Migraine

Topamax side effects crippled me for two months. I have had almost every side effect possible. I had horrible depression, hot flashes, and a very clouded memory. I had a difficult time remembering things and finding the right words to say. I also had tingling in my feet, fatigue, loss of appetite,(lost 15 lbs.)anxiety, headaches and insomnia. The most frustrating side effect I have had is loss of taste and smell. Most foods especially carbohydrates taste and smell like rotten pumpkin. Has anyone else experienced this side effect and if so, how long after stopping Topamax did you get your correct senses back. I am going on three weeks post Topamax and have noticed very little change. All of my side effects have stopped since I quit taking Topamax except for my loss of taste and smell.

Hi Linda,

I had the same cognitive issues you had with Topamax, but that was the only side effect I recall having while I was on it.

You may want to call your doctor and let them know that you're still having lingering side effects from the Topamax.

Good luck and please keep us posted, okay?

I had the same taste issues when I was on Topomax. I only took it for about a week because I just couldn't deal with the fact that everything tasted funny. It definitely killed my appetite. It took about a week for me to start tasting things normally again. Not sure if there's a certain time frame that it should take for that weirdness to wear off. I would definitely ask your doctor and see what they have to say.

Good luck!
Meli

I take it and I have the same side effects as well. The bubbles from my soda are gone, and popcorn tastes like the cement at the dentist office! ICKY! I have lost 5 pounds in a month, but I can stand to lose as I am over weight. I do have to say my migraines are cut in half now though, and thats a relief for me. I am going to ask to up my dose to 100mg to see if that takes care of it. Fingers crossed. I guess for me the side effects are worth it.

Hello and welcome to our forum family, LindaR! Our goal is to provide everyone with the information and support that we all need to manage our Migraines and/or headaches. To that end, we consider this a “safe harbor,” where nobody tries to sell us anything, and we all use “family-friendly” language so parents are comfortable letting their children read the forum with them.

Please take a few minutes to review our policies and guidelines along with the other information in the START HERE folder. For information about Migraines, a good article to begin with is Learning About Migraines - Where to Start

I've not taken Topamax, but I've heard plenty of posters over the years talk about it affecting taste and sometimes smell. Usually, side effects tend to level out some over time, if you can last. If you find them crippling, however, then by all means it was probably time to call it a wash and try something else.

As for how long it takes for the effects to work themselves out after stopping Topamax, that can be individual. Probably your doctor and your pharmacist would be best able to give you ideas of when you might regain a more normal state of taste and smell.

I've just tried to do a few searches to look for something in our Topamax info, but rather than listing possible side effects, including the ones of loss of appetite or taste, I'm not really finding anything specific about how quickly it might be regained after stopping the med. I still think the pharmacist might be your best bet to help answer this.