Newbies on Topamax

[mariecello]

Newbies on Topamax

Will do.

[bluespaces]

Newbies on Topamax

I lost my craving for any alchohol totally and I'm heading into week 3 on the topamax.
Was up to 100 mg. a day with hardly any side effects except for trouble saying some words.
Now get this: I lost the whole bag of topamax!!!
Searched everywhere & can't find it. Damn!!!
I can't afford to order more now, there was a LOT in there..50 mgs. & some 25mgs.
So now I have to stop taking it...just when I got used to it & it was starting to work.
S I G H. . .

[bluespaces]

Newbies on Topamax

Did anyone feel like they got depressed on topa?
It stopped my craving but I felt really more depressed than usual.
Maybe it was the topa or maybe withdrawals?

[PHOTOGIRL]

Newbies on Topamax

Hi Guys!

Hi ME - Yep - agenda's are good BUT as long as you don't let your life be ruled by them. Let them be a bit of a guide line with a bit of lee-way here and there. That way they can steer you but you won't beat yourself up if you have a bit of a "wobble" every now and then. It sounds like you've sort of worked out an agenda which is good - I know what it's like to have friends who like to drink - A LOT - and you feel a complete DAWK when you're there just sippling slowly, steady away .... but did your Mum ever say to you "If so and so jumped off a cliff - would you?!" .. you've just got to get out of the "keeping up" habit, that's all. I don't feel that the "high" has been taken out of drinking but Champagne doesn't taste QUITE the same - so maybe it has?! AL is a depressive and I think that was a huge cause in my long battle with the disease. I'm on 50mg at the moment which is working for me. Good Luck!:lx

Hi BLUE - Have you found it yet!?!?!?!?!??!? Re the depressions - maybe it is the withdrawal symptoms? How long have you been on the TOPA? I've only been on it for 1.5 weeks but have battled with depression for many, many years. Thankfully I'm now on an anti-d medication at a level that works for me and actually I'm feeling better since not drinking as much because obviously wine night after night wasn't helping with my depression at all. Give it time and then see if it's for you or not. :lx

Hi HOPE - :goodjob: Well done you! Hopefully the 100mg will continue to help with the cravings - let us all know! Keep at it! :lx

Hi Mariecello - if you don't want to consult your own doctor regarding the Topamax, can't you have a word with your daughter just as a chat to see what she thinks or can find out about it? Just to give you a bit of advice and then perhaps you could look at ordering it? I'm in the UK and I haven't gone to my GP (too embarrassed I'm afraid - so I'm a FINE one to talk aren't I?!?!?!? :H) but if I had someone to confide in who had medical knowledge I would do. I've ordered mine off the River pharmacy via Internet and must say am so pleased I did. Completely, and I mean COMPLETELY reduced all my cravings. I was getting seriously worried pre-TOPA when I would ever have an A/F day (the amount I would drink would vary depending on whether hubby was drinking or not). All I can say is that for me it does work - get some advice from your daughter. She sounds as if she wants to help you. Good Luck! :l x

Have a good day everybody ! x

[Doing My Best]

Newbies on Topamax

Hi Everybody,
I love reading what everyone is posting it is really helping me. I am up to 75mg. and still drinking 3 glasses of wine every day...why is this. Do you think when I go up to 100mg next Monday I will have a sudden urge not not drink? I am taking the supp and listening (sometimes) to the cds. I am starting to get discouraged as I really wanted this to be the thing that worked for me.
If anyone has had a real change at a higher dose I would like to hear from them.
You are all doing so well....keep it up.
Have a great evening.

[me1455]

Newbies on Topamax

BLUESPACES-yeah a ton of people feel topa makes them depressed. it really REALLy stinks. if it doesnt go away fro me, i could not stay on topa longterm. its such a disappointment, but i hear in some it goes away... so guys i was without meds for three days.. didnt seem to experience any type of withdrawel, i was on 50mg... im sure its because 50 is not a high dose.

[hope10]

Newbies on Topamax

The 100mg of the topa is making me exhausted!!!! I hope this goes away soon b/c it's tough to get through the day!

[christyacc]

Newbies on Topamax

Hi everyone!

This is so much easier to read than the other Paddy post. I was on Topa last year but for some reason stopped, not sure why. I wasn't consistant with it, forgot to take it, tirating up inconsistantly, etc. I didn't give it 100%. Though it did cut cravings and I did lose weight. The change of taste of pop was huge....and the change of taste for beer, but not so much that I didn't drink it . I never went overboard with it, which was awesome.

What is the general concensus here? Modding or AF? I only have 3 days AF happening right now...would like to do a bit more, and decide later. I was just curious.

I re-ordered the Topa, and hopefully it will get here soon. It seems to take forever to get to Canada.

[bluespaces]

Newbies on Topamax

topa, depression & withdrawal

i'm glad to hear about everyones experiences.:thanks:
thanks for sharing me1455..at least i know it just wasn't alone or it was just a fluke that i got so depressed.
but it really sucked!! i could hardly believe i felt so empty & sad:upset:
and hope10, it made me exhausted too, but maybe that'll go away?
the big thing was: at 100 mg. i was FREE of cravings!!! i could hardly believe it. (and i had been drinking to passout stage every night for over a year.)
now if the depression would've gone away,which they say it does some times..that'd be great!!!!
but as i posted..i had to go and [U]lose[U]most of my order! i can't find it anywhere. must've lsot it, i live between 2 places right now. feel like an idiot.:new:
i think i felt some minor side effects from the abrupt witdrawal: aching & shakiness & extreme fatigue. But it wasn't too bad.
I just hope I don't start craving again.
I'm taking the kuzdko & L-Glutamine & trying to do the cds.
i feel it's do or die for me this time.

[PHOTOGIRL]

Newbies on Topamax

Modding / AF

Well, Christy,

I must say, 'cos I'm impatient (had to run before I could walk) have been on TOPA for nearly 2 weeks now. 1st week (cos I didn't know the right dose and was doing it blind) went straight in at 50mg am & pm so 100mg a day for 2 days - thought great, no cravings! Then obviously got some advice from some great guys on this thread so dropped it down ... but then found wasn't working ... so upped it again. Not having any real side-effects. Take 50mg at 11am and then 50mg at between 5-6pm. Don't want a drink Mon-Thrs and then when I do, am quite happy after 3 - 4 glasses. So works for me. Hope it continues.

[WaitingToExhale]

Newbies on Topamax

Just thought I would share, even though I have been off Topa since mid December

OH AND - there are TWO of us with this screen name - I'm the one with no kids or husband. HA!
I found the craving reduction AMAZING. I was on it from Sept 1 to mid December and triturated up really slow. I thought I had found the answer. Went from about 2 bottles of wine a night (some days/nights more) to being comfortable with 1-2 glasses an evening. Even got in a few AF days along the way. I was also doing the CDs and the entire vitamin regimen.

I never had much 'tingles", and I don't think any depression. Sad about a relationship ending so put "sad" up to that. Not too fuzzy brained after the first week.

But watch the weight loss! I am 5'9" and weighed 130ish. Active in many sports and I have just been this weight for as long as I can remember. Blessed with genes I guess. I now weigh 110# and fighting to get it back.

The brain fog goes, I slept well, I was SO pleased in the reduced cravings and getting my life back - my friends and family thought I looked like I was dying. I felt like it with the tiredness, no appetite, and then my friggin hair started to get weird and thin out.

I have NO intentions of putting Topa down as a bad option - just be careful. I am fighting to get the weight back on. And yes, sadly drinking too much again.

There are GREAT success stories with Topa here. Just be sure you monitor it carefully.

Hoping we all find what works.

WaitToExhale (#2)

[Henrietta]

Newbies on Topamax

I found this site a couple of years ago, then rediscovered it again a last week. I'm really impressed with the caliber of discussion here.
Little about me. I'm a 49 year old woman. Successful career. Highly functioning, mid-level alcoholic. I've really come to hate my life. I sleep in the guest bedroom right now, because I simply cannot drink and be with my family, a husband and teenage daughter. The only small hope I have is that we still love each other and they have not given up on me.
So, I actually downloaded MWO this time and read it. I'm also gathering up everything I''ll need to give this a very serious shot. The one thing in my life more pervasive than my desire to drink is my determination to stop drinking. I'm also not the kind who can drink moderately. I just can't. Trying that broke a 5 year run of sobriety that I now see were the best years of my adult life. Been to a 12-step rehab program as an outpatient. But AA just is not for me. I've known for many years that this problem is biochemical and behavioral in origin. Last year I tried naltrexone. I doctor assured me that I could still drink while taking it. Bad mistake. It worked great for several weeks, and my drinking abated. For a while. Then the naltrexone just slowly stopped working.
So here I am. Topamax is ordered. Been buying the supplements, hypnosis CD. I already eat pretty well, but will be cranking up the exercise part as the weather continues to improve. I'm really looking forward to jumping into this with everything I've got. In the meantime I'm trying to read all I can about the Topamax side effects and the strategies to counteract them if they should come. The depression concerns me, though certainly won't put me off. I've been reading that ginko is effective. Does anyone have the experience with that?

[PHOTOGIRL]

Newbies on Topamax

Hi Hen!

:welcome: Back! Glad to hear you're back. I only found this about a month ago but have found it so helpful, friendly and supportive. For me, I think I found this site "just in time". Was a serious drinker in the past when in a bad place, am a real social drinker - can drink my husband under the table - am like "ever-ready batteries" - just keep going and going - and just keep partying and partying! Trouble is, I just don't know when to stop. Then my addictive personality kicks in and then my spiral starts and it's every day, every week, every month .... and there are no AF days. This involves secret drinking though which I hated and that is the time when I knew I had to stop. So, when googling Kudzo (which I have found does help for me) I found this web-site and it's been great to read other peoples' experiences (both good and bad). I'm on 50mg TOPA am and pm so 100mg a day. I don't have the depression (am on 100mg anti-depression medication daily anyway - long history with depression) but have noticed a bit of dopa-topa going on! Need to get a bit of Red Bull inside of me! St John's Wort is good for natural anti-depression also - don't know if you can get that in Maryland. The TOPA has now helped me get where I wanted to be - can be AF 4 days a week and moderate drinker 3 days which is what I would have wanted if somebody had given me a magic wand. Good Luck Hen and hang in there! :lx

[hope10]

Newbies on Topamax

No one has posted in a while. How is it going? I got to 12 days AF. It was a bit of a struggle. I am up to 125 mg of topa. I think I was supposed to go straight to 150.

I drank both last Friday and Saturday night, but on Sat. only one drink. I also drank last night. Friday night and last night were same ole same ole...exactly how I used to drink. I do not feel a reduction in the cravings at all yet.

Here is the other thing, I seriously think I may be gaining weight from topa??? I have been eating much healthier, working out the same and gaining weight.

[MDHW]

Newbies on Topamax

Topa

Hey Hope10,

I am on my first week of Topa. I started the MWO supplements prior to Topa. I am being very conscious to take potassium on top of MWO supplements. The only side-effect I have noticed so far is a little "fogginess".....my reflexes might be a tad slower (avid tennis player). I am not sure if the "fogginess" is from the Topa or the lack of alcohol. I have gone from 2 bottles of wine a night to a glass. No cravings. I have 6 kids so my stress has not changed. MWO Forum has been a wealth of info for me. Then I researched everything heavily prior to starting. Drugdigest.com is a good resource for drug interactions. You pretty much google anything though. Listen to the recommended online pharmacies on here; a lot of scams out there. River is good.

TCare! MDHW