the drug and I drink extra water to protect my kidneys. I am careful about what I do and even if I’m not hungry I make sure I eat three healthy meals a day. I am glad I was put on Topomax and would be very upset if it was taken off the market.

I am writing this for my wife as she is not up to doing it. She has been on topamax for almost 8 years and ins, just stooped on Feb 20 so she has been with out. She was taking 150 mg and all the side effects she has lost a lot of her teeth root and all just fell out we did not know way we do now it was the topamax she also has nerve damage in left hand thanks to topamax. For the last 3 weeks she has been going through hell not having the topamax. She has been throwing up slurred speech bad chest pain headache and acts like some one with Parkinson’s and falling down. Today we went to the Doc, and he saw what was going on so he called the ins, and had them OK the refill. We told him she did not want to take it any more and he said to take it to cut down but could not find out how to do that in he’s book so he said to take 50 mg at the same time every day for a few weeks then start taking farther apart every day until you reach 3 days apart from last dose as it stays in the body 21 hours. People this is not a good drug nor is it safe stay away from it please. This demon drug from hell needs to be taken off the market.

Took 25mg of Topamax for approx. 2 wks, 4 yrs ago. It has been a nightmare ever since. I have permanent visual damage w/ increased eye pressure. I ended up w/ traumatic cataracts which required surgery. I then had material herniate thru the sac holding the lense, w/ vitreal debris, clouding, seeing the lense shake, red painful eyes, & glare. The vitreous detachments led to a detached retina for which I recently had another surgery. I will need a vitrectomy on the remaining eye. I finally had to quit work due to my inability to see well enough to function well. My eyesight was perfectly fine before I took the Topamax for boccasional migraine headaches. I have suffered functional & financial disaster b/c of this drug & we need to band together & get a lawyer that can look into this.

Topomax saved my life about 3 years ago. I had migraine induced vertigo for a year and half and no one could figure out what was causing it because I never had headaches with my migraines-just the other intense symptoms. Finally a neuro discovered the cause via a MRI and prescribed Topomax which stopped the vertigo and kept me from having further “spells”. I now take 150 mg at night and did not really think about it but my vision has been worsening. I just thought it was because I was getting older. (about to turn 41). I am going to investigate further.

Tell Jill on Dec 6, 2008 that her thoughts are not just the holidays, Topamax’s own site says 3 in 1000 experience suicidal thoughts, I just tried to committ suicide 2 days ago, fortunately it didnt work, I also have 2 kids and a husband and my advice would be to see counsel from your doctor or other professional. I wish I had and I hope by sharing this info that others can avoid my experience.

I have diabetic neuropathy in both feet. I was prescribed Topomax because one of the side effects is to subside nerve pain. Unfortunately I suffered a stroke due to this medication. After taking for about 15 days, I woke up and did not know who I was, where I was and slurred my words and still do not have full use of my right leg due to the stroke (which happed in 2003). Unfortunately I learned too late to not use medications side effects….only use them as intended by the manufacturer. At 45 I am completely reliant on using a cane to manuever.

My wife Katina was on this drug, passed out walking to her office at hospital (thank God she was not driving) She was taking this for migraine prevention (100 mg qd) She has been weened off of medicine and is STILL suffering from side effects, generalized pain, headache numbness and tingling in rt side of head face and body, mood swings she flies off the handle and screams at kids over say spilling a glass of water. She is not the same person I married since this drug fiasco. I want my wife back! She has depression becasue she doesn’t know how to cope with this stuff. It is putting a strain on our marriage, our finanaces and our family. What is these side effects do not go away. I have been told to “Give it some time.” It has been almost 2 months since she stopped taking this drug

I have been on topamax 50mg, 2 times daily for 4 years. I have been have a hard time remembering thing. I had went the migr. specialist got there and started crying for no reason. emotional roller coaster ride from hell I have been on. what did he do but put me on Effexor, this is one drug you have side effects on. (combine together.).. what’s up this some Doctors. Yes this works, not worth my live over. I’m coming off this med and i’m ready for a new me

I have been taking Topamax for an eating disroder for some 2 years now. In the beginning I did experience the inability to think of a word, and I do get the intermittent tingling and also the halos on vision very early in the morning. Aside from that it has hellped me to not binge eat and I am fine on it. I am monitored by a doctor closely who is excellent. For me it has been an excellent drug. I have not had problems with it. He started me on 50mg and worked me up slowly. I am on 300mg and he stopped at that dose.

Weened off Topamax now but still have radiculopathy in my right hand and foot and some pain was given gabapentin for the radiculopathy and it is not helping

I began taking Topomax for migraines in Jan ’06. From the beginning I had serious numbness in my hands and feet which lasted about 3 months. Within a couple of weeks on the medication I would lose words as a teacher this is difficult to overcome in a middle school classroom. My doctor advised me of these and of a few other side effects. She was concerned that I would need to see my eye doctor because of the possible vision problems (very vague, I am a contact lens wearer – I had constant “dry eye” along with other acuity issues). I was trying to lose a few pounds after Christmas and found the weight lose to be a positive side effect at first. Within 3 months I had lost 35 pounds, but when I tried to maintain my weight I found that every week I was still losing 1-2 pounds until I was down to 105 and could maintain that weight, my husband was concerned but we didn’t think it was the medicine. After one year on the medicine, I fell into a deep depression and could not SLEEP. I could not help my family, was failing in my job, and wanted to kill myself. My husband took me to the doctors, who first implied that my husband must be abusing me in some way and then prescribed Cymbalta for depression. My husband and I went to marriage counseling and threatened each other over and over with divorce, our 2 boys victims of this emotional rollercoaster. On the Cymbalta, I had a vague felling that I didn’t care what else happened to me. I was a ghost of myself with a degenerating memory and a deep hunger for SLEEP (which Cymbalta helped with). In the spring of ’08, I began to have horrible migraines again, severely blurred vision, a halo headache 24/7, and constant dizziness (like I had just come off of a merry-go-round). I could not exercise or walk far due to the off-balance feeling. I stopped taking both medications in July, but the symptoms remained. Finally, one day in September I was having a horrible headache and discussing a work issue with a colleague when she interrupted me to ask how I felt. I shared that my head and left eye were killing me. Apparently, my left pupil was constricted while the right was normal and responsive. She suggested that I go to the minor emergency. After several brain scans and being referred to multiple doctors to help with the vision problems, dizziness, and chronic headache, I was given a clean bill of health. Now after being off of the medicine for almost 6 months, I feel pretty normal again. I didn’t know that I could feel so well, in fact. My memory, vision, and cheerful perspective on life are back and so are the migraines. I have a new strategy for pain control now – avoid triggers, eat right, drink plenty of water, exercise and try alternative pain control choices (accupuncture, yoga, physical therapy). Topomax did resolve the migraine pain and when I am unable to function I think about that positive of the drug, but it was not worth losing the rest of my life. If you are taking Topomax please think about your options.

I have been on Topamax for I couldn’t imagine how many years now. Each time my headaches/migraines get worse, my neurologist just increases the dosage. I’m concerned now reading all of these comments and I have been experiencing quite a bit of memory loss. I’m too young for this. How do I go about weening myself off? And, does anyone know of natural methods of reducing migraines? Confused and Scared.

On my amazement, after just comming home from the hospital , my brother gave me this information. I could not believe what I was seeing. I had been suffering every day with suicidal thoughts, before I finally OD’d. This, after having my Topomax increased to 200 mg. I told my Psychiatrist about this after still feeling suicdal, after taking an additional medication. I reduced my Topomax to half (100 mg) So far… I am feeling normal. This could have been a fatal death for me.

I started Topamax for migraine prevention. I spoke with 3 different doctors abouot the medication, I was told about the numbness and taste change and possilbe weight loss, but nobody talked about the serious vision loss. After one week my vision went from being fine, to me not being able to see 12 inches in front of me. I was only one day into 50mg a day….. We cant find much research showing when or if my vision will return. Its a waiting game and its scary… The doctors now dont have any answers.

I have suffered from migraines all of my life, I have been taking Topamax ofr two years. It was increased to 100mg 2x daily. I have no desire to live. Isat with a gun to my head the other day but was afraid my kids would find me. I have severe drepression no energy, can;t hold a job and above all I still have migraines 2 to 3 times a week. Neither of my doctors will take me off, they say it may do more damage, but at this point I don’t know for sure what is killing me the headaches or the medicine.

i have been taking topomax for 1 month…i had been suffering from migraines at least 3-4 times per week… in a month i had 1sonce starting topomax but lately i am unable to stop crying. 3 years ago, our 5 year old daughter passed away, and i cannot stop thinking about just being with her again. not sure if this is my normal holiday grief, or topomax, i do not want migraines again, but i am so afraid that these thoughts i have are getting stronger. i have 2 more little girls to take care of

topamax ia a dangerous drug and somebody need to take what is being said here seriously, this drug almost killed me, i took myself off of it because my doctor wouldn’t. i lost 32 pound in one month blurred vision temporary memory loss, there is nothing as scary as not knowing where you are ,cant find your way home or remebering you have a cell to call someone to come and get you,or having breathing problems and being sent from doctor to doctor they know you are having a problem but cant figure it out. i know what you people are going through.

Taking topamax for migraine prevention (150 mg daily) Was walking to work and blacked out (thank God was not driving) Spent 2-1/2 days in hopsital ran all kinds of tests, no stroke no seizure. The hospital thinks it this was caused by the topamax. Now right side of face and body is numb. Can not drive so now, have to find ride to work and pick up kids. Now being weened off of topamax

4 years later and my life is still a mess because of topamax. if you are on it please stop taking severe side effects and it could kill you! doctors don’t tell you side effects only benefits . i am a painter and have a very difficult time seeing and holding a paint brush for long periods of time withoiut pain in my hands.

i do not use topamax any more but still suffer from migraines . i was taking 100mg 2x daily, stopped taking in 2004. while i was on topamax i was arrested for dui , i do not drink …experienced alot of confusion and some numbness in my hands. i still have severe numbness almost like my hands go to sleep and with severe tingling when the blood starts to flow back into hands, eye sight is bad and eyes sort of jiggle when trying to read. this has had detrimental effects on my ability to work ..i am a painter. i would very much like to see this medication taken off the market before it ruins anyone elses life. i’d like to here from others and what your doing about it i know that i took this medication of my own free will but it really has done damage in my life. i took the advice of my nuerolagist and i am paying a price for believing he knew best.

I had a seizure during June 2007, and my neurologist prescribed 100mg of Topamax. I experience many symptoms. Some of which were immediate, and some that increased over time. They are: extended periods of numbness in my limbs, dry mouth, muscle pain, loss of appetite and rapid weight loss, increased urination, increased heart rate, confusion, severe fatigue, extreme insomnia, slowed thought process and difficulty concentrating and making decisions, slurred speech, and severe depression. I tried to explain some of these problems to my neurologist and he just waved them off as basic symptoms of the medication. Never once did he explain to me that Topamax could lead to severe difficulty with concentration, memory loss and depression. Even after the FDA announced that seizure medications can lead to severe depression and suicidal behavior during February 2008. My license was pulled immediately after the seizure, and I wanted to cooperate as much as possible to get back on the road. So I continued taking Topamax. It wasn’t until I fell into a period with extreme memory loss, insomnia and depression that I changed to a new physician, who prescribed a different seizure medication. My insomnia was so powerful that I was sent to a sleep specialist to determine if I had some form of disorder. After changing to a new medication, these symptoms gradually lessened over a period of five months. However, the damage was done. This medication had a detrimental effect on my work performance and placed a tremendous strain on my family and personal life. This medication should be taken off the market.

Severe reaction to Topamax, not monitored by Neurologist. Hospitalization twice. Questions regarding “Class Action Suit” I had seen noted on Web MD.

I used to take Topamax, but I started getting blurred vision, dizziness and my hair started falling out. I quit takingi it, my eyes are better but not like they used to be. My hair is still falling out.

My wife still has not begun to regain her weight nor her strength. This has significantly prevented her from being able to return to work. And… since she was employed at a church, there is no unemployment.

My doctor had prescribed 800mg of Topamax beginning in 1999 for treatment of bipolar disorder and sleeping disorder. Cognitive problems were severe especially concerning language. Short term memory loss costed me my employment. I had an attack, of what was first thought to be MS, but later was proven not to be the case. I now have permanent neurological damage to the left side of my body. If this wasn’t bad enough, I developed osteomalasia (softening of the bones) leading to a catostrophic break of all the bones in my left left with my ankle snapping off. Almost two years later I suffer from chronic pain, tendonitis and difficulty walking. This condition was determined to be caused by severe acidosis (in my case renal tubular acidosis) a condition known to be induced by Topamax in almost 26% of patients, even the the lowest dose. My citrate levels were among the lowest seen in the country. I was on the brink of renal failure and possible death. It was then a nephrologist suggested I quit taking Topamax before it killed me. No other doctor was aware of this potentially lethal side effect. I quit Topamax and my condition improved immediately, although my kidneys have been damaged. There is vague references to this side effect and few doctors are warned that patients should have their citrate levels monitored while on this product. A class action suit should be considered.

My wife had been recently taking a prescription of Topamax for her migraines. Well, she had tingling in her right arm with two numb fingers, vision impairment, short term memory loss, severe weight loss (she lost 35 lbs from an original 140), severe fatigue: constant physical malaise, OMG! Now that I am researching this after the doc has put her on something else, I am amazed at the problems this drug is associated with. This makes me mad that the drug company does not put out more significant warnings than the usual tiny print on the Walgreens sheet.