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    #1

    Shall I take it or not... Please help

    Hi all

    my topamax arrived from river pharmacy today, I've spent the last week Reading about it and have read some awful stories about side effects Inc vision problems, hair loss, maybe I've read too much?

    I know I can't do this alone with will power and supps, so not sure what my options are other than this? My biggest fear is taking it and having an awful reaction to it and ending up having to go to the doc and tell them what I've done, or worse what if I did some permanent damage....... I know I'm probably going overboard and thinking too much, but have 4 children to think about. Having said that, alcohol is stealing my life anyway.

    Any opinion would be great, I'm getting myself in such a state about this

    Thank you xx
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    #2
    Shall I take it or not... Please help

    If you're that afraid, I'd go to a doctor for supervision while you do it. I can only tell you about my personal experience. I did a lot of research too, but AL was killing me, so I figured anything was better. I never hesitated to do that to myself knowing it would kill me, nor did I hesitate to smoke, do illegal drugs or anything else I've done in the past - so my thinking was - why get so upset about a pharmaceutical all of a sudden. I figured I could try it & then stop if it was having adverse effects.

    I had no problems. My only difficulty was muscle weakeness & fatigue, which doesn't seem like a big deal, but I had a bad fall when I went to 50 mg. with my dogs (I have fairly big dogs & I got pulled to the ground walking them - I couldn't hold on). That scared me. So, I ramped back to 25 mg & stayed there until I normalized and felt it wasn't a problem. Then I slowly ramped back up. I am at 75 mg & feel just fine at this level. I will stay here for as long as necessary. If I don't need to increase, I won't.

    I can tell you that I immediately didn't want to drink. I stopped when I began taking it. I've had 2 slips in just over 8 weeks. (we're talking 2 drinks each on 2 separate occasions and that's it). I initially went 38 days without a drink. I don't think I've ever gone that long without a drink since I started as a teenager. For me it's been a miracle drug. Vision problems occur in very few people and are serious. They say if you experience even a hint of those, they occur in the beginning & you should cease the drug immediately. Most people experience the more common issues - carbonated drinks tasting bad, lack of appetite, being tired, etc. Feel free to PM me if you want. I followed the dosage in the MWO book, but modified it due to the muscle weakness & will probably never take the higher dosage that they call for. That's individual. Others here take more & do fine.

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      #3
      Shall I take it or not... Please help

      Welcome back Funny Girl!!
      I love my family more than alcohol.:h
      Live in the Solution....not the problem

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        #4
        Shall I take it or not... Please help

        Thank you Mama Bear - hope all is well with you. Doing ok?

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          #5
          Shall I take it or not... Please help

          some depression and the topa dopa is kicking my ass...up to 125 mg and meeting with doc on thursday to see if i shoudlc ut back on dosage or up antidepressants or what...problem is i think i know more about it than she does!!
          I love my family more than alcohol.:h
          Live in the Solution....not the problem

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            #6
            Shall I take it or not... Please help

            Hmmmm . . . . seems to be the case with many doctors according to what I hear. any advice for Northgirl here? My feeling is that anything might be worth a try vs. continuing to drink heavily. But that's just my opinion. My continuous drinking certainly wasn't working for me. I know that many out here have tried a number of different things & lots of us have to find different ways to get started. Any hope is hope though, right? I know that I needed a jump start myself.

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              #7
              Shall I take it or not... Please help

              Northgirl - I almost didn't take Topa because I read all the side effects. Scared me to death. But, bottom line is......I agree with Funny Girl. I was doing all this other stuff to myself that was awful......the only difference was that I wasn't reading about all the side effects.
              That being said. I am so glad that I am taking it. I am not completely alcohol free but the horrible cravings are mostly gone. I am currently on 200 mg. Hardly any side effects. This has been a miracle drug for me.
              It has to be your decision. But for me, it was the best thing that I could have done for myself. If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me. :l
              "Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me.".....Carol Burnett
              ..........
              AF - 7-27-15

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                #8
                Shall I take it or not... Please help

                I highly recommend giving it a try.......and like you...just watch your dosage and stop when you feel comfortable...I don;t think I am going any higher...NoraC, Sunshine daisies and DeeBee are very happy with their topa...Sidney was on it for seven months and said it saved her life.....
                I love my family more than alcohol.:h
                Live in the Solution....not the problem

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                  #9
                  Shall I take it or not... Please help

                  nora!!!! cross post....see I thold you she liked it!!!
                  I love my family more than alcohol.:h
                  Live in the Solution....not the problem

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Shall I take it or not... Please help

                    Hey Northgirl (how far North, may I ask?)

                    I started out thinking of a pharmaceutical solution, and decided against it because of the fear of side effects, also. I'm moderating right now with the supplements, and doing okay. However, in the interest of scientific rigour, why don't you research the long term side effects of heavy drinking? Maybe you can weigh the options once you are fully informed? I know that if I fail to control my drinking on my own, it's a death sentence and I will use whatever I can to stop... FWIW! Good luck!
                    "Kinda brainy, but with no common sense..." by permission of Anotherday

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                      #11
                      Shall I take it or not... Please help

                      I am with Canadian girl. (maybe because I am a Canadian girl too) I took Topa for more than 6 months it really helped me to stop drinking. I am coming up to 8 months AF the longest I have ever gone. As for the side effects all drugs have side effects but they are nothing compared to the what booze does to us. Why not give it a try and if you have intolerable side effects you can stop?

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                        #12
                        Shall I take it or not... Please help

                        Hi - I am sunshinedaisies that mama spoke of - I have been on Topa since mid December and am doing very well on it - hardly any side effects at all - I take 300mg daily (2 x 150 mg), am AF and feel really good. For me personally, it has been a wonder drug - and as Sidney said, try it and see how you go - I do recommend though that you follow the titration schedule in the book. I still had cravings until about week 3 of taking it and was still drinking until then although not as much, then just sort of tailed of. Must admit, I was beginning to wonder if it was going to work - but it did! Good luck!!
                        How simple it is to see that we can only be happy now and there will never be a time when it is not now....

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