Migraine

Hello:
I just started on Topomax for Migraines with Aura that were causing me to have stroke like symptoms of speech problems. I've been on them for about 5 days, one a day with 25 mg a day. I go up to two on Friday night, one in the am and one in the pm of 25 mg. So far, no side effects, appetite is great, food taste great, etc... I have have a few episodes of speech, but they are getting a little shorter in length. Hopefully soon I'll be talking again in conference calls with confidence How long does it normally take to start feeling the side effects? I'm kinda looking forward to losing my appetite. I'm about 30 pds overweight, and have gained 3 pounds since being on the meds. I don't attribute that to the medication but rather to my stress level at work.

Thanks,
Christine

I didn't start feeling really bothersome side effects until I was at 50mg and then very very annoying side effects at 75mg that i had to stop.

BUT!!!!
each person is different and you may feel none. so here's hoping to no side effects for you! let us know how it goes!

I hope you do well on this med. I hope it makes your nasty migraines go away and you get no side effects

For me, I started feeling the side effects about 5 days into it on 25 mg. I was on 50mg for about two days before I came to the conclusion this was not the drug for me....

My side effects:
-Extreme cognitive difficulty (It was like my IQ dropped 30 pts)
-Tingling in extremities
-Disorientation (It was like my brain kept rebooting and for a second or two I wouldn't really know what was going on.)
-Breakthrough menstrual bleeding (It was effecting the absorption of my BCP)
-Depression (I don't know if it was hormonal b/c of the BCP issue or if it was aggravating my major depression)

But keep in mind LOTS of people do really well on this med, and any side effects you experience usually go away after a couple months. I just couldn't handle the side effects, particularly the depression.

Hi Christine,

Maybe the question could be, when will there be a reduction in Migraine fequency, rather than when will the side effects kick in ?

When starting a new medication, I put the potential (meaning it may not happen to everyone) side effects list on the back burner until something crops up. Hopefully, I won't experience any of them. Do you know what I mean?

Have you seen the dosing information on Topamax? Dr. Stephen Silberstein, Director of the Jefferson Headache Center recommends starting topamax very slowly, in fact 25mg a week, to prevent potential side effect. To see this information click HERE


Let us know how you're doing, ok?

Hi Christine!

I've been on Topamax for about 7 weeks now, and I ramped up my dosages just about like the article Nancy linked for you. I found that I experienced a new side effect every week after the second. The tingling was the first one for me... I thought it was just me... my feet falling asleep in bed more often than normal! (I have horrible circulation..)

I've had a lot of side effects, but all of them have been mild to moderate. So far I haven't seen a big change in my head pain, but I'm still hoping! I'm currently at 150mg, I'm ramping up to 200mg. I just started having appetite suppressant effects at around 100mg, but their pretty mild. It's certainly true that not every side effect happens to every person, and I've found that the tingling that was so intense in the third and fourth week is now very slight. I've also had my word recall get a little bit better.

If you're not already keeping some for of a migraine headache, I'd suggest starting one... but you might also want to track your side effects. I try to track all of my symptoms, since I have other dxs and problems that I'm trying to live with other than my head pain, so I do a lot of tracking! It can be really helpful in figuring out what symptoms you should give Topamax credit for, and which are really because of something else.

This is my new idea too Nancy! I've decided to try not to read about side effects until they or if they happen. That way I can tell
1. if they really are side effects or
2. if I just think they are because I know about them
(as in the sweets craving and hunger associated w/ Amitriptyline)

Hang in there Christine! I hope that the Topamax works for you! It did me a world of difference for a very long time! I just recently had to add in Amitriptyline to the mix, and it started to work well again.

I hope it works well for you!

quote:

Originally posted by Nancy Bonk:
Hi Christine,

Maybe the question could be, when will there be a reduction in Migraine fequency, rather than when will the side effects kick in ?

When starting a new medication, I put the potential (meaning it may not happen to everyone) side effects list on the back burner until something crops up. Hopefully, I won't experience any of them. Do you know what I mean?

Have you seen the dosing information on Topamax? Dr. Stephen Silberstein, Director of the Jefferson Headache Center recommends starting topamax very slowly, in fact 25mg a week, to prevent potential side effect. To see this information click HERE


Let us know how you're doing, ok?

I too just started taking Topamax and so far, its not helping. How long did it take for others for it to start helping?

Each person is different in how fast they respond to meds. However, in general, it can take up to three months to give a preventive med a fair trial. Time-consuming and frustrating, I know.