How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

[1234mwqv]

Hi everyone - I started the program and followed the topamax dosing schedule to the letter. I lost 10 lbs and was cutting back on wine as I was climbing up the dosing schedule. But I have not been able to step down off the topa without binging. I think I have built up a tolerance to it so I have stayed at 300 and I'm afraid to reduce it. I have had a stressful summer, which has contributed to my desire to kick back with a bottle of chardonnay and the remote every night. I feel like all the money and time I have spent on this effort will be wasted if I dose down now and go back to full blown out of control drinking. Before, I could drink almost 2 bottles of wine. Should I stay at 300 or should I give up on topa and dose down now? I don't know if it is even safe to still be taking this still? Help!

[bowjoe]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

hi

i live in england and dont see m to be able to get topamax over hear ann advise.

[TheChuckster]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Dosing down

Hi....Had the same problem. Was at 300mg. for about 2 weeks then starting dosing down. Got to 25mg and then started drinking heavy went back up to 50 and the cravings got less but were still there so went to 100 and I feel very comfortable. My doctor says thats OK. Stay at 100 for as long as I want. I guess its trial and error for each person. Good luck to you!!!!
Chuckster

[YoungAtHeart]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

I'm not a doctor and therefore not qualified to give concrete medical advice, but I will say that people stay on this medication for seizures and migraines for LONG periods of time indeed, so I don't THINK there should be a problem with your staying on it safely. Are you taking the other supplements and doing other elements of the program? I do believe that your body can develop a tolerance to drinking while on topa. I have developed that tolerance, myself, at 200 mg, so when I screwed up in the past, I actually went down on the topa, since I was drinking anyway, and them titrated back up quickly again, to jump start the effects of the topa, again. But you really have to be committed to cutting back/stopping the drinking if you want this to work. The topa helps with the cravings, but not with the habit! I've had to learn this twice so far! There is a certain amount of "Just Saying No" to yourself that you must do, as well.

Hope this helps!
Kathy

[1234mwqv]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

RJ - Any thoughts?

RJ,
Since you have done so much research on this, do you have an opinion on my predicament? I have been at 300 since May.
Thanks.

[dilayne]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

I'm at 200mg and for about a month was totally satisfied with 2 glasses of wine once or twice a week, no more than 3 times which is the standard of moderation that I'm shooting for (so thanks for the reminder of keeping the habit in check) My doctor told me when we started that as long as it was working that there was no reason to go off of it..we're going to do blood work this month to make sure the liver is ok..so I guess he will be monitoring thing also to make sure that my body is tolerating everything, so I would keep close contact with your doctor, and I agree with the others, you have to also have to have a moderation or abstinence goal in mind and work the rest of the program. I know that if I don't do the hypnosis for a few weeks that I can feel myself getting off program a bit..and the hypnosis session will really pull me back...

good luck!

[nofoolin]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

200 too much I'm told!

Now my Doctor thinks that 200 mg od Topomax in 2 100mg doses is too high. She is changing my prescription to 50mg 3x a day. I hope it still works as well.

[Roberta Jewell]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Weighing in

I agree Topa dosing is highly individualistic. I reported ages ago on the earlier board that after titrating up to 300 mg, I reduced my dosage significantly, but the cravings returned and I slipped. I was also under a lot of stress at the time. It required me bumping back up to full throttle and I committed to becoming more diligent about hypno, exercise, and supps. For me, that made all the difference in the world.

Despite that, I've actually been thinking about switching to Vivitrol...I see there are recent questions about this medication on the board. I'm really curious as to its efficacy and also figured I could play guinea pig and report back. Of course, I would continue to incorporate all other elements of the program--you old timers know how passionately I feel about rejecting a "single pill" approach.

As I understand, your doc must be enrolled in and selected to participate as an injection site for naltrexone's once monthly shot. The drug's maker and marketer, Alkermes and Cephelon respectively, call it the "VIP3 program" (Vivitrol information for patients, physicians, providers). Dr. Garcia was invited to participate early on and agreed, but I'm not sure if she's going to continue because of a number of delays in deploying the program.) I'm waiting for more info, as we do have interest from local patients.

But back to the question at hand. Here are some thoughts:

* Length of time it's okay to take Topamax: as I understand the drug has been safely used long-term for over ten years in both the pediatric and adult population (some at higher doses) for epilepsy. As always, it's important to work with a health care provider and be mindful of potential side effects.

* Yes to finding the dose that works for you. I assumed mine would be 300 mg, but at the time I was closely following the clinical trial which adopted the Physican's Desk Reference titration schedule. The researchers who published in the Lancet agreed in their study that lower doses might be equally effective; they simply didn't know. But I was winging it on my own and not taking any chances! As many of you know, we have since recommended stopping at lower doses if you find your craving remains under control.

* From what I've learned, if you revert to drinking heavily while taking Topamax it may lose its full effectiveness. I've mentioned this before. You really must monitor your cravings and be committed to good nutrition (particularly where sugar is concerned), as well as exercise, supplementation and behavioral modification. We feel the hypno is very effective. Some start with our hypnotherapy program and later adopt other relaxation and positive visualization techniques.

* We always recommend the official titration schedule when starting out, regardless of where you stop. It's in my book, as well as the PDR (Physician's Desk Reference) and Lancet. Others here can attest to dealing with some extremely challenging side effects when they dosed up too quickly. Again, finding the "perfect dose" can take a little tweaking. It may depend on your weight, the way in which your body metabolizes medication, additional meds you're taking, or other factors.

* I've read anecdotal evidence to suggest that those who take Topa for weight loss--then stop completely and begin taking it again--don't experience similar success. I assume it's the same for alcohol dependence, but don't have any clinical evidence upon which to base this theory. I believe it may require dosing back up at a different schedule.

Finally, and I'll mention this elsewhere soon, I'm preparing to launch a blog site and if I do decide to try Vivitrol anytime soon, I may post information there regularly about the experience. I've published a number of posts already, but have not yet announced the site. I'll pobably use it as my main venue to share info, as this board has become wonderfully independent and I think it'll work a little better. It will also provide a venue for those who are interested in reading my stuff, as it'll be easy to find everything in one place. (It will also probably be a bit more commercialized than our other websites to help support it.) I'll still monitor this board carefully and respond to issues as they're raised.

Wow...that was a long answer to a simple question. But I hope you find it helpful. :-)

RJ

[Isabella2]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Hi Every One,
Reading all the messages is a God send for what I'm currently going through. Just screwed up royally!!!
I am only at 100mgs of Topo and I'm back to drinking like a fish. Its scaring me to death because I feel so inept as far as handling this whole drinking situation. I'm also probably not at the right Topo dose, but my doc is using me as her guinny pig. The one truely positive thing is that my visual migraines have gone-2 months and not a one.
This whole process really is a step by step work in progress and I'm thankful you guy are out there. I just need to learn how to operate this system better for the questions I have.
Didn't mean for this to run on like this bit I gues I need to re-read the book -do the tapes and may be up the topo???

[Isabella2]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Hi Im trying to send a reply and its not going through...can some one tell me what I'm doing wrong and how to send messages???

[gateway]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

this is very interesting. can someone tell me what happens if you do not gradually dose down on the topa and you just stop taking it?

[nofoolin]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Isabella, if you are still drinking heavilly on 100mg of Topa, you really have to dose up! Also, are you taking the supplements and doing the hypno? All three components work together. I read one study in the research section that showed that Topa worked best for craving reduction at levels of 200mg or higher. Also, please do not just stop taking Topa suddenly. I've heard people can get pretty sick, and that you need to reduce the dose very slowly over several weeks so your body gets used to the change. Good luck!!!

[Guest]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

New,Grateful Member

Hi Everyone, I'm new, I've never posted before but I'm very familiar with your program because I've been on it for almost 6 months. I stopped drinking on my own in the beginning of March and bought all the tapes, went to the Dr. got the Topamaz, vitamins,etc.,etc, and began. I have to say there has been a miracle in my life!!!!!!!!! I am 63 years old. I am married to the same man 44 years and still in love. I have two beautiful children -grown, and five beautiful grandchildren. We are semi-retired and live on the water in Punta Gorda, Florida. We are avid sailors and have lived on water for 40 years. Our daughter and 3 o four grandchildren live up in Tampa. We just came back from Oregon and visiting the Northwest seeing our son and his family. I am a professional Artist and a published author who teaches Art in my spare time. I never thought I could get a handle on my drinking problem until this program came along. I have tried everything and I mean everything from AA to Betty Ford type retreats,all kinds of incentives and programs anything and everything but this is the only thing that has worked for me plus a lot of prayer. I don't know how long it will work but I will continue to keep at it. I am still taking 300mg. of Topamax a day--- maybe when I start dosing down that may make a difference, I hope not! People are drinking around me and I have no desire what so ever. I seem to be questioning myself? Where did the compulsion go? I even cooked with it yesterday. 50 Garlic Chicken. And I used to take big swigs and then fill a glass and sit down and read a book by the pool and sun myself and think nothing of it. What happened? Maybe someone can tell me? Roberta? Do you have an answer? Is this Topamax a wonder drug????????????????? It seems to me -- it must be or God's intervention or someting is going on here that I'm missing. I know the tapes were wonderful too and I swim everyday and walk and exercise but, Tell me,Please?! Lee B

[LeeB]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Hi, Everyone, It's me again, I'm just sitting here reading over my note and I'm thing, gee if there is anyone out there who wants to talk to me just yell. I really am an alcoholic. I had my first drink I think when I was about 14. I'm Irish so it runs ramped thru my family. My husband and I were social drinkers for years. We loved our Manhattans-- and they were fine for years. We had our cocktai lparties etc. we became heavy drinkers. We lived on the water, We were sailors to boot so we partied a lot!!!!!!!! Years and years of partying. We partied with the Astronauts But as the years went by and we changed from hard liquor to wine and beer --- it still didn't change the alcoholism. Alcohol is alcohol in any form. So whether or not I will ever be able to drink or not I really don't know yet. I'm not even close to testing that yet. I don't really want to . I want to let my system to rest a bit. I really put it through hell these past years. My periods of being sick after I binged were longer than wwhen I drank. I couldn't eat or keep anything down for days because I binged too much. You see, I becam a person who wouldn't drink at all for a while then I would binge and drink a lot, a whole lot and go crazy with it. Lock myself in a room with music nand movies and drink and come out at night and eat sandwiches and go back in and drink and get telephonitis and call friends on the other coast. Oh, I was a case!!!!! Well, if anyone recognizes themselves? Have at it? No fun when you get sick????? Now, I feel better Lee B

[cv1]

How long can I stay on 300 of topa safely?

Hi Lee,

You sound amazing in your posts. Perhaps you want to check in on the Abstinence forum sometimes. It's a great group of people and you really get some conversations going, as well as the General Forum.
:welcome: