First, a little about yourself Male Female. What tips would you provide a friend before taking Topamax? Choose one. Back Next. How well did Topamax work for you?
Did you experience many side effects while taking this drug? How likely would you be to recommend Topamax to a friend? Back Submit. Topamax Cautionary Labels Back to Top. Uses of Topamax Back to Top. Topamax is a prescription medicine used: to treat certain types of seizures partial onset seizures and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults and children 2 years and older with other medicines to treat certain types of seizures partial onset seizures, primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in adults and children 2 years and older to prevent migraine headaches in adults and in adolescents ages 12 years of age and older This medication may be prescribed for other uses.
Manufacturer Back to Top. Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Generic Back to Top. Topiramate For more information on this medication choose from the list of selections below. Topamax Drug Class Back to Top. Topamax is part of the drug class: Other antiepileptics. Side Effects of Topamax Back to Top. Topamax may cause serious side effects including: See "Drug Precautions".
Metabolic acidosis. Metabolic acidosis can cause: tiredness loss of appetite irregular heartbeat impaired consciousness High blood ammonia levels. High ammonia in the blood can affect your mental activities, slow your alertness, make you feel tired, or cause vomiting. This has happened when Topamax is taken with a medicine called valproic acid Depakene and Depakote.
Low body temperature. Kidney stones. Drink plenty of fluids when taking Topamax to decrease your chances of getting kidney stones. Effects on thinking and alertness. Topamax may affect how you think and cause confusion, problems with concentration, attention, memory, or speech.
Topamax may cause depression or mood problems, tiredness, and sleepiness. Dizziness or loss of muscle coordination. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of the symptoms above. The most common side effects of Topamax include: tingling of the arms and legs paresthesia not feeling hungry nausea a change in the way foods taste diarrhea weight loss nervousness upper respiratory tract infection Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Topamax Interactions Back to Top. Especially tell your doctor if you take: other medicines for epilepsy phenytoin , carbamazepine , and valproic acid birth control medicines taken by mouth oral contraceptives metformin lithium other carbonic anydrase inhibitors zonisamide , acetazolamide, dichlorphenamide CNS depressants medicines that impair your thinking, concentration or muscle coordination.
For example: medicines for anxiety medicines for insomnia pain medicines alcohol This is not a complete list of possible drug interactions with Topamax. Topamax Precautions Back to Top. Topamax may cause eye problems. Serious eye problems include: any sudden decrease in vision with or without eye pain and redness a blockage of fluid in the eye causing increased pressure in the eye secondary angle closure glaucoma These eye problems can lead to permanent loss of vision if not treated.
Sometimes people with metabolic acidosis will: feel tired not feel hungry loss of appetite feel changes in heartbeat have trouble thinking clearly Your healthcare provider should do a blood test to measure the level of acid in your blood before and during your treatment with Topamax. Call a healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying attempts to commit suicide new or worse depression new or worse anxiety feeling agitated or restless panic attacks trouble sleeping insomnia new or worse irritability acting aggressive, being angry, or violent acting on dangerous impulses an extreme increase in activity and talking mania other unusual changes in behavior or mood Do not stop Topamax without first talking to a healthcare provider.
Stopping Topamax suddenly can cause serious problems. Suicidal thoughts or actions can be caused by things other than medicines.
If you have suicidal thoughts or actions, your healthcare provider may check for other causes. Watch for early symptoms of suicidal thoughts and actions. Pay attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled. Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms.
Topamax can harm your unborn baby see "Pregnant Section". Do not drink alcohol while taking Topamax. Topamax and alcohol can affect each other causing side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness. Do not drive a car or operate heavy machinery until you know how Topamax affects you.
Topamax can slow your thinking and motor skills, and may affect vision. Topamax Food Interactions Back to Top. Inform MD Back to Top. Before taking Topamax, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: have or have had depression, mood problems, or suicidal thoughts or behavior have kidney problems, have kidney stones, or are getting kidney dialysis have a history of metabolic acidosis too much acid in the blood have liver problems have weak, brittle, or soft bones osteomalacia, osteoporosis, osteopenia, or decreased bone density have lung or breathing problems have eye problems, especially glaucoma have diarrhea have a growth problem are on a diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates, which is called a ketogenic diet are having surgery are pregnant or plan to become pregnant are breastfeeding.
Results: The patients were 4 women and 2 men aged between 16 and 38 mean The doses of topiramate ranged from The most frequent symptom was somnolence The most common side effects in these studies were:. In clinical studies involving children ages 12 years and older who took Topamax for migraine, the most common side effects were:.
Children who take Topamax are less likely than adults to have speech problems, slow reactions, and trouble concentrating. One possibly serious side effect is more common in children than in adults. Children taking Topamax are more likely than adults to have fever and reduced sweating.
These problems can lead to hyperthermia high body temperature , which may need treatment in a hospital. If they sweat less than usual or develop a high temperature, call your doctor for advice. You may wonder how often certain side effects occur with this drug or whether certain side effects pertain to it. As with most drugs, some people can have an allergic reaction after taking Topamax.
A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include:. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Topamax, as the reaction could become severe. They may be able to suggest ways to help manage this side effect or suggest other treatment options. Topamax can raise the risk of developing kidney stones. In clinical studies , kidney stones were reported in an average of 1.
Topamax was compared with a placebo in some studies. But people treated with Topamax had 2 to 4 times more kidney stones than people in the general population. If you have any of these symptoms while taking Topamax, call your doctor right away.
You may need treatment to help your body get rid of any kidney stones. This can reduce your risk for developing kidney stones. Kidney stones can be a sign that you have metabolic acidosis a high level of acid in your blood.
If you have metabolic acidosis, your doctor may lower your Topamax dose. Topamax may cause eye side effects. These may include vision changes, such as decreased or blurry vision, and secondary closed-angle glaucoma sudden raised pressure in your eye.
Glaucoma can lead to permanent blindness if not treated. In clinical studies of people ages 16 years and older, they were given either Topamax or a placebo.
This was in addition to one or two other epilepsy drugs. Abnormal vision, such as blurry vision, occurred in:. In clinical studies of adults with migraine, they were given 50 milligrams mg or mg of Topamax, or a placebo. Blurry vision occurred in:. But eye side effects typically occur within the first month of Topamax treatment.
If you have symptoms of eye side effects while taking Topamax, talk with your doctor. They may refer you to an eye specialist , who can check the pressure in your eyes. If you have glaucoma, you may need treatment for it. However, eye side effects usually get better after you stop taking Topamax. If you have eye side effects, your doctor will typically recommend that you stop taking Topamax and switch to a different treatment. Ideally, Topamax should be stopped gradually.
Your doctor will explain how to do this. Topamax can sometimes cause personality changes that affect the way people behave, react, feel, or interact with others. For example, the drug may cause agitation, aggression , or other behavior problems. Topamax may also cause mood changes, such as anxiety , mood swings , and depression. In addition, the medication may raise your risk for suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
All antiepileptic drugs medications used to treat seizures due to epilepsy are known to slightly raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Clinical studies looked at people taking an antiepileptic drug for any condition. The people had about twice the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors than people taking a placebo.
In these studies, suicidal behavior or thoughts occurred in:. These symptoms can include:. If you have any symptoms of new or worsening depression while taking Topamax, talk with your doctor right away. They can suggest ways to ease this condition. They may also recommend that you switch to a different medication. If you need to stop taking Topamax, your doctor will explain how to taper off the drug gradually.
However, weight gain has been reported with some anticonvulsant drugs that are in the same class as Topamax. A drug class is a group of medications that work in a similar way.
Topamax can cause weight loss. However, the drug may reduce your appetite, which may lead you to lose weight. This depended on the dosage and condition treated. One review of studies looked at the average weight loss in people who took Topamax. It also looked at how long it took them to lose weight when they took the drug.
People who took Topamax for at least 4 months lost an average of But your doctor might recommend Topamax for preventing seizures or migraine if you would also benefit from weight loss. You should take it as prescribed by your doctor for seizures or migraine. Note: Weight loss is an approved use for the brand-name medication Qsymia. Qysmia contains topiramate the active drug in Topamax with another drug called phentermine.
The drug is also approved for use in people who are overweight and have an increased risk of health problems. These can include conditions such as high blood pressure , high cholesterol , and type 2 diabetes. Typically, your doctor will start you on a low dose. Your doctor will ultimately prescribe the smallest dose that provides the desired effect.
The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs.
The usual recommended dosage is 50 mg taken once in the morning and once in the evening. Your doctor will gradually increase your dosage to this level over the first 4 weeks of treatment.
This allows your body to get used to the medication and helps reduce the frequency and severity of side effects. Topamax is used to treat epilepsy a condition that causes repeated seizures in certain situations. The dosage of Topamax is gradually increased over the first few weeks of treatment. Topamax can be used on its own to treat partial-onset seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
The usual recommended dosage for treating these types of seizures is mg twice per day. The drug should be taken once in the morning and once in the evening for a total of mg per day. This is the dosage for both adults and children ages 10 years and older.
Topamax can be used with other seizure medications to treat partial-onset seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and seizures linked to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome LGS.
LGS is a rare form of childhood epilepsy that causes several different types of seizures. For the first week of treatment, the starting dosage is usually 25 mg to 50 mg per day. After this, your doctor may increase your daily dosage by 25 mg to 50 mg each week until the recommended dosage is reached.
The usual recommended dosages for treating these types of seizures in adults ages 17 years and older are:. The recommended dose per day is split into two equal doses. One dose is taken in the morning and the other is taken in the evening. Topamax is used to treat certain seizures in children ages 2 years and older. The usual recommended dosage of Topamax in children ages 12 years and older is the same as it is for adults. For children ages 10 years and older, the usual recommended dosage of Topamax is the same as it is for adults.
Below is information for treating children ages 2 to 9 years. For the first week of treatment, the starting dosage is 25 milligrams mg taken every evening. If your child tolerates this well, for the second week of treatment, their doctor may increase the dosage to 25 mg twice per day. This is a total of 50 mg daily. This will take place over the first few weeks until the recommended dose is reached. After this, their doctor may increase their daily dosage by 25 mg to 50 mg each week.
This is done until your child is at the minimum recommended dose for their body weight. This increase will continue until your child is at the maximum dose for their body weight.
For children ages 2 to 9 years, the usual recommended dosage of Topamax is based on body weight as follows:. Children ages 17 years and older typically take the same dosage of Topamax as adults. The following sections discuss the dosages for children ages 2 to 16 years. For the first week of treatment, the starting dose per day is usually about 1 milligram mg to 3 mg per kilogram kg of body weight.
Topamax is typically taken as a single dose every evening. This allows their body to get used to the medication and helps reduce the frequency and severity of side effects.
The medication is split into two equal doses. The daily dose is increased until your child is at the minimum recommended dose for their body weight. For children ages 2 to 16 years, the usual recommended daily dose is 5 mg to 9 mg per kg of body weight. The recommended daily dose is split into two equal doses. One dose is taken in the morning, and the other dose is taken in the evening.
Take your next dose at your usual time. This can include setting an alarm on your phone or downloading a reminder app. A kitchen timer can work, too. Topamax is meant to be used as a long-term treatment. You should avoid drinking alcohol with Topamax. Drinking alcohol during Topamax treatment can increase the frequency and severity of Topamax side effects, such as:. In serious cases, drinking alcohol with Topamax may lead to serious side effects.
These may include slow, shallow breathing, loss of consciousness, coma, and in rare cases, death. Topamax is more likely to make you feel sleepy, low in energy, or a bit dazed and confused. You may also have trouble with concentration, memory, or speech while taking it. Topamax has a half-life of about 21 hours. The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of the drug in your body to fall by half. It takes about five half-lives for a drug to be almost completely removed from your body.
So for Topamax, most of the drug will be flushed out of your system within about 5 days after you stop taking it. Controlled substances are drugs that have certain effects that give them a high potential for being misused.
They also have a high risk of leading to drug dependence. Because of these risks, there are special rules about how controlled substances are prescribed and dispensed. Mood stabilizers are drugs that help prevent extreme changes in mood, such as those that occur with bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder typically have episodes of depression and episodes of mania. Mania is a mood disorder that gives you an unnatural feeling of physical and mental energy.
Several anticonvulsant medications also work as mood stabilizers in people with bipolar disorder. Topamax, which is an anticonvulsant medication, is sometimes used in this way. Anticonvulsants are also called antiepileptic drugs. Anticonvulsants are mainly used to treat epilepsy a condition that causes repeated seizures. These include migraine and nerve pain. However, once Topamax controls your condition, you will need to keep taking it to continue to prevent seizures or migraine.
If you stop taking Topamax, your seizures or migraine headaches may happen more often. They could also become more severe. Sometimes people without epilepsy have had seizures after suddenly stopping Topamax. If you and your doctor decide to stop treatment, you may need to stop taking Topamax gradually. This can help reduce your risk for seizures. Topamax can interact with several other medications.
It can also interact with certain foods. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below are examples of medications that can interact with Topamax. Before taking Topamax, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take.
Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Topamax can make birth control drugs that contain estrogen less effective at preventing pregnancy. Topamax treatment can also make certain birth control medications less effective at preventing pregnancy.
These include:. If you use birth control that contains estrogen, your doctor may recommend switching to a different type of birth control medication while you take Topamax.
Taking Topamax with phenytoin Dilantin or carbamazepine Tegretol can lower the level of Topamax in your blood. This could make Topamax less effective at preventing seizures or migraine headaches. If you need to take Topamax with phenytoin or carbamazepine, your doctor may prescribe a higher dosage of Topamax. This should increase the chances that the drug works for you.
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