Should i try topamax

If you need help remembering to take your dose of Topamax on time, try using a medication reminder. This can include setting an alarm or using a timer. You could also download a reminder app on your phone. Suddenly stopping your treatment can lead to your seizures or migraine becoming more severe or occurring more often.

And if you need to stop taking Topamax, your doctor may slowly decrease your dosage. This helps prevent serious side effects and worsening of your condition. The sections above describe the typical dosages provided by the drug manufacturer. Only take Topamax exactly as prescribed. Talk with your doctor if you have questions or concerns about your current dosage. Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date.

However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.

Symptoms of seizures vary by type. Some cause uncontrollable jerking or shaking, while others may cause muscle stiffening. Here's how to tell them…. Although research is ongoing, CBD is currently approved to treat seizures caused by two rare forms of epilepsy and tuberous sclerosis complex. Awareness of the two types of migraines, involving the presence of auras, will help you seek the right treatment.

Sensitive to odd smells and bright lights? Learn about these and 14 other common migraine triggers. Discover the ways that painkillers used…. Photosensitive seizures can be triggered by exposure to flashing lights on screens or natural light as well as static images with contrasting….

Learn more about types of seizures, causes and symptoms, and how you can help someone having…. Learn about febrile seizures, including their symptoms, causes, and treatment options. A tonic-clonic seizure, previously known as a grand mal seizure, is characterized by stiffness and jerking motions.

Discover what to do if someone's…. What is Topamax Topiramate? Obesity, it seems, is turning out to be a much more complex disease than was once thought. But do these prescription medications from your Doctor actually help with weight loss?

The answer is yes, but not always and not always as much as you'd like them to. And that's where Topamax steps in, the topic for today's conversation. How Topamax May Help with Weight Loss Most prescription weight loss medications focus on 1 of 3 very important mechanisms to help with weight loss: Regulation of appetite 3 - Some medications focus on reducing your appetite which causes you to eat less food.

These medications do NOT work very well long-term and almost always result in weight gain after you stop taking them. Regulation of hormones 4 - Other medications focus on "balancing" fat storing hormones such as leptin, insulin or thyroid hormones. Medications that focus on hormone balance tend to work long-term because they are treating the "root" of the problem.

Regulation of metabolism 5 - Lastly, some other prescription medications help your body by increasing the number of calories that you burn. Medications that focus on this aspect usually result in long-term weight loss as well. So, how does Topamax work? Increases Energy Expenditure Metabolism One of the main benefits to using Topamax is that it may help increase what is known as your resting energy expenditure 6.

Put in simple terms: As you reduce your calories your metabolism will drop to match the amount that you consume. Regulates Appetite There is evidence to suggest that Topamax also helps by regulating your appetite 7. And I don't necessarily mean that it reduces your appetite, I mean that it "regulates" it.

Regulating refers to matching your appetite to the number of calories that you consume. Your metabolism can become damaged as a result of dieting and other factors. Enhances Thermogenesis Topamax has also been shown to increase fat oxidation in both brown fat tissue as well as skeletal muscle 9. Why am I not Losing Weight on Topamax? Let's face it: Not all weight loss therapies work for all people. Each of us has a different genetic composition and a different reason for weight gain.

Other factors include: It's not targeted to your weight gain - See above. Other common causes of weight gain include: insulin resistance, leptin resistance , binge eating disorder, menopause, thyroid disease and so on. You are not using the right dose - This usually isn't a problem but it's worth considering.

We will discuss dosing below. There are better medications available to you - Not everyone will do well on Topamax and that's ok.

Listen to your body and don't take the medication just because you really want it to work. You aren't combining it with a healthy diet or with exercise - No matter which weight loss medication you use you should always combine it with a healthy diet and exercise.

Using weight loss medications by themselves often does not work. You haven't been using it long enough 10 - Weight loss should NOT be extreme and occur over a period of a few weeks. Long lasting weight loss often takes months and months to achieve.

GABAB receptors and depression. Current status. Topamax can cause harm to the fetus. Infants exposed to Topamax in utero have an increased risk of cleft lip, cleft palate, and low weight.

In the FDA approved Topamax for the treatment of partial onset or primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures and for people with seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Topiramate was also approved in for use in combination with another drug called phentermine for weight loss. This product goes by the brand name Qsymia. Vivus Inc. In , the FDA approved Topamax for the prophylaxis prevention of migraine in patients 12 years of age and older. Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc.

One theory is that Topamax calms overactive nerve system cells in the brain that lead to migraine attacks. Off label means the drug is used to treat a condition for which it is not approved. Prescribing a drug off label is not illegal, though it is illegal for a drug manufacturer to market the drug specifically for the off-label use. For this reason, a doctor may decide, after careful evaluation, to prescribe Topamax off label for treating depression.

Your doctor will help you figure out if need to adjust the dose or try a new medication instead. Adding these 10 simple self-care strategies to your daily routine can be effective for managing depression. New research reveals how social media platforms like Facebook can greatly affect your mental health. Managing mental illness, including depression, is different for every individual. Topamax topiramate is a prescription brand-name medication. Like other drugs, Topamax can cause side effects.

Read on to learn about potential common, mild, and serious side effects. For a general overview of Topamax, including details about its uses, see this article. Topamax can cause certain side effects, some of which are more common than others. These side effects may be temporary, lasting a few days or weeks. But if the side effects last longer than that, bother you, or become severe, be sure to talk with your doctor or pharmacist. These are just a few of the more common side effects reported by people who took Topamax in clinical studies.

These side effects can vary depending on which condition the drug is being used to treat. More common side effects in people taking Topamax for epilepsy include:. More common side effects in people taking Topamax to prevent migraine headaches include:. Mild side effects can occur with Topamax use.

You should avoid these activities until you know how Topamax affects you. Topamax may cause serious side effects. The list below may not include all possible serious side effects of the drug. If you develop serious side effects while taking Topamax, call your doctor right away. For example, fatigue low energy and feelings of burning or numbness in your hands and feet may go away as you continue taking Topamax.

Your doctor may prescribe a temporary treatment to help you manage these side effects for a short period of time. Some rare side effects caused by Topamax may require treatment to make them go away. These side effects may include kidney stones and high blood levels of ammonia a waste product made by your body.

Make sure to contact your doctor right away if you have symptoms that are severe or bother you. This should cause side effects of the drug to go away. Topamax may cause several side effects.

In clinical studies , how often certain side effects occurred varied depending on which dose of Topamax was taken. For example, the following side effects were more likely to happen with higher doses mg of Topamax compared with 25 mg or 50 mg, for example :.

You can also talk with your doctor or pharmacist. For example, missing Topamax doses could cause you to have a migraine headache. This can include setting an alarm or using a timer.

You could also download a reminder app on your phone. Side effects in clinical studies were slightly different depending on whether people used the drug to treat seizures or to prevent migraine headaches. This may make some side effects more likely.

Learn more about some of the side effects that Topamax may cause, as well as some tips for dealing with or helping to stop side effects.

Contact your doctor right away if you have symptoms of eye problems while taking Topamax. They may also recommend that you see an eye doctor. In most cases, eye side effects go away if you stop taking the drug. But you should not stop taking Topamax unless your doctor recommends this.