Weight loss and Topamax

[Pumpkin00]

My doctor has prescribed Topamax for weight loss... I was also on Zoloft ( 100mg) for aniexty.. however after being on Topamax for over a month now I must say that I feel wonderful!!!! I have lost a total of 16lbs.... which is great b/c I'm 5'7 and 195 lbs.. I'm weaning myself off the  Zoloft....the only side effect that I am experiencing with the topamax is I feel a little goofy at times and my spelling and overall loss of words at times can be bothersome....Can anyone tell me if the weight loss  and loss of appetite will decrease.... I am on 100mg a day... does anyone think I should increase my dosage? ( of course w/ my drs. permission)... this has truly been a great drug for my mood swings as well..... I'd appreciate anyones comments

[painmax]

i took topamax for four years and lost 60 lbs i to stopped the meds on my own and had to go back to the doctor and start back on the meds.  i am having the same affect as you.  i am already up to 125mg a day and at night i just take it and go to bed but in the morning i feel like my back is breaking into then when i take it. of the mornings now i cant stay awake i work from 9 to 5 and i am sitting at a table with my head down sometimes sleeping and sometimes just lifeless.  i just cant keep going the minute i get home, i fall asleep. i have 5 kids to take care of .  it just feels so much harder.  my headaches are much worse even with the meds lately.  ive started throwing up with the headaches now and i have bad uinary tract infections now that they think is being caused by kinney stones.  i hope you have better luck than i am having.  take care painmax

[FLgirl1]

I took Topamax for 2 years with great success in maintaining a great weight!  It's fantastic.  My Dr prescribed it to work w/my AD's and it really helped there...plus it did help my headaches.  

Two years into it I started having vision problems.  One of my eyes started wandering...it was my weaker one but it was really weird.  It made me dizzy and I had to double blink to keep it from doing that!  This went on for a month...it was very annoying and a bit scary.  I even went to an eye Dr who was going to have new lenses made for my problem.   I decided to have my Dr wean me off Topamax after I read that it can cause vision problems.   Three days later it never happened again with my eyes.   It was the Topamax.

I was sad because other than that the Topamax was great.   Now I'm having a hard time keeping my weight down and other drugs just make me jittery or break out with acne.  

Oh yes, headaches are back too.   But the good news is I remember people's names much better and I don't feel as stupid which I've been reading is another lovely side effect.  

If anyone has anything that works like Topamax...please post it.

Thanks.

[wonderwomen40]

I took topamax for almost a year. I lost over 20 pounds and experienced decreased migraines. That is the only pros of taking this drug. I also experienced tingle appendages, lack of coordination, balance issues, and all around blonde syndrome(as my friends came to call it). I was a full time college student at the time successfully working towards my post-grad degree. I started taking this medicine and my grades simultaneous dropped. I couldn't think clearly, remember tests days, to sit down and write an essay was near impossible! I ignored it, i didn't want to admit it due to the weight loss. Enough was enough and i finally gradually!!!!! took myself off the drug. I switched to depakot and my migraines are completely controlled, absolutely no side effects!
In the end, my vanity and this drug held me back at a very crucial time in my life. The horrible side effects greatly outweigh the weightloss!!!  

[naturallyblessed]

Do not use for weight loss it will screw up your metablism when you stop taking it. You will gain all your weight and more in a month and will not be able to loose it. You will have to take it again to loose the weight. I have been on this cycle for 5 years. The drug company should have warned me about this. I went from 132 on it my normal weight 145 now 154 off it.

[detra76]

wow..im sorry to hear about ur weight gain after u stopped taking the topamax. I had the same issue. but I thought it was just me. I gained all my weight plus some. I originally stopped taking it because I was afraid i was going to keep loosing weight and I couldnt tell if my weight loss was from my exercising or the topamax. also I stopped going to the dr who prescribed them to me. After reading your post Im a lil sorry Im taking them again. so far Ive lost 20lbs. its been a lil over a month. Im constantly having an upset stomach lately and am anxiously awaiting my next dr appt to find out if this is normal.. did u experience this feeling?

[justryin]

I was on topamax about a year ago. I too experienced the tingling in my hands and feet. I was on topomax b/c of migranes. Initially my main concern was for the migranes to cease. And they did increasingly. Being that the pain of the migraine was my main focus, I didn't notice the weight loss until after a couple of months. It gradually came off. And the cravings for the late night snacks stopped. However, with every drug comes side effects. Which were minor when you're comparing it to a 2-3 day throbbing migraine that literally leaves my head tender for days from the jolting pain. I experienced the loss of words in conversation, trail of thought and concentration loss, the tingling and I think the worse was probably the added bill a month. But overall I rate it excellent. Everyone's body is different, but i had a wonderful experience while taking this drug. I'm going to the doctor in 2 days and get back on it. Also I weened myself off b/c of the added bill. I didn't have an immediate weight gain. Oh and another really bothersome side effect was the nausea it caused in the morning. I would wake up an hour early to take my a.m. dosage in order to allow the nausea to pass before I go to work. Not only did this drug help my migraines it eased the every day headaches