Topamax

[ICit]

Has anyone ever taken this before? One of their side effects is losing your taste buds where you can't taste carbonated beverages, everything is FLAT and tastes like water. How long before this goes away? Does your normal taste ever come back

I have taken this for almost two years now and still cant drink carb. stuff but my migraines are SLIM TO NONE!! So I will give that up for no migraines!

I will say the first few weeks were a little rought but getting thru it was worth it! Tingling in the fingers and toes went away... and I felt a little light headed.... and that went away also.

My insurance sent me the generic and I had a major reaction to it... LOTS OF HAIR LOSS so I went back to brand and back to normal.

I do like it but I am also on a low dose!

good luck!

 

[ICit]

Just so I understand.... You only took one pill? I don't think that one pill has much of an effect at all. Topomax is a medication that needs to build up in your system for a couple weeks before you get any effects positive or negative.

If you don't do great on it ask to try Neurontin. It didn't work for me but out of all the prevantative medications they tried me on the Neurontin had the least amount of side effects. I was a little tired and slow getting up in the morning but it didn't put me on my ass like a couple of the others had.

all it starts with is one pill .. to make things taste funny

mine happened within a few hours after taking it :shrug: I just thought there was something wrong with my drink

I live on sweet tea now and g2

 

[Tina2001aniT]

all it starts with is one pill .. to make things taste funny

mine happened within a few hours after taking it :shrug: I just thought there was something wrong with my drink

I live on sweet tea now and g2

LOL the same thing happened to me, I went through like 3 diet cokes, before put it together that maybe it was the medicine,

I drink the same, tea and gatorade. I sure would kill for a soda though. In the beginning I would grab a coke slurpee every once in a while just for the coke flavor,

 

[ICit]

LOL the same thing happened to me, I went through like 3 diet cokes, before put it together that maybe it was the medicine,

I drink the same, tea and gatorade. I sure would kill for a soda though. In the beginning I would grab a coke slurpee every once in a while just for the coke flavor,

I would die to have a miller lite!!!!!

just one.. for old times!!!

 

[Tina2001aniT]

I would die to have a miller lite!!!!!

just one.. for old times!!!

Luckily (I guess) I have never liked beer, so that was not an issue, just diet coke, I lived on diet coke.

I am not happy on a daily preventative though, I want to doc to find the CAUSE of my headaches, I am actually off to a headache specialist today, so I have my fingers crossed that she will at least think she should look for it. The neurologist I am seeing just wants to push the meds, I had to practically beg for an MRI....urggg...

 

[ICit]

Luckily (I guess) I have never liked beer, so that was not an issue, just diet coke, I lived on diet coke.

I am not happy on a daily preventative though, I want to doc to find the CAUSE of my headaches, I am actually off to a headache specialist today, so I have my fingers crossed that she will at least think she should look for it. The neurologist I am seeing just wants to push the meds, I had to practically beg for an MRI....urggg...

I have had two mri's and a cat scan.. NOTHING!

only thing we can figure is that its hormonal and I do BC pill back to back... because if I skip them.... oh lord then I have a weeks worth of migraines. With Topamax they are not as bad now... even if they last a week (cuz god knows Im always messing something up)

I have weened myself back to once a day on topamax but at the start i was taking it in the AM and finding I was having migraines in the PM.. so I started taking Topamax BID... for almost 6 months... then started to cut back slow!

I have found that even if I skip a day or so Im fine ... but dont skip three days

I had been dealing with BAD migraines everyday for about 10 years... it sucked

 

[pixiegirl]

Luckily (I guess) I have never liked beer, so that was not an issue, just diet coke, I lived on diet coke.

I am not happy on a daily preventative though, I want to doc to find the CAUSE of my headaches, I am actually off to a headache specialist today, so I have my fingers crossed that she will at least think she should look for it. The neurologist I am seeing just wants to push the meds, I had to practically beg for an MRI....urggg...

I have had two mri's and a cat scan.. NOTHING!

only thing we can figure is that its hormonal and I do BC pill back to back... because if I skip them.... oh lord then I have a weeks worth of migraines. With Topamax they are not as bad now... even if they last a week (cuz god knows Im always messing something up)

I have weened myself back to once a day on topamax but at the start i was taking it in the AM and finding I was having migraines in the PM.. so I started taking Topamax BID... for almost 6 months... then started to cut back slow!

I have found that even if I skip a day or so Im fine ... but dont skip three days

I had been dealing with BAD migraines everyday for about 10 years... it sucked

May I suggest Dr. J. Khosla at The Neurology and Headache Treatment Center in Alexandria. In 20 minutes he diagnosed what no one else in 15 years had. Occipital Neuralgia. Had surgery 3 weeks ago Monday and other than the surgical pain all is great. I lived with a headache daily that would often flair into full blown migraines.

 

[kwillia]

May I suggest Dr. J. Khosla at The Neurology and Headache Treatment Center in Alexandria. In 20 minutes he diagnosed what no one else in 15 years had. Occipital Neuralgia. Had surgery 3 weeks ago Monday and other than the surgical pain all is great. I lived with a headache daily that would often flair into full blown migraines.

That is awesome, Pix! I know you've suffered for quite some time.

 

[dems4me]

LOL the same thing happened to me, I went through like 3 diet cokes, before put it together that maybe it was the medicine,

I drink the same, tea and gatorade. I sure would kill for a soda though. In the beginning I would grab a coke slurpee every once in a while just for the coke flavor,

Same here, I was half way thorugh an O'Doules and it was flat, opened up 4 more and THEY were ALL flat then in the morning opened TWO cokes... THEY were all flat... finally I googled side affect and saw I wasn't alone but couldnt see how long it lasted. I took the one pill monday - twice the dosage and have yet to have my carbonation taste buds back and coffee smells and tastes like cat pee but I try to ignore it. I hope its not permanent

I like budlights... I doubt they'll make a BudLight slurpee anytime soon at the 7-11. I'm soooo screwed

 

[pixiegirl]

That is awesome, Pix! I know you've suffered for quite some time.

 

[Lenny]

Has anyone ever taken this before? One of their side effects is losing your taste buds where you can't taste carbonated beverages, everything is FLAT and tastes like water. How long before this goes away? Does your normal taste ever come back

Your taste may never come back if you're still smoking.

 

[dems4me]

Your taste may never come back if you're still smoking.

Nope... havnt smoked (inhaled) a smoke since June 6, 2008.

 

[Lenny]

Nope... havnt smoked (inhaled) a smoke since June 6, 2008.

Great for you! Last time we discussed this you were having so much trouble quitting. Congratulations.

 

[dems4me]

Great for you! Last time we discussed this you were having so much trouble quitting. Congratulations.

Thanks it was hard. I'm afraid to pick it back up because my friends and coworkers that tolerated me throughout would kill me.

 

[chrissyb]

No taste

I take 200mg before bed, I can only drink water or tea, DR said I would probally never get my taste back. I also found I can't eat a lot of things with sugar they just taste bad. On the up side I have lost 55 pounds I still have 25 more to go .

The only side effect I have had that really bothers me is my hands and feet get tingly or numb like they are asleep and it takes a while for that feeling to go away. I have had some lost some hair but not to bad.

The med does everything it was suppose to do so and I am happy with the results so I put up with the side effects.

 

[ICit]

I take 200mg before bed, I can only drink water or tea, DR said I would probally never get my taste back. I also found I can't eat a lot of things with sugar they just taste bad. On the up side I have lost 55 pounds I still have 25 more to go .

The only side effect I have had that really bothers me is my hands and feet get tingly or numb like they are asleep and it takes a while for that feeling to go away. I have had some lost some hair but not to bad.

The med does everything it was suppose to do so and I am happy with the results so I put up with the side effects.

WOW.... So... did they increase you to this dose and found that this finally worked? or did they just stick you on this dose?

How long have you been taking this? (and the tingling has not gone away?... I talking to the point you dont have it anymore?)

wondering if someone on a higher dose would have side effects that may not go away. such as tingling hands and feet

 

[chrissyb]

No taste

I was given this as an alternative to another drug I was taking that was packing on the pounds as well as a few other bad side effects. I started at 50mg and worked my way up to 200 which was the equivalent of the other drug to see if it would work. The DR said he would adjust as needed. I have been on this since March and will probally be on it until it does not work anymore and they find something else to take its place.

Per the DR the side effects will lessen but not go away. The only side effect that went away was I got my memory back. For a while I could not remember anything it was pretty bad. It was like living in fog, that lasted about 2 months until my body got used to the dosage. The Dr joked that the drugs nick name was Dopeamax for a reason.

 

[ICit]

I was given this as an alternative to another drug I was taking that was packing on the pounds as well as a few other bad side effects. I started at 50mg and worked my way up to 200 which was the equivalent of the other drug to see if it would work. The DR said he would adjust as needed. I have been on this since March and will probally be on it until it does not work anymore and they find something else to take its place.

Per the DR the side effects will lessen but not go away. The only side effect that went away was I got my memory back. For a while I could not remember anything it was pretty bad. It was like living in fog, that lasted about 2 months until my body got used to the dosage. The Dr joked that the drugs nick name was Dopeamax for a reason.

.....OMG.... I forgot about that side effect!!! yeah... that one sucked... I would start to explain something to my boss... and would just give him a blank look... I would have to think HARD about what I was trying to say or was I was going to say... I thought I was going I still have moments like that from time to time... but I think thats just normal

Im lucky... Im on 50mg and holding! dang.. I hate to think about how I would be on 200mg

next month will be two years I have been on it and I really dont miss sodas... Just a beer her and there.... but have learned to drink Bacardi and Cranberry... :lush: