Topamax??? Depression?
I’ve just started using Topamax for my migraines after using Depakote for two years.
Has anyone had any experience with it? What were your side effects? Did you like it? My neurologist said a lot of people lose weight because sugar “just doesn’t taste the same”. Well, I’ve been on it two weeks, and let me tell you……..sugar tastes the same as it did two weeks ago…..too good!!
I’m still waiting to lose weight! Ha!
Seriously, though, I’ve read that it can cause depression. I’m worried about that because I had problems with another medication I took and depression.
Have a lot of you or any of you experienced depression with Topamax???
I have used Topamax. The only side-effects that I remember is definitely what you mentioned about the sugar. Now I can’t actually say that sugar tasted different, but the thing I noticed the most was the taste of soda. Not that I drank that much to begin with, but it was disgusting after I had been on it for a while. I swear it was like I was tasting tin foil or aluminum instead. I have also heard that it can help with weight gain, but it didn’t work for my migraines so I wasn’t on it very long. I also did not notice any difference as far as the depression while being on it. I hope this helps somewhat! I would say that it might not be long before you start to notice the taste of sugar or certain foods with sugar in it.
I’m currently taking 200 mgs Topamax daily. I initially experienced horrible side effects, especially with each increase of dosage with the medication until I reached 200 mgs daily. I am still experiencing memory loss, visual problems and I have a hard time remembering words while in the middle of a sentence but most of the brain fog, balance problems and other side effects seem to have worn off. I have not noticed anything about sugar and I have not lost any weight. I don’t know about the depression because I am depressed anyhow–a lot of us who suffer with migraines are. I have seen a positive effect on the number and severity of my migraines since going on Topamax. I am taking a relatively high dosage but I have been on all the other preventatives and Topamax was my last hope….so I was/am almost desperate for it to help me. Weather related migraines seem to be totally unaffected by Topamax but I honestly think it’s helping otherwise.
I hope you will see some positive changes soon but if you don’t please don’t become discouraged since it may take several weeks before it actually begins to work. I wish you tons of good luck!
Hi, I’m new to this group and I think this is my first post. I take Topomax and like it okay. I suffer from daily headaches as well as migraines a few times a month and the Topomax has made my daily headaches worse, but decreased my migraines; oh well. About the depression, it has helped with my depression as well. So that’s good too. Yippeee!!
I have lost a lot of weight because of the Topomax, so that’s good. One weird side effect: I have tingling sensation in my hands and feet. I’ve been on it for a while now so I don’t really notice it so much, but it really bothered me at first.
I’ve been on topomax for almost a month now. That’s not much experience, but I’ll share my stories. I’m not sure about the sugar thing, but since I’ve been taking it, pop tastes flat. I’ve been saying I can’t taste carbonation anymore. My doctor told me one of the side effects is loss of appectite, and that’s why some people lose weight. Now, I’ve definitely had the loss of apetite. The first week on topomax, I didn’t want to eat anything. My apetite’s come back, but I can’t eat as much as I used to.
As for depression, I thinkI’ve had the opposite reaction. I’m normally a very shy person, and since being on topomax, I’ve been a little more outgoing. I’m not sure how do describe it. It’s definitely been altering my moods, let’s put it that way
I had been on neurontin for over a year and it just lost effectiveness. I went on Topomax 26 days ago (up to 75 mg as of last night) and it’s been great! That huge storm we had over Xmas (I live in NYC) had no effect on me at all – I’d been getting bad “barometer migraines”, as well as menstrual migraines. My neurologist and I realized, after having tried almost every preventative med there is, that nothing was going to stop my mentrual migraines, but that we could control the “regular” migraines. So as a last ditch effort, we tried Topomax. As for side effects, so far…soda definately tastes different now, flat and just gross, so I don’t drink it anymore. I can’t eat half as much as I used to and have been losing weight (which is only justice since I gained around 15 pounds with the neurontin and the Pamelor). I am rarely hungry and get stuffed easily. My Dr. said to be aware of depression but if anything I’ve felt better! Maybe because I haven’t been getting migraines or maybe it’s the Pamelor. This was the first migraine-free Christmas I’ve had in years! I think I feel a little tingling in my fingertips but it doesn’t bother me.
I still have to take painkillers when I get my period because that migraine pain is unbearable. But the 24 days in between, pain-free, that I’ve had so far have been great. I hope that it lasts! Good luck to everyone and here’s to a healthy and pain-free 2009!