my biggest fear...

[out]

Ok , there are some many side effects with the topa...that I have been afraid about...I funally got a script and am sitting here with it..

ok the typical..hair loss...i am a woman
cognitive effects..I have job that requires top notch thinking...all the time


and the biggie....vision problems and acute glaucoma


almost everone requires their sight for work, but mine is absolutley dependent on it..i am a designer and a design professor and any fuck up in my vision would be the end of my career. I am weighing the risks between drinking and side effects and trying to figure out their balance....it is hard to find really accurate numbers as to vision issues both serious and temporary on topa...can anyone adivsie as to vision issues?...thanks

[satori]

my biggest fear...

out;229640 wrote: ..hair loss

Ahem - and wot is wrong with having no hair ...exactly .


Seriously tho'

I can't answer your question I am afraid - but my take on it is this - I looked at the meds etc that were available at the start of this journey - and decided to try to do it without any medication - like you - despite poisoning myself systematically over many years with alcohol, I didn't like the idea of medication / side effects etc etc.

Long story short - I managed to get to the stage of being fairly long term AF without any meds or supps.
Have you given it a try without anything - it IS possible!

Love

Satori
xxx

[Doxymom]

my biggest fear...

Hello out, I completely understand you rears. You see I can't take Topamax because of my vision problems. I have ocular histoplasmosis, something very simular to wet macular disease. I was a nurse till my vision got so bad that I couldn't do my job, ICU. That was about seven years ago, so I have been drinking to make me "somewhat" feel better. Because of the treatment, I am also prone to glaucoma.
Anyway, I have done a little research on Topa and simular drugs. Hair loss usually only occusrs at high doses. So, I wouldn't worry.
The topa stupids are not with all patient's taking it. I'd have to go back and read the study that was in JAMA in October, but I'm thinking 20 %. Someone correct me if I am wrong. And the topa stupids would be better than some of my hangovers.
Ok, there is another drug that works just like topa. it is called Zonegran, it is an anti-convulsant with almost identical structure ot topa. There are some studies on it too, but thery are for wt. loss. As, you know Topa is also used for wt. loss. However, Zonegran does not cause the OCULAR side effects that Topa does. So, it is safe for eyes as far as we know. It is a sulfa drug, so check on allergies, and you have to watch for interactions with other drugs and some foods.
I am on Chantix which has cut my drinking and smoking in less than half of my norm. This is great for me. I just hope I can tolerated the side effects of all the wild dreams. If not I am going to try Zonegran.
IF I WERE YOU, I would get my prescription felled and try it over the weekend. You never know, it might be all you need. And, the S/E's might not be so bad. We each are different, so give it a try. I know it makes you sleep really good. Kelly, my hairdresser is taking it for wt. loss, she sleeps great and has lost thirty pounds. Her hair looks great and she is sharp as ever. So, give it a try over the weekend. At least you will be able to see a litte about how it will be.
Good luck,
Doxymom

[Doxymom]

my biggest fear...

PS: Kelly is a talented hair dresser, she can remember any client's style and color numbers at any given time. She never writes anything down. She is just this way with numbers. She never uses a calculator, it's amazing. Yet, she chooses to do hair because it makes her happy.

[trixietrack]

my biggest fear...

I would suggest the same as Satori. If you have trouble staying sober on your own then try the topa, but first try going AF on your own.
I think there was a member here a while back who developed glaucoma and had to stop the topa.

Trix

[memarcie]

my biggest fear...

I wouldn't be worried about the hairloss. I was on meds for Hepatitis and I had hair loss with that and it was just thinning, nothing severe. I doubt topa would be bad at all. I was shedding more then my dog and cats, but no one except me noticed.

[MyOwnWoman]

my biggest fear...

I took topa for a couple months I think. Stayed at 50 mgs. Thanks to the topa I was able to get in 8 AF days rather easily. I stopped taking it for some reason. But since that period of AF days, I kind of broke the habit of drinking every day. I'm now down to 2, sometimes 3 days, drinking a week. I'm still working on cutting those down, but I"m doing quite well considering how much I drank before.

Point is - I used topa at a low dose for a short while to have a breakthrough of sorts, then let it go. Maybe do as suggested above, try quitting without it (maybe using the supps that are very helpful for many). If you can't, then maybe try topa on a temporary basis.

[MyOwnWoman]

my biggest fear...

Afterthought - I think that what topa did for me was help to break down the physical part of the addiction to a large degree. Mostly when I drink now it is out of emotional addiction, need to escape, etc. But without that 8 day break from alcohol that topa helped me to acheive, I might never have been able to make the distinction.

[beatle]

my biggest fear...

Heavy-duty supps can have the same effect as drugs. I've tried both and I think I do better with a heavy supplemental regime. Many others can attest to this. However, anything that works is good. Just try everything-- try both (supps and drugs) if you want to. As MOW says, maybe the drugs can give you a breakthrough. Whatever works is good for you.

[out]

my biggest fear...

thanks all...

I still haven't decided. I am usually able to go for periods AF and then wind up binging...so physical addiction is not an issue for me. I understand it is the binge behavior that topa helps with. I am looking to give up the all or nothing thinking and behavior and try to seek balance. I know I can't trust my self not to binge...it is compulsive. I think I will try the supps again...perahps I wasn't dosing properly before and go from there...thanks for you replies

[nancy]

my biggest fear...

I like My own woman's advice on this.

If I were you, with the profession you describe and the vision issues, I would not take topa.
For me the cognitive deficiencies are unacceptable.

Have you thought about trying naltrexone? I think the side effect profile is better. You can do a search for it to read about members' experience with it.

Or try supplements, will power and hypno.

[meditation mama]

my biggest fear...

Hi Out~

I completely understand your hesitatcy, I also had the same worries. I was also a binge drinker. I was able to control my drinking on most nights, but then I would bindge, and that I could not control. I started taking Topa as outlined in the MYO book and tirated up to 150mgs 75mg in the morning and 75mg in the evening. It was horrible, I felt toxic! I wasn't sure what the right amount was for me, so I just followed the book. i couldn't think during the day, words were jumbled and I was so tired I could hardly function. So, I quit taking it all together and gradually drank again. After a few months I decided to take it again. But this time I decided to watch my progress. I also talked to a few folks here and learned that many of them took it only in the evening, which made sense for me because I only drank at night. I started back with 25mgs for one week and then went to 50mgs the second week and have stayed there. I have NO side effects - it made mne a bit tired in the beginning, but it was in the evening, so I didn't mind. I take it about 4pm each day as I have found I need to take it an hour before I would normaly want to drink. I don't plan to stay on it forever, but it definately works for me. I don't think about stopping for wine - I have to remind myself that I want to stop (but I don't), it's more the landmarks that remind me. I went off for a while in October and drank - didn't see the connection until later. So, for me it has proven itself to work.

If your goal is to be AF, then I think it is a good option as most people here that do take it remain AF, if it is to moderate, then it is probably not the best...

I hope this helps. PM me if you have anymore questions..

Good Luck!

MM

[vino_grrl]

my biggest fear...

i had the same worries, out, and delayed starting topa because of them. but, after finding i wasn't having much luck keeping my drinking under control on my own & w/o pharmaceutical help, i decided to give it a try. and here's what i'm finding:

(a) i'm having a LOT of success on a very low dose of topa ... 50 mgs (where you'll be in the 2nd week) made a real difference and 75 mg seems to be making even more. without any cognitive side effects ... no 'dopa' @ all.

(b) so long as you go quickly to your doctor @ the slightest hint of eye pain, the eye risks are super low. that's not a common side effect.

(c) the hair issue tends to be @ higher dosages. admittedly, i'm having some hair issues @ lower dosages (weird texture; some loss ... my doc thinks its because i'm genetically prone. my mom had alopecia & i'm bound to end up with it as soon as i hit menopause anyhow). upping biotin & selenium intake to help with this. i've decided that the positive changes i've seen so far are sooooooooooooooo worth it.

(d) if you experience more negatives than positives, you can always taper down and then quit.

and, finally, WHATEVER you experience on it ... can it really be worse than going to work hungover all the time (which, if you're like the rest of us on this board, you do all the time), killing your liver & your braincells, etc, etc, and all the other things you do that put yourself and possibly your family or friends at risk for through your excessive alcohol use? what I finally realized was DOH! .... THOSE high risk, awful behaviors have gotten within my comfort zone I've been doing them for so long. I KNOW how to work around those. ;-) I was just worried about adding an unknown to the mix (um, let's see ... more worried about losing my hair or appearing stupid during a meeting than destroying my liver, drinking too much at a party and driving home over the legal limit for driving with my own daugther and my best friends' daughter in the car and potentially having an accident & killing them or even just getting pulled over & arrested & getting my name in the papers. zow. how dumb is THAT????) This 'unknown' (under a good doctor's supervision, of course) is soooooo worth the minimal risks.

Good luck!