New here and starting Topa and with a question

[houtx]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Today is the 3rd day of me on 100 mgs. I have titrated up a little quicker than the book (or my Dr) recommends...After being on 25 mgs for 5 days, I stayed at 50 for a week, then 75 5 days before starting taking 100 mgs on Friday. I will stay here for awhile I think...10 days or so. I go see him again on Wed.

Today I did feel that odd tingling sensation in my fingers, but if I hadn't read about it, I wouldn't think twice about it. It went away in a few minutes. This afternoon I felt a bit tired, but I'd cleaned house, run errands, been on my feet all afternoon & it's 98 here in Houston...I think anyone would be tired! LOL It's nothing like what I felt on BAC that's for sure! GAWD I hated that stuff!! Plus I woke up w/ a 2 lb weight loss and that was nice!

Sunny, you kill me sometimes - I LOVE this website support. I spent lots of time on the sinclair site (still visit there) and find great help with this online support group stuff in a big way. I do not shy away at all. Don't know where you got that. And don't beat yourself up too much for drinking again. You went off Topa and here you are. You know it works, are proof it does, and are on your way! We are rooting for you and hoping we will all be there one of these days. Hang in there girl -

Love all these posts!

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi Hoping - no, I don't really have any SE's. I get the odd tingle, but they are very few and far between, the weight loss settled down the first time I was on it, the Topa Dopa is sort of back - I do forget the odd word and sometimes can't sort out what I am thinking in my head which can be a tad disconcerting at times, but it is all livable with. Far better than the alternative to me anyway! I have decided that i was drinking over the Topa last weekend and really don't have any cravings to talk of this weekend - but will have a decaf coffee with brandy before bed to help me sleep - and it isn't an excuse - I know from experience what it is like to try to sleep when one first quits AL - NO SLEEP. I have to do the closing shift tomorrow at work, but have to also go in first thing for a meeting for an hour then come home. Plus I hate tossing and turning. So I will have one brandy, a melatonin and hopefully will sleep. It is good that you are losing the desire at a lower dose - some people do!

hugs, Sun xx

[NoraC]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi - took my 200 mg and didn't drink today. It is kicking in. Yahoo! The trick is that I have to be sure to take my afternoon dose. I start the conversation in my head.......I want a drink - if I take this then I won't drink. Blah, blah, blah. But now that I've got it started and it's kicking in then it'll be easier. Right now I will use Lorazepam to help me sleep. But I won't need it for long. But, it will get me thru the first couple of rough nights. I have been having to use it for some of my panic attacks and it makes me sleep. So, I know that it will work tonight. :H
I have jury duty tomorrow so I won't be around during the day. But, I've got my pills in my purse so I will have my afternoon dose with me.
Glad to have you all with me on this journey!!!

[2Run]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Airam - thank YOU for starting this thread!!! i really think from reading back that you're on you way and seem to be doing so well! and as sunny said, your written english is amazing!

houtx - i'm so happy to hear how well you are doing! especially with few SEs and having titrated up a bit quicker! how's your drinking? cravings?

hoping - glad the cravings have gone down! I'm the same...worry that even when the cravings go i will have my wine out of habit. from what i've read of topa, i wish i was a beer drinker (LOL, I can't usually drink more than 1 or 2 beers period) b/c I know topa often changes the taste...

nora - WOOOHOOO!!! I can't imagine the day i write in and say "wow, didn't drink today!" that is AMAZING. even nights when i have a long run or race the next morning and am "not drinking" i have more than i should. my only AF day in the last year (!!!!!) was during a cleanse diet hubby and I were doing about 2 months ago. It was supposed to be 7 days with no caffeine, ALCOHOL, wheat, dairy, meat etc. Of course by day 2 I was rationalizing why I needed "a bit of wine" to help me through. I kept with the food portion of the diet but was back on wine by day 3. ARGH!

I am loving to hear all of this "indifference" that you guys seem to be reporting! I am never indifferent about wine. Never. I have been playing tomorrow's doctor visit over and over in my mind...I feel like I'm drug seeking! When I saw her for migraines (legit...get about 5 - 10 a month) in June she was really hesitant to prescribe Topamax. I knew nothing about it at the time...she mentioned that a lot of women come to her claiming fake migraines so that they can get Topa to lose weight!! Now i feel like i'm faking migraines to get the drug to quit drinking (and she'll think it's weight loss!!). keep having to remind myself that I DO get WAY too many migraines each month..

Anyway, I'm nervous for tomorrow and rambling. cross your fingers that doc will prescribe and the AL abuse and migraines will head for the hills together.

[NoraC]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

2Run - I don't think that she will prescribe you a high enough dose if you get it just for the migraines. I am not sure but I know two people that take it for migraines and they are on low dosages. I had to really talk my doctor into giving it to me for the alcohol and she finally did. She also increased the dosage when she realized that it was helping. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you. :l

Ok - I'm off to get ready for jury duty. I'll catch you on my phone as I can today otherwise I'll be back tonight. Have a wonderful day everyone.

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Thank you Sunny, 2Run, Hoping, Houtx, Nora,sapphire, brightlite, techie, havefaith,everyone. :goodjob:

Weekends are very difficult for me because I always drink a lot more than I want. During weekdays I only drink at nights, but weekends I drink all day long. I hate it and I feel very sad on Mondays.


Right now my parents are living with me. I'm taking care of them because they are old and ill.

Today in the morning, my mother, for the first time ever, noticed the vodka bottle was almost empty and asked me who drank it. I didn't. I have bottles all around the house but there is a bottle in its place that I rarely touch. My mother said: "I hope you didn't drink all that vodka, that would be like trying to kill yourself". That made me unbelievably sad. If she only knew... :no:

I've been on 50mg for 5 days. I'm thinking I'll switch to 75 today. What do you think?

[NoraC]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

If you feel ok at 50, then I think it's ok to switch to 75. But then you need to stay at 75 for a few days before switching up. You can't switch up too quickly.
Hang in there!! You'll start feeling the effect and it will help. :l

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Thank you Nora. I'm feeling well at 50mg with minimal SE.

I'm going to start tomorrow.
I'm taking the 50 mg in the afternoon. Tomorrow I'll take 25 in the morning and 50 in the afternoon. I'd prefer to take the 75mg in the afternoon but the book says to take it this way and I'm going to follow it. :thanks:

Good luck today 2run!!:goodluck:

[sunshinedaisies]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Airam - I used to go up every Monday. That was my switch over day. It was easy to remember - are you following the schedule in the book? And please - stop beating yourself up over drinking over the weekend!!! I kept drinking my usual stuff - not that that makes it right - but I kept on as usual until the Topa kicked in. That was why I was taking the Topa! I didn't feel guilty - just was waiting........ hugs to you - you are doing well!

2run - I really feel SO strongly that you need to be honest with your doc and tell her ALL about your drinking, this web site (let her check it out) - take the book if you have it and tell her how well it works for others - don't worry about the weight loss bit. That doesn't always work (although it does for many). For the AL, the schedule takes you up to 300 mg a day, I don't think the migraine thing does that - Please talk to her and tell her how deadly serious you are about this - she will have heard it all before. My doc's mum was an alcoholic and he was MORE than helpful and willing to go along with me. When the Topa kicked in and I went on the visit after that and I told him I hadn't had a drink in however many months, he jumped up and gave me a HUGE hug!!

Houtx - I don't think your going up to 100 after 5 days at 75 is that bad - your body will let you know I think. As I said to Airam, I go up on a Monday. I did have my 1 1/2 coffee/brandy yesterday - really didn't want the 2nd one but had had the first one at the witching hour (was sort of craving a drink around 5.00) so had one then - then when it came time for bed thought I had better have one (SO afraid of not sleeping) but tipped half away!! So, tonight it will just be one before bed. This is the way that I did it last time. So friends - I am almost there. This is so exciting.

Nora - hope your jury duty isn't too much of a pain - you are doing really well too - maybe I craved yesterday around 5.00 'cos I hadn't taken my dose - I took it with my drink LOL.

Hoping - hope that you are doing well too - got to go people,

hugs and love to all,

sun xx

[individualnz]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi there guys,

Great to see many more have joined the thread, Im absolutely thrilled. Im currently at 75mg, side effects are less this time around, thank god, having said that, the reduction in cravings at this point is too..... mind you its early days!! only really been maybe 10 days. Im 3 days AF now tho and really hoping and aiming to stay there and up the Topa to 100 shorly. Yaaaa Hoooo.

Great to make your acquainetance, ladies and guys (if there is any on this thread, apart from techie????)

Regards Indy

[airam]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

I'm so glad for you Indy.

[2Run]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

Hi guys-
Thanks for your thoughts and honest opinions. My doc did give me the script today. The dosage we talked about was for up to 100 after titrating up. She did say that sometimes 100 isn't enough so we can increase it from there. She just said to go slowly and see what happens as far as the headaches. She also said that after I fill a few of the 25mg scripts just call her if I need the 50s. There's probably a way to make that work for a higher dose...Still, I'm praying that this will actually take away my awful migraines and also the edge off of my cravings at a lower dosage. That probably sounds like a pipe dream but...If 100 eventually doesn't take them away, I can go up. I have multiple reasons for not wanting to discuss the AL with her. Insurance and records being one of them...
Sigh. So, I feel good that she gave it to me and I wasn't totally lying but now I also feel badly that I didn't tell her the whole story.
Anyway...hope you're all having a happy monday!

[houtx]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

2Run - So glad you got your Rx!! Not only glad for your real migraines, but hopefully in a few weeks you will feel better w/ less AL consumption.

Airam - start refilling some of those Vodka bottles with water! That should fool the mother while you seek your solution here w/ Topa. Just a thought.

I wanted to share a couple of things I've noticed at 100 mgs., which I started last Friday. On Saturday, as I mentioned earlier, I was coming home from playing golf, and I was thinking about how I'd lost my appetite and not about how much wine I had at home. It wasn't until I walked in the door that I remembered that I might not have enough of my "frenemy" Chardonnay to last me all night. I "only" had 1/2 of a 1.5L bottle but did have some red so thought I'd be ok. PLUS - I was thinking I wasn't really in the mood to drink all that much -just feeling tired. Wanted to shower, have some wine & a light snack, watch my movie & sleep. Which I pretty much did.

I had a couple glasses of the Chard then switched to the red b/c it appealed to me more for some reason. A relatively light drinking night. Same with last night. The appeal to drink wine, Chardonnay especially, was relatively nil. VERY WEIRD. In fact, I have had a hankering for Vodka martinis !! LOL But only a couple & just sipping them. Tonight I thought about wine only b/c I realized I didn't want any! The thought of a glass of Chardonnay made me think ehhhhh - what else are you offering me? Red? Keep going. Vodka martini? Maybe. I need to vaccum, let me think about it. LOL

So I vaccumed, then poured a little one, and it felt good on my sore throat. My daughter came over for a light dinner, & I drank water. After she left I had another shot of vodka which I am still sipping on. I have no desire to drink wine tonight for some reason. I am not going to claim anything other than a mood swing - but it's pretty cool. I actually thought about "trying" to go AF today, but...didn't.

I am trying to keep close tabs on whatever little nuances happen here. I will be very happy if my consumption drops dramatically as a start. It's something I can at least take to my Dr on Thurs.

2Run - I was going to encourage you to tell your Dr about your AL use, but so glad you got your RX anyway. Like I said earlier, I am nervous about having this on my insurance record so will talk to my DR about possibly changing the diagnosis. Keeping my fingers crossed all works out. :-))

[2Run]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

houtx - that's very encouraging news about the changes in AL (white wine!!) cravings on 100mg. How are your other SEs?

so as i am unwilling to discuss the AL with my doc at this time, what would you guys think about me ordering some topa online to supplement my script? i was SO excited to have the script yesterday after so much worrying and now i'm sad that it might be useless...

[sidney]

New here and starting Topa and with a question

2Run I was exactly in your circumstance. I was able to convince a Doctor to give me some Topa for migraines after trying several Doctors who would not give it to me for alcohol abuse. So I supplemented it with Topa I bought on line. I was able to go almost 11 months AF. The first 6 months I used then Topa and then cold turkey. (recently I have had a relapse but I am back not drinking again)

I found Topa helped me so much. However in my experience if you drink hard alcohol like vodka you will drink over it. Your mind wants the buzz and the hard booze will give you it unlike wine and beer which seemed useless. If you can not drink the Topa will work so much better and you won't have to go to the high dose. It is not a magic bullet. Just my experience.