Newbies on Topamax

[Doing My Best]

Newbies on Topamax

Hi Everybody, I have not posted in a long time. I have been very busy wiht school etc. I am up to 200mg on the topa and it is where I need to be. I have a question about how long people stay on this. Does anyone know if you can stay on this for years without any real side effects?
Freedom, hang in there and tell the pharmacy you don't want the generic. They usually ask if it is ok to give it to you anyway.
Shanto, I am so sorry about your hair. What about trying one of the other drugs?
Hope, maybe 300 will be your perfect number...I got to 150 and was still drinking and was afraid to go higher because I really hate to take meds of any kind however, when I hit 200 everything changed.
Good luck to all of you...keep posting and let us all know how you are doing.
Doing My Best

[Freedom331]

Newbies on Topamax

Hi Everybody, Today will be my 4th day to take Topa; it IS the generic. I see my psychiatrist this coming Monday, Doing My Best, and will ask for a prescription that is not the generic. So far I don't have a craving for alcohol, but I am skeptical, as the last time I binged was last week and usually it is a few weeks before I crave it again after a binge. I notice I do feel fatigued all the time, but it's better than drinking for sure. Thanks for the advice; will post back soon. -- Freedom

[waiting to exhale]

Newbies on Topamax

Hey Guys,
Haven't posted since Feb. Sorry. It's good to see so many of you are still around. As for me and my topa progress, I am currently on 300mg daily (150 am and 150 pm.) My goal is to stop drinking alltogether, however if you recall I was drinking upwards of 12+ beers daily in addition to 2+ bottles of wine daily. Now I may drink 3 to 4 glasses of wine nightly. I no longer wake up and reach for a beer. I no longer drink all day long. I no longer crave alcohol every second that I don't have a beer in my hand. I know it still seems like a lot but for me it's a huge life changer. The side effects that I had was real bad headaches, memory problems, anger issues. They were pretty intense but did go away with time. I do however have tingling in the hands and feet from time to time.

When I first started, I thought topa was gonna be my mericle drug. I took it, continued to drink as usual, it decreased my desire to drink a little then appeared to stop working. Then I increased my dose by 25mg, continued to drink as usual, it appeared to stop working, then I increased my dose by 25 mg and so on and so on. Then it came to me that Topa was a tool, a great tool but I needed to know how to use it. Just as Murphy said I can drink through the topa just find. The topa only help if i didn't drink. I thought the topa was gonna "make me not drink" that was gonna be the magic! Not so. Don't look for the magic. That was so depressing. As I said now I drink wine at night. Drink right through the Topa. Eventually I'll stop that too. I haven't figured out what I need (inside) to do that yet. Love to you all and I will stay in touch

ps of all the ugly side effects that you can get with topa the one i wanted i didn't get. i gained 5 pounds

[misskris76]

Newbies on Topamax

I was on topa for almost a year and did the supps and the hypno for the few months as directed by MYO. Didn't work for me! I think the topa made me depressed, unable to manage my life, and sooooooo dopey. I didn't realize it as I was titrating up, so it just seemed 'normal'. But my experience, like everyone's, is unique (no we are NOT just all 'garden variey drunks' we are individuals!) I started MYO a few months after 'relapsing' the first day out of a 21 day rehab. I had A LOT of stress. AA made me feel like a hopeless piece of trash, I dunno. Maybe I wasn't ready. BUT, I do have to share, be careful! Topa is a STRONG drug! It took away my personality, made it so that I seemed COMPLETELY WASTED after a few drinks, did def help with the cravings when, but once I started to drink, out t he window. Also, made my hair AWFUL! I still have 'nice' hair, but it used to be lustrous and thick and shiny. Now that I have weaned myself off of it to do TSM and take naltrexone instead, my personality has come back!!! I can say 3 syllable words! I have energy, motivation, and, well, myself back! BUT I do have to point out that on the three rip for nal and was totally off topa, I had cravings like through the roof! I have always been a functional drunk, but could not function that well bc I was drinking in the day cravings off the cahrt, I drank at work. This makes me think that topa DOES indeed help w/ cravings, but not a cure for me.....

[misskris76]

Newbies on Topamax

I was on topa for almost a year and did the supps and the hypno for the few months as directed by MYO. Didn't work for me! I think the topa made me depressed, unable to manage my life, and sooooooo dopey. I didn't realize it as I was titrating up, so it just seemed 'normal'. But my experience, like everyone's, is unique (no we are NOT just all 'garden variey drunks' we are individuals!) I started MYO a few months after 'relapsing' the first day out of a 21 day rehab. I had A LOT of stress. AA made me feel like a hopeless piece of trash, I dunno. Maybe I wasn't ready. BUT, I do have to share, be careful! Topa is a STRONG drug! It took away my personality, made it so that I seemed COMPLETELY WASTED after a few drinks, did def help with the cravings when, but once I started to drink, out t he window. Also, made my hair AWFUL! I still have 'nice' hair, but it used to be lustrous and thick and shiny. Now that I have weaned myself off of it to do TSM and take naltrexone instead, my personality has come back!!! I can say 3 syllable words! I have energy, motivation, and, well, myself back! BUT I do have to point out that on the three days I was waiting for my scrip for nal and was totally off topa, I had cravings like through the roof! I have always been a functional drunk, but could not function that well bc I was drinking in the day cravings off the chart, I drank at work during lunchtime (i waitress and had NEVER done this in 10 years of drinking). This makes me think that topa DOES indeed help w/ cravings, but it was not a cure for me.....I also never wnet the AF 30 days tho, so.........

[mispadre]

Newbies on Topamax

me1455;552026 wrote: Hey guys, "Hope" you sound like how I used to be with alcohol just over a year ago before i moved in with an alcoholic bf that introduced me to bringing the alcohol home everynight.. then it became an everynight thing that eventually turned into a scary controlling my life thing. i dont usually drink during the day but lately its becoming more common on days i dont have work. a mess. this past weekend was just horrible with my bf and i fighting drunk at two am bc i become a drunk bitch if you provoke me, waking up my family and embarassing myself. my father came up and almost hit me, him drunk as well . hes an alcoholic also, but keep it way more under control than me when he drinks. i was very upset the next few days, and so embarassed with my dad. he tells me "you cannot drink colleen you dont handle alcohol well!!" so guess what i did? drank all day the next day. my life lately has become a big mess bc of alcohol and the bf and i need out of both really bad... anyway, besides ranting...

im on topa.. 25mg... next week i increase to 50. when i tried 50 of topa recently i became depressed.. so im really scared i wont be able to handle it.. i will give it a good chance though. my side effects were only depression, foggy mind, tiredness, slept longer but seemed to wake up alot and have crazy dreams. the depression is the one i could not deal with... that is one of the main reasons i want to get out of this alcohol problem! but im in this with you guys, so i will continue to update on my topa as i increase...

You sound EXACTLY like me! My best friend and I enable each other to no end. I know I need help and I am trying different things to try to get my life back on track. However, she refuses to see that she even has a problem. The scary thing is her mother was an alcoholic and actually died of an overdose.

I've asked my bf to get help with me but she refuses. She sees my problem as being worse than hers (and she might be right) but it makes it sooooo much harder to fight this battle when it's only you against what seems to be an unbeatable army and you bf is enlisted in that army.

I can't be too mad at her though because as I said we enable each other. I'm at fault as well. What I can do is what I am doing now, which is taking care of myself. I'm taking Topa and when I get health insurance I'm going back to my psychologist. I am also surrounding myself with people in better situations than me like my other bf who is married with three beautiful children. They're my army.

P.S. I have experienced the following side effects from Topiramate at 50mg: depression, fatigue, tingling hands and feet, nausea, and dizziness. I plan to stick with it hoping that these side effects will go away (especially the depression).

[mispadre]

Newbies on Topamax

hope10;606763 wrote: I have not posted in a month and I guess it's because of stress from various things in life including work and family but also because the topa just does not seem to be working. I am at 250 mg and have not noticed any reduction in my cravings.

I have continued to drink, no more and no less. I have been on the 250 for about two weeks and I'm so afraid to up the dose b/c if I get to 300 and that does not work I will be devastated! Why have my cravings not stopped?

I will admit that I have discontinued the hypno cds b/c of lack of time. But...the study conducted at VA tech or whatever school did not include hypnotherapy and the topa worked.

It's just really frustrating!

Hope,

Maybe 300mg is what you will need. However, don't give up if this medication doesn't work for you. There are others available: Naltrexone, Campral, Baclofen, etc. And there are more coming out.

Remember that the studies done at VA did not work for everyone in that study either. That's the case with most medications for brain disorders. It might be a good idea to get back on the hypno cds if those helped before. Or you may want to try a live hypnotherapist who specializes in addictions. I did that and if anything I found it relaxing and comforting. I don't know how it affected my drinking since I could only afford to go three times (it's a bit costly).

Whatever you do, do NOT give up! You've obviously come this far which is a heck of a lot farther than most people. Just keep your eyes and ears open for new ideas and suggestions and don't beat yourself up.

[dorilynn]

Newbies on Topamax

**I need to sell my Topamax**

Anyone interested? I bought 100 50 mg. tabs about 3 weeks ago and just can't take the stuff. I only used on packet of 10 tablets and have 9 unopened packets left. I will sell them for a little less than I paid for them (paid 150 - I'll sell for 125) and I can ship them right away. I have a Paypal account to make it easy. Email me at Dori36756@aol.com if you are interested!
:thanks:

[karens]

Newbies on Topamax

Hello,
I just got my first dose of Topamax in the mail yesterday. TOday was diagnosed with hypothyroidsm...so I'll be starting meds for that. I also take Prozac and Wellbutrin for depression. Does anyone know if Topamax interferes with any of these drugs?

[NewHopeTango]

Newbies on Topamax

Freedom331;611845 wrote: Hi Everybody, Today will be my 4th day to take Topa; it IS the generic. I see my psychiatrist this coming Monday, Doing My Best, and will ask for a prescription that is not the generic. So far I don't have a craving for alcohol, but I am skeptical, as the last time I binged was last week and usually it is a few weeks before I crave it again after a binge. I notice I do feel fatigued all the time, but it's better than drinking for sure. Thanks for the advice; will post back soon. -- Freedom

Prescription vs nonprescription shouldn't matter... its a chemical, not a piece of art. There aren't nuanced qualities that make one better than the other, just patents that eventually run out and allow cheaper alternatives to come onto the market. Really, all you pay for with non-generic is the past research that went into a drug.

Also, welcome. I'm new here too. As to your earlier question "does anyone care?". I do. If nothing else, its nice to have some company on this quest. :welcome:

[NewHopeTango]

Newbies on Topamax

Might as well give an update since I joined the thread May 1. I'm on 50 mg now. Side effects are noticible now, but bearable. The first time I skipped the drug I drank like I had never been on the the drug, so no change in non-drugged habits yet. Drinking a little less than half the 1/2 litre of bourbon I used to nightly, sometimes less. Will likely increase doseage once I get used to 50 mg. I'm starting to doubt my plan of being a moderator, and starting to think I may have to abstain all together to be healthy.

My weight loss stopped at 10 lbs, though I am eating more, probably my body's reaction to getting less calories from alchohol.

I'm noticing I can't run as far as I used to. I think the "runner's high" that made me forget I was out of shape and overweight is dulled by the topomax and I notice now that I'm just in pain LOL.

[matthew]

Newbies on Topamax

guys , been on the supplements and 25 - 50 topa, sooooo sore, my muscles and feet, also no reduction in cravings and actually drinking more, mood swings incredible, fighting with everyone and i do mean everyone, i was on this three years ago and i remember this and thats why i went off, been two weeks and wondeirng if i should continue, cant see past this yet, any advice, still waiting for the all one, and waiting to see a psychiatrist to hold meds, taking celexa, low dose, 20 mg, 100 seroquel as wel at night, topa gets me soo tired have to take at night or break it up small doses through the day. i am running out and wil have to order throught the internet so wondering if it is worth it. do u think it is?

[NewHopeTango]

Newbies on Topamax

matthew;625667 wrote: guys , been on the supplements and 25 - 50 topa, sooooo sore, my muscles and feet, also no reduction in cravings and actually drinking more, mood swings incredible, fighting with everyone and i do mean everyone, i was on this three years ago and i remember this and thats why i went off, been two weeks and wondeirng if i should continue, cant see past this yet, any advice, still waiting for the all one, and waiting to see a psychiatrist to hold meds, taking celexa, low dose, 20 mg, 100 seroquel as wel at night, topa gets me soo tired have to take at night or break it up small doses through the day. i am running out and wil have to order throught the internet so wondering if it is worth it. do u think it is?

not having the same problems, but if I were, I'd switch drugs. I know they recommend potassium suplements if you're on Topomax, soreness could be from muscle cramps, which can be caused by potassium deficiency. I've just been eating lots of bananas, dried mangos, and anything else with potassium in it.

[NewHopeTango]

Newbies on Topamax

well, I've been off topo for over a week now due to business travel. I have to be "on" socially when I drink so I don't take it when traveling (drinking on topo makes me semi-retarded). Since I'm only taking 50mg, its easy to titrate down. Drinks are harder to come by anyway on the road, which seems to help me and I drink socially (which is more or less expected of me) like a normal person. I'm finding myself drinking heavily again now that I'm home and will begin the titrating up process back to 50mg daily again tomorrow.

Doctors appointment is this week to recheck my blood pressure. I'm worried that even though I've cut back some and even lost weight, its going to be pretty damning. Feeling like a bit of failure at this point, but haven't given up.

I'd call my first 6 weeks between me an alcohol a draw, drinking less but still binging. But, its not over until I'm dead, and I'm still breathing.

[Forgiving]

Newbies on Topamax

Topa is a MIRACLE DRUG

I haven't posted in a long time. Instead of coming here for support, I've isolated... big surprise-huh? Well, I bought Topa 6 months ago but didn't want to take it because I was so afraid of screwing with an unknown drug...guess it was OK to keep poisoning myself everyday with alcohol and waking up with a hangover 4 to 5 days a week (loathing myself)but God forbid I should take a drug that I bought online without a prescription! Recently, my daughter's wedding was approaching and I thought that there was no better time to get my act together so, I started taking the Topa. By the day of the wedding, I was up to 75 MG a day and feeling so much more in control ALREADY! I am now at 100 mg a day and enjoy 2 drinks in the evening and desire NO MORE...it is incredible!!! I have had a few days where I am more tired, a few days where I feel a little bit depressed, but all in all, I FEEL AMAZING...like the drug has truly made an adjustment in the pleasure center of my brain. ALSO>>>as a huge plus...my appetite is much less!!! I eat well...just much less than before. I never did have the tingling in the hands and feet others have talked about...but the tiredness I have experienced. IT IS WORTH IT!!! I just re-ordered from River Pharmacy to make sure I don't run low. I am doing it right and by the book. I DO NOT crave alcohol any longer...I just enjoy a couple of cocktails at the end of the day...isn't that what we all want?

Blessings to all of you!