Is anyone currently taking this med for headaches? My doctor had me on 25 mg. twice daily and it wasn't helping so he has bumped me up to 50 mg. twice a day. I have been getting sick at my stomach, dizzy, and my eyes feel like they are twitching back and forth but my husband says they aren't moving.
I was wondering if anyone has had side effects with this med and if maybe these are just temporary until my body gets used to the new dosage?
I was on Topamax. The nausea and dizziness are listed side effects. I'm not sure about the eye movement. I would give your doctor a quick call - maybe they can prescribe an anti-nausea mediation for a couple of weeks to see if the side effect wears off? No reason to suffer if you don't have to. I did notice that the side effects calmed down a couple of weeks after a dose change.
Topamax didn't make me too nauseated, but it did make me feel like a zombie - very tired and foggy. It also altered my sense of taste. If soda tastes flat to you, you are not loosing it - that is the Topamax. I ended up stopping it because I developed the rare side effect of eye inflammation that can lead to secondary angle closure glaucoma. Everything cleared up just fine when I stopped the medicine because it was caught early enough, but if you feel like your vision is changing tell your doctor and they'll have your eyes checked. I don't want to freak you out - it is a rare side effect, but no one told me about it before I started taking the drug so I didn't know what was going on when my vision started to change.
As far as headache prevention goes, I didn't find it that useful, but I think that it was because I have bad CSF blockage and am having surgery in 6 days so I'm going to have headaches until that gets fixed. I do have multiple friends with migraines who have been able to handle Topamax and say that it does wonders with preventing their headaches.
I hope my rambling helps, and I hope your side effects improve soon!
I and many people have side effects to Topamax. Not everyone can take it. Some Members love it. It made me very sick. Definitely call your Dr. It's not worth being sick to try and feel better. There are other medications that work just as well. I never got used to it & we worked mine up to 200 mg a day. Other's may have better experiences. I hope you feel better.
Please let us know how you are doing,
Tracy Z
I just started this medication last night. My doctor said it takes the body a few weeks to adjust. I am taking one pill for the first 6 weeks, then bumping it up to two pills after that. My doctor said if I am having any side effects to be sure and call.
It wouldn't hurt for you to give your doctors office a call with your concerns.
I was on topamax for a short time, and HATED it!!! It did nothing to help with my headaches, and made me nauseous, dizzy, and moody as hell! It really made me feel like a crazy person! On the other hand, I have a friend who has migraines (not from Chiari) and takes it, and swears by it! The bottom line is that not every medication is right for every person, they affect people differently. If Topamax makes you feel sick and doesn't help, then maybe its just not for you...Talk to your doctor, there are many other meds you can try.
Good luck!
I was put on Topamax and Propanolol within days of each other and I absolutely DESPISE them! I hated the Topamax worse because I LITERALLY slept about 18-20 hours a day for weeks. I barely remember January. The side effects didn’t lessen after 4 weeks, and actually got worse- I was always nauseous, never fully awake, and my mind became more and more hazy and foggy. I now know from experience why it’s nickname is Dopamax. I know it helps some people, but definitely not me! I hope it gets better for you!
Thanks for all the input everyone. I realized what was going on with my eyes...I am having muscle spasms in the muscles all around my eyes and it is such a weird feeling. I will call the doctor next week and let him know.
I take 50 mg/day and haven't noticed side effects from it. I'm sure it is just one of those things where some people won't get along with it and others are fine. It does seem to help me not get as many terrible headaches. I still have really bad (almost daily) tightness/pain at the base of my head, but when I'm on the Topamax, it doesn't usually turn into a full-blown headache behind my eyes where it hurts to open them. I ran out of Topamax for a little while and had a couple bad headaches in that time- so it does work, for me at least!