I know it's hard to rely on information from the internet. Think this is worth posting though, from a website called crazymeds.com
note the explanation for the dopa effects.
Topamax's Pros: It's the currently the only "modern" anticonvulsant approved by the FDA that you can take by itself to treat tonic-clonic (or clonic-tonic as the case may be) complex partial seziures and simple partial seizures. By "modern" Ortho-McNeil means "approved after 1995 and sucks less than Depakote." I'm getting lots of e-mails and reading numerous reports of people getting relief from their migraines at just 25mg a day. You're more likely to lose weight than gain weight (although this is a bug, not a feature, for me and a few other people). The best med on the market for temporal lobe dysfunctions. It really helps with the sensory integration problems in autism.
Topamax's Cons: If you don't have a temporal lobe dysfunction or problems with other parts of your brain that Topamax hits, or you're at the wrong dosage, it will make you dumber than a box of rocks. The kidney stones aren't much fun. Because it was newly approved for migraines and can work at a low dosage without all the sucky side effects of Depakote (Who cares if you're stupid as long as you're not fat and don't need blood work?) the pharmaceutical reps are pressuring the doctors to prescribe it to anyone and everyone with bad head pain, even if it's not appropriate. New Approval Syndrome can thus screw people by prescribing them the wrong drug for their migraines. Worse yet when they may not even have migraines, and perhaps have trigeminal neuralgia, for which Tegretol is more appropriate.
note the explanation for the dopa effects.
Topamax's Pros: It's the currently the only "modern" anticonvulsant approved by the FDA that you can take by itself to treat tonic-clonic (or clonic-tonic as the case may be) complex partial seziures and simple partial seizures. By "modern" Ortho-McNeil means "approved after 1995 and sucks less than Depakote." I'm getting lots of e-mails and reading numerous reports of people getting relief from their migraines at just 25mg a day. You're more likely to lose weight than gain weight (although this is a bug, not a feature, for me and a few other people). The best med on the market for temporal lobe dysfunctions. It really helps with the sensory integration problems in autism.
Topamax's Cons: If you don't have a temporal lobe dysfunction or problems with other parts of your brain that Topamax hits, or you're at the wrong dosage, it will make you dumber than a box of rocks. The kidney stones aren't much fun. Because it was newly approved for migraines and can work at a low dosage without all the sucky side effects of Depakote (Who cares if you're stupid as long as you're not fat and don't need blood work?) the pharmaceutical reps are pressuring the doctors to prescribe it to anyone and everyone with bad head pain, even if it's not appropriate. New Approval Syndrome can thus screw people by prescribing them the wrong drug for their migraines. Worse yet when they may not even have migraines, and perhaps have trigeminal neuralgia, for which Tegretol is more appropriate.