Topamax - To titrate, or not

[SassyGirl]

I am on 75mg of Topa currently, and my drinking has reduced dramatically. (Out of last 10 days, 9 were AF...my goal is mods. The one day i had 2 small glasses of wine.)

I am battling some side effects of topa. One is depression, which I am now being treated for (which I do believe is partly related to giving up al, but I have also seen significant, meaningful evidence on multiple migraine and seizure websites related to this side effect from topa, so I am convinced it is NOT Just withdrawal from al). The other is the mental foginess/concentration/lethargy.

I do not crave al. I am not using L-glut any more, or anything like that.

Do I need to continue titrating the topamax or do you think I can stay on this dose for awhile?

How have others done this? Have you just taken a wait & see approach - if you started craving al is that when you've upped the dose?

Also, how long are we supposed to stay on this stuff and how long til the side effects go away?

I noticed in the lancet article there is no mention on the safety/side effects of this drug. This is a bit scary w/o a doc's supervision, but I work with doc's every day and since this is an off-label usage of the drug, trust me - they would be feeling their way in the dark just like we are.

[SassyGirl]

Topamax - To titrate, or not

Oh, and I also wanted to mention that I am doing all the supps faithfully as well.

[DeeBee]

Topamax - To titrate, or not

Hi Sassy,

I upped my dosage real slow. I think everyone react slightly different to Topa and you should listen to what your body is telling you. If you are modding successfully then what about staying on 75mg's for another week for your body to adjust or (hopefully not) reject the Topa.

Take care of yourself!

[SassyGirl]

Topamax - To titrate, or not

Thanks DeeBee.

That's what I'm gonna do...take another week at this dose, and see what happens. After my blurry vision scare last night, I think I need take a nice deep breath and take this nice and slooooooow.

[WaitingToExhale]

Topamax - To titrate, or not

I'm also going to go VERY slow. At 50 now for 2 days and going to hold for some time. No AF yet, buthave cut WAY back much easier than I thought I could. And the depression seems to have lifted. Whew!

Keep us posted Sassy!

[Mags]

Topamax - To titrate, or not

Hi Sassy. I'm on a much higher dose and have been for over a year. But different people react differently to it. I think if you have found a dose that seems to work for you, then just stay there for as long as you want to. If your cravings are gone at 75, then why not just stay at 75.

I had some side effects at first, but they went away. I think if you just stick it out for another few weeks you will see them going away. And as for how long to stay on it, many epilectics stay on it for many years. My doctor checks me out every now and then and says I'm fine to stay on it as long as I want to.

Good luck. I think topa has done wonders for me.