Posted by headachequeen on March 11, 2004, at 14:37:39
In reply to Re: Starting on Topomax for Migraines. Advice anyone?, posted by NIkki B. on March 10, 2004, at 10:55:17
> HI! I an 27 and have been suffering with migraines since age 9. As all migraine sufferers know, you allow yourself to become a guinea pig in order to find relief. My Doc. has recently suggested Topomax as an option. Before I make this decision I want to research this as much as possible. This has been the most helpful site thus far, so I thank all of you in aiding me make this difficult decision. These side effects sound very serious, andI just don't know if the benefit out weighs the side effects. Then on the other hand I would try almost anything to be free or at least decrease my daily headaches. It sounds like if you stick with it the side effects will decrease, is this true? I believe I am willing to go through this for the end result. I guess my biggest fear is I will go through all this and still have migraines. My next fear is the feeling of being "stupid." I work 2 jobs 50-60hrs/wk and am a mammographer. I cannot afford to be "stupid" while helping in the diagnosis of Breast Ca. On the other hand being "doped" up on pain med's everyday can't be too good either! As you can tell I am very torn on this. I guess my questions are for people on Topomax for migraines only and not on any other med's for other illnesses. The ULTIMATE question is have you had any migraine relief at all? Do the cognitive side effects decrease with time? Can you drink alcohol and if you do what happens? I am also 5'2 and 109lbs. If I lose 4-6lbs I'll be fine, but I would not want to lose much more than that. Well, thank you all for listening to me babble and I would appreciate any feedback ASAP.
Nikki B, I have been taking Topomax for over a year now and am on a fairly high dose of it. One of the reasons it was prescribed was its effect on migraines -- something it had not occurred to me to discuss with my neurologist... and they say that Topomax has an effect on cognitive skills??? I was already in trouble long before the Topomax!!! <s>
The poster on the wall of his waiting room made me realise that I should ask him for help when I was in for a regular follow-up about the epilepsy... and when I asked he snapped at me because I had never mentioned the head-aches before... well, in my defence, he had never asked, either...
I have suffered from migraine since I was fourteen and probably earlier... but I remember one incredible experience with a migraine shortly after my fourteenth birthday and my mother sending me to bed with a cup of tea that tasted awful.. she had put a dram of whisky in it... when I woke up the head-ache was past but the memory of that awful tasting tea lingered and I attributed it to the effects of the head-ache for years lol
hence the memory of that particular one...
as I had asked about migraine treatment, the neurologist put me on Topomax instead of increasing the Tegretol (I never thought I would be grateful for the migraines!) at a low dose of the Topomax with a schedule that increased at slow increments over a period of months until I am now taking 600 mg a day part in the morning and part in the evening...
the head-aches are a thing of the past and have been since I started taking the Topomax...
the seizures have also lessened in their frequency although they have not stopped altogether, hence the recent increase to the 600 mg mark as I will NOT agree to taking an increase in the Tegretol
-- there are side-effects to the Topomax, I would never dispute that fact, but the side-effects to Tegretol are much worse ** in my experience **
so I prefer to have the Tegretol, although my doctors tell me it is only a secondary medication for the seizures...if you are put on Topomax,take it in slow increments over a longer period of time than seems to happen in too many cases
I started at 25 mg each evening for two weeks, increasing to 50 mg each evening with the proviso that I drop back to 25 mg if I found that the increase was too soon...
and with each increase that followed the same proviso was attached, I was to increase at my own speed and comfort level...
and it worked...
I have encountered no real loss of cognitive skills... and any other side-effects have been dealt with and overcome... often with help and suggestions from people here who have met and dealt with them before me, otherwise with suggestions from the doctors or the pharmacists...
or my sister-in-law who was on Topomax for a few years before I ever knew it existed...
the one thing I do recommend is that you make it a point to drink lots of water so as to avoid kidney damage as your kidneys try to flush out the strange presence in your system...
kat
poster:headachequeen
thread:50878
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040308/msgs/323278.html