TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

[DidItForMe]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I just upped my dosage to 75mgs on Saturday and still don't feel much. I think I am drinking "less" but that is partly due to giving up my favorite vodka for lent. Just can't drink as much red wine in a night if you know what I mean! Hoping to feel that "Switch" that some of you talk about but think that I need to change my routine as well. Drinking is just what I do. I come home and pour a drink. I watch TV and pour a drink. I help the kids with homework and pour a drink. I have a routine and it involves my drink. Will Topa make that go away? I mean I know I have to try, but will it get easier to forget about what I have done every night for the past 20 years?

[mikeupnorth]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Gabby -- a healthy weight for my height is 140 to 160... so I just went from the high end to the low end, which is fine. I'm now fitting into clothes that I had a couple of years ago before I put on all the extra pounds, and my cholesterol numbers improved a lot too! And I've leveled off, so I'm not still losing. (Thanks for asking!)

Mike

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Just a brief update. I'm into week 5 with Topa. The word loss is not as bad anymore. Well, it sort of improved, and funny enough, it's got to do with diet. Or maybe, i tend to think it does (?). I take Vitamins. Limit my sugar intake. No pasta, rice, bread (to stabilize my blood sugar). Follow a sort of diet what Germans term as 'Trennkost', which is a sort of diet that combines vegetables with fish/or lean white meats. I tend to eat read meat only once a week.

This is of course, just a suggestion, but it sort of tends to work with me. It just goes to show that any TOPA intake, and alcohol abstinence regime has to be tied to some vitamin intakes (even if it's just multi-vitamin with emphasis on Vit B and Zinc), an dietary changes.

Anyway, just my 2 cents again.

Best

[DidItForMe]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Thought I would check in on this thread. I just upped to 100mgs. Drinking has gone WAY down (but not stopped all together). Before Topa easily drank 8-10 heavy vodka drinks per night. Now at about 1.5-2 glasses of red wine per night. Before Topa, drinks would call me from the other room "hey, you left me in the living room! Come get me!" Now I set them down and there they are the next morning...untouched. Very weird but very nice.
Added a new side effect however, weird smells. Tried to blame the kids for spilling tuna on the carpet last night because I could smell it. It wasn't there. My husband and my kids thought I was a nut. Other strange smells too, not just tuna. Still have the tingling in the hands and feet. No loss of words.
Hope this helps.

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Weird smells, ey? Haven't heard of that one. But tingling in hands and feet is normal. I still have that one. That'll go after a while. I'm on 200 mgs as of today.

[wwbarb]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I'm off of topa now - just using the hypno which seems to work. I noticed the tingling the worst when my hands and feet got cold - they never seemed to thaw.

I've been off for three days now - I'm enjoying sodas again - otherwise, nothing is different. I used the pills as a "jump start" - I don't want to get to the point where I depend on pills, mostly afraid that they will stop working because I've built up resistance. I thought about continuing because of the "weight loss" but I can do that on my own too.

It's a great tool if you need it and has helped many. Good luck.

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Dear Barb,

Just checking. You did not go off Topa abruptly right? You did titrate, right?

Another question, did you go all the way up to 300 mgs? I'm on 200 mgs now and I do not want to go all the way up to 300 mgs, out of the same concerns as yours. Don't want to become dependent on pills.

How long were you on Topa?

Thanks for the info.

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Good day all,

(I seems I'm talking to myself, grin ..) No, but seriously. I titrated down to 175 mgs again. That's from having been on 200 mgs Topa for last 4 days. Reasons - symptoms:

- electric head (which is the weird buzzing in one's head)
- mood swings
- extreme fatigue
- no real difference in craving reduction (as compared to 175 mgs/200 mgs)

There's no need to panic for all of you who want to go on Topa. In my case, it might be a mixture of also titrating down from anti-depressants (I'm currently titrating down from Zoloft - though from a minimal dose of 35 mgs to 25 mgs, but nevertheless ...)

Anyway, just an update.

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Short update, 175 mgs is the magic number for me. The weird symptoms have disappeared. So it's all about experimenting on what dose works best with you.

All the best -

[Trixie]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Hello
I'm On Day 10 with Topamax, 100mgs today I hope It starts working better than it has been.
I drank beer or wine most days, about 6-8 drinks. The Topa HAS calmed the "UNCONTROLLABLE MONSTER" of an urge to drink, which is great!! However, I am still drinking more than I would like to be. Everyday 2-3 drinks. I chose moderation. But I still think about alcohol, and even though I have the metalic taste with beer, I drink it anyway!

What about the weight lose? I haven't noticed my appetite change. Is it with higher doses?
I do crave healthier foods now.

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

G'day Trixie,

One thing with Topa is don't titrate up too fast. Slowly does it. 25 mgs maybe every four days. With weight loss don't expect miracles. That'll be all a combination of a reduction of booze and healthy eating, as well as low/no sugar. So no miracles.

The reason, I was able to lose 3 kgs over the past few weeks is entirely due to the fact that I limited myself to 1 or 2 glasses of wine. No pizza, pasta, rice. Less to no sugar. Food consisted of a healthy combination of veg/fish or veg/chicken - only once a week red meat.

And above all - loaaaaaaads of water

Hope that helps ;-)

[katiegirl]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I just started the Topa a few days ago, around the same time as having severe binging (food that is) issues (I think due to the time of month) and I was wondering about the weight loss issue. For those of you who have lost weight, is it that you're less hungry and have more control over binging/snacking/portion control or that you don't notice what's going on but you just seem to lose the weight?
Thanks!

[Paddy]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

Sorry Katie, I was waiting for someone to answer that one. My experience, but that's purely based on my personal metabolism, is slight drop in appetite. But just slight. But nothing out of the ordinary. But I'm on 175 mgs. Maybe it's different for those who are on doses higher than 200 mgs?

[Java]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I lost some wieght on topa, but I think it was due to quiting drinking, i didnt notice any loss in appetite, but when my doctor prescribed it, she told me wieght loss, due to loss in appetite, is a side effect of the medicine for some people.

[Midnight]

TOPAMAX SURVEY - DOSAGE/LENGTH OF TIME/SUCCESS

I posted a few pages back - went from 142.5 to 121, or now 119 depending on the day. I didn't notice a big change in appetite, maybe slight during the day, but the weight loss was gradual. Maybe 1/2 pound per week or less over a long period. I now feel like I eat a LOT and don't gain weight, so I don't know what the deal is. I've asked some doctors (just friends of mine actually), and they don't seem to know, except I no longer drink 6 beers per night. Perhaps losing the stress of the addiction helps too.