Topomax - effectiveness and side effects

[Molly78]

Mike! - I'm really curious about who your "doctor" is. Even a psychiatrist in the UK is usually reluctant to prescribe anything at all for alcoholism, yet you seem to have one who is willing to try virtually anything! Can you share with us, if not his name, at least his status (GP or psychiatrist) & how you came to be under his care.

[sunshinedaisies]

Sun, thanks I would appreciate it if you still have it. I wouldn't mind the weight loss tbh, I'm naturally a very skinny build, but I'm 13 stone now (5' 11") and was 9 stone when I was in my 20's so my joints struggle with the extra weight haha. And of cos all the extra weight is on my torso from drinking so I look shocking naked, a big torso with little stick arms and legs :sad:

Mentium, I think I was having a bottle of vodka when I was on baclofen, even though meds made me sleep most the day I would knock the vodka back in a matter of hours when I woke up. I even woke up one morning with a bookcase on top of me, guess I'd grabbed it as i passed out I've read a few more posts about it now and wish I'd stuck with it a few months, maybe it would have helped, but I couldn't drink, take baclofen, and do my job the next day. And if I'd lost my job I would have sat in the house drinking all day. Catch 22 as with so many problems with drink/depression/anxiety.

Mike - I will try and find it for you. I have deleted it from my computer and I know it is in that Topa thread somewhere - I have given it to so many people I think I finally typed it out and put it in a post - but need to find it. Will try in the next day or two - in the meantime I do know it WAS 25mg for the first week ! And you might want to take it in the evening - it can make you sleepy initially although that SE wore off pretty quickly for me. And I know Baclofen works for lots of people but I have heard the SE's can be pretty bad - are you going with both Bac and Topa or just Topa ? Oh and the weight thing doesn't work for everyone - so please do not be disappointed if it doesn't - it seems to work for those who do not need it ! I didn't and lost weight on it - probably about 10 lbs.

Sun

[Mike!]

It's my GP who's presrcibing these for me - I think he's under Sunderland NHS but I probably shouldn't give more details than that. I know he's recommended as a good doc for people suffering with depression/anxiety and alcohol is closely linked to them so maybe he has a particular interest in that area as well. Seems I've struck lucky having him as my GP!

Sun, I work thursday and friday so I'll take my first topa friday night so I can gauge the side effects while I'm off work. I don't mind sleeping :-) I'm just taking topa, it's been about a year since I tried baclofen. I am on mirtazapine for depression as well, just 30mg atm, and that makes me drowsy as well, but my level of drinking with it isn't the best idea of cos.

Cheers, Mike

[Molly78]

"It's my GP who's presrcibing these for me - I think he's under Sunderland NHS but I probably shouldn't give more details than that. I know he's recommended as a good doc for people suffering with depression/anxiety and alcohol is closely linked to them so maybe he has a particular interest in that area as well. Seems I've struck lucky having him as my GP!"

Wow! You certainly are lucky. There can't be many (?any) GPs who will prescribe off label.

[sunshinedaisies]

Mike - I found it ! I will post it on the Topa thread (the other one)......

sun

[Mike!]

Thanks for that Sun :-)

[Mike!]

Took my first topomax last night, slept like a baby but even so I'm so tired today, and straight back to the vodka at 8.30am. Hopefully in a couple of weeks the meds will kick in and I can miss them on the two nights before work if I'll always feel this tired. Wish I'd started on the topomax a couple of weeks earlier though, I'm off work as we shut down over Christmas so I've got nearly 3 weeks of sitting in the house, without the routine of work it's hard not to get into a cycle of waking/drinking/sleeping/rinse and repeat.

[Mike!]

I figure it's best to update my progress on topomax on the main thread from now on, I'll answer any questions on this thread but otherwise won't be posting updates. Thanks for all the replies and thanks Sun for pointing me to the main thread.

Regards, Mike