do you have to take the medicine

[Guest]

I was just wondering if you truly had to take the medicine. Please advise.

[wellseasoned]

do you have to take the medicine

I gave it a good try in the beginning without the Topamax (took all the supps and listened to the CD's). I did real well for awhile and then fell flat on my face. BOOM!! Since I was 100% dead serious about quitting, I ordered the Topamax. I have been doing MUCH better on Topa. I am currently at 50 MG and hope to be able to max out at 100 - not 300. We'll see.
I understand the concern about taking the Topa - I would suggest testing the waters with the supps and CD's first to see how you do. Some folks have success that way with no Topa. I wish I had been one of them - but it just didn't work for me.
Best of luck in your journey back to YOU!!
Jenn

[lsg]

do you have to take the medicine

how much were you drinking?

[watersprite]

do you have to take the medicine

topamax sideffects and smart pills

I was wondering if how much you drink has any relationship to how much topamax you have to take. My father has to take topamax for migraines that used to send him to the hospital every weekend, but I must say at 200 mg. it is debilitating for his cognitive abilities. He has trouble finishing sentences, remembering things like the home phone number he's had for 40 years, and staying awake.

I hesitate to take a drug that seems to make the mind at least as foggy, forgetful, and incapacitated, as being inebriated or hungover. I hoped that if take 50- 100 mg you would control the cravings and be able to abstain from drinking for a month or so oro indefinitely.

I am wondering why one cannot take the smart pills Roberta Jewell mentions in My Way Out to counteract the Topa dopa effect. What I don't understand is why you can take such a strong, and in my view an invasive drug like Topamax, but the smart pills are looked at with caution--and you are only supposed to take them for a short time. And it seems that these are not prescription drugs, but something else. I wish Roberta Jewell website discussed the types of these pills more and where to find them. I don't see threads where people are actually talking about their experiences with these drugs, and I wonder if they are hard to find or controversial.

[mikeupnorth]

do you have to take the medicine

I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV. But I have been working closely with my doctor regarding Topamax, and she happens to be very familiar with the research and with this program.

It seems that there are many patients who get a strong response from a much lower dose than 300 mg..... some experience a response at doses as low as 50 mg, others find they have to titrate up to 100, 125 or 150 mg. Using the high-quality kudzu seems to help keep the cravings low while minimizing your dose of topa.

And for those who are interested in quitting alcohol completely, as opposed to moderating, there are other options (Campral, Naltrexone, etc.) that have fewer cognitive side effects.

Currently I'm at 125 mg of topamax, feeling fine, and hardly any noticeable side effects.

Mike

[watersprite]

do you have to take the medicine

Good news about low-dosage of Topamax

Wow that's great Mike. Thanks very much for responding. I am so glad to hear that it's possible to take it low doses, lower the cravings without side-effects. I am an (amateur) athlete, play competitive tennis, bike etc. and I am a journalist, so if I was always losing my balance, feeling dizzy, and not remembering what I was talking about, it might be pretty bad.

Then again, with all of the stuff I do, It's hard to believe I drink at all. Crazy.

I've just started on the kudzu, milk thistle, l-glutamine, vitamin B3, magnesium, Acetyl L-Carnitine (great for your brain)--plus tons of other vitamins two days ago, and so far so good, thankfully. If it doesn't keep working I'll try the Topomax.:thanks:

[mikeupnorth]

do you have to take the medicine

Yeah, when you think about it, the alcohol abuse is probably much harder on us than the prescription drugs! I can feel my liver thanking me already.

Anyway, there are several folks online who have been successful without prescription drugs as well.

[tyfly62]

do you have to take the medicine

my doctor has been giving me the run around on prescribing topa....i need to know if there are "other ways" of purchasing the drug????? I have the cds and i have noticed a change in my drinking habits but not enough to make a difference...if anyone could please send a website of reputable distributor i would be very grateful.

Ty

[lsg]

do you have to take the medicine

drinking whiskey...about 5-6 drinks a night

[mikeupnorth]

do you have to take the medicine

lsg:

I think it also will depend on your personal goals as to whether you take Topamax, Campral, Naltrexone, or do the program without prescription meds. There certainly are some people who are doing it without prescription meds. I think it may be a bit tougher, but it can be done. (Maybe with more attention to the supplements, and higher doses of kudzu? You'd have to ask them how they are tailoring the program...)

Topamax is the only one of the medications that seems to help with moderation; the others are all for quitting completely, and in fact are supposed to be started after at least a short period of abstinence. I believe there are other folks on the board who have experienced the moderation effect with topamax and spirits; however my experience has been that it helps me only as long as I stick with wine or beer (I can have a couple and stop) but if I'm drinking spirits all bets are off.

High quality kudzu taken in sufficient doses can help with either moderation or abstinence as well.

Hope that helps....

Mike