Topiramate for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• srkn
• November 19, 2008

Topamax (topiramate) "I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder since I was 16 and now that I'm 25. I feel good to have found a medication that helps me. The only problem I have is the fatige. I could sleep alot on this medication. I guess thats still better than being depressed and irritable."

• Aleigh
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 26, 2019

"I take 50 mg at night and sleep really well following. After first being on 50 mg for a few days I became very depressed and had really dark thoughts about life so I dropped back to 25 mg and increased back to 50 mg by 12.5 mg increments. I no longer have that side effect and the medication is beginning to give me a sense of well being. I also get migraines so it's good for that too. Many bipolar meds can give migraines."

• Anonymous
• March 31, 2010

Topamax (topiramate) "After taking 300mgs (100mg AM/200mg PM) for three years, it's no longer working. When I first went on it, it worked great for both mood stabilization and weight control. I lost all the weight that I gained after being on Zyprexa and Depakote, and my moods were controlled well for about two and a half years. I had minimal negative side effects that seemed to fade after a few months' use. For the last six months I've been struggling with dosage adjustments and adding new drugs to my cocktail while trying to keep Topamax. Finally I'm giving up and going off Topamax because it's not doing anything anymore. "

• BiMe
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2019

"Used topiramate for 4 days and it was a nightmare. I didn't sleep well (even a week after I stopped my sleep is still not good). I felt extremely down (a lot worse), had really dark thoughts everyday. I couldn't stop eating sugar even if I was not hungry (like an alcoholic feels like with alcohol). I couldn't go out, I was extremely irritable, grumpy, even my clothes were bugging me. It completely stopped my menses (it's not back to normal yet). I will never touch this drug again and I don't recommand it."

• Laure...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2019

"My psychiatrist put be on this before starting Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to prevent mania, this was a treatment for chronic depression. Topamax made me feel worse than before, couldn't get out of it, so tired all the time. Also, the brain fog and the lack of focus made impossible for me to do my work. The last days I took the medicine I was severely depressed and had dark thoughts. If you start taking it, be careful and watch closely for adverse reactions."

• Jess
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 18, 2019

"Worst medication side effects ever! Experienced sore throat for six weeks, severe mood swings, depression, major anxiety, night sweats, brain fogs, tingles of the hands and feet and the list goes on! Only positive was the weight loss! I'd highly not recommend this medication to anyone! It was such a nightmare experience."

• Macmom
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 8, 2018

"I've been taking this drug for about 6 months now. I take it in combination with lamotrigine. I was concerned about weight gain as I was already heavy for me, but weight loss was certainly not my primary goal. For the first 3 months I felt really great I did lose weight consistently which I do think added to my feeling good. About 3 months ago I entered a pretty severe manic episode. It was probably one of the most intense ever. I am increasing my dose and it's early on with that. I'm headed to 250 mg per day. My husband and I are in hopes that this will help. My side effects of brain fog, fatigue, and dizziness, we're temporary. Other than that one bump in the road, I can honestly say this is been the most effective drug combination I've ever been on and I can't see myself switching again."

• Ironb
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 20, 2017

"My VA doctor started me on this medication for my PTSD, bipolar, mood disorder and alcohol abuse, I've been on this medication for two weeks, I'm 48, disabled combat marine, big guy 6'3 260lb I'm ramping up on this med, right now 25mg twice a day, and have gained 12 pounds, I crave food constantly, but not alcohol, I can't sleep very well but the constant craving of food and gaining weight brothers me, I get paid once a month started this on the 5th and now having to ration my food I don't eat everything before the month is up, I do have some fatigue, but mostly weight gain. I just started this med, but I'm happy I don't crave alcohol, and don't have rage attacks, thanks semper Fi"

• YoursT
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 26, 2016

"I started noticing the weight loss end of January. I weighed at 235 and was down to 220 in a month without trying to diet! Or excise. I was taking 100mg then up to 200, and now 300. I weigh 209 to this date. 26 pounds in 56 days. my mind is foggy, I feel like a zombie, some days I can clean for 5 hours, I have migraines when I've never had them before in my life, my knees are in pain, throat hurts, numb feeling over all my body. Doctors screw you over so be careful. I'm on a vegan diet for the past 5 days will update after another few months to see more of the symptoms and weightloss :)"

• maxmur
• June 23, 2009

Topamax (topiramate) "Overall, Topamax has been a very positive attribute to my daily "cocktail" of necessary medicines. It has assisted in stabilizing my mood, and thus helped me to resume a semi normal routine. As for side effects, I experience loss of memory that I am told is due to the Topamax, and is fairly common. Although, irritating at times, it is much more tolerable than my past existence."

• crazy...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 24, 2017

"I've been on 50 mg of brand Topamax for two years and the cognitive impairment is significant. I often forget how to spell my last name, I don't remember events of just yesterday, and I can't spell anything anymore for the life of me. I take it for Rapid Cycling Bipolar I & went off it for two weeks to attempt to get my cognition back - by about the 6th day I started to show signs of mania and by day 8 I was full blown manic with psychosis. I'd do anything to get off this brain mush of a drug but it serves a purpose. Oddly, I never went into psychosis until this drug. Oh, and the days that passed without Topamax lead to the worst headaches ever. Buyer beware."

• Beani...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 28, 2015

"I was put on it plus Wellbutrin to stabilize my mood. For 3 months I was extremely nauseous, unable to eat a thing. I lost - 12kg's. The side effects were tingling in my hands and feet, a feeling that my head was being pulled to one side, metallic taste, extreme brain fog, loss of vocab (I sounded like an idiot, I could hardly string a sentence together), attention span diminished and extreme muscle weakness. I became socially anxious/awkward and still am. I developed a strange curry-like smell to me. I stopped when I fell pregnant and put on 24kg's, still holding on to 9kg's. It seems to have ruined my metabolism. I loved the appetite suppression (why I stayed on it) but won't go back on it, the side effects are too severe. And expensive"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2022

"I was on topiramate for 5 days and ended up in jail for. It put me thru multiple psychotic episodes a couple days after so I discontinued right away. Never had been to jail in my life, nor set foot in one other than to work as a nurse. It took a huge toll on my life in as little as 1 week. I do not recommend. But we are all different."

• JJ Mi...
• July 27, 2016

"I took for a week 100mg and had massive amounts of bleeding in my stools any urine. Doctors first thought cancer but then saw I had just started this drug an took me off it straight-a-way. Within 4 days, everything went back to normal and all my tests came back clear. Frightened me something terrible. Doctors say only happens in less then 1% but can cause major hemorrhaging. Lost 10kg in one week. Took me two month to recover properly with weekly follow up blood tests."

• debbi...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 3, 2023

"You know, I have read several PubMed papers that say Topamax is not an effective mood stabilizer for bipolar. Well, I say they are wrong! At least for Bipolar II. I had a diagnostic done by a neuropsychologist (with five degrees), who ran several weeks of written, computerized, and oral tests on me. She's the one who finally correctly diagnosed me and recommended the medications I am on now. She confirmed my diagnosis of ADD, but also said I probably had Bipolar II (not unipolar depression), and severe post traumatic stress disorder. She recommended Topamax as a mood stabilizer for me, and I am now at 100 mg twice per day. I also take Adderall IR, 20 mg twice per day, and Seroquel 200 mg at night to sleep. I have been stable for eight years now. I highly recommend Topamax as a mood stabilizer, especially for Bipolar II, which is a milder form of Bipolar. I had some word finding difficulty at first, however, that quickly subsided after a couple of weeks."

• Cysad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 13, 2019

"Please if you want what’s best for your body run! It does what it’s suppose to for mood disorder and bipolar cool, but god forbid you stop taking it or miss a dose. You will go into a whirlwind of panic attacks and crying spells. When you sleep you will wake up nauseous, dizzy, with a sharp pain in your chest you can’t shake. Then you will have cramps and I personally couldn’t stop throwing up. I was hospitalized for 2 days. Fluids didn’t help. Nothing. I am scared for life. I am traumatized from the medicine itself :( I only stopped because I lost my insurance after my dad died I couldn’t go to my psychiatrist . Please just beware"

• Grandma
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 8, 2018

"I was started on Topiramax for migraine, didn’t really help but shortly thereafter I was diagnosed with Bipolar I. Kept the T’max and went from 400 mg to 600 mg. It keeps me up at night, so I take it all at once in the AM. I also take Abilify and have not gained any weight. Only side effect is being cold frequently, especially my hands and toes. But I do remember starting slowly and thinking my head would explode at 50 mg, lol! Obviously, it didn’t."

• BBP
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2017

"Was doing pretty well on Trileptal but was not happy with weight gain from AAPs. Greedily decided to ask my Dr to switch me from Trileptal to Topamax in hopes of some weight loss. There was none. I'm thinking this may be one of those meds that just doesn't work with me genetically. Was taking 50mg twice a day, and it was not doing a thing for my weight or moods. It was scary. The anger, irritability, crying, brain fog. I was scared of ending up in the psych ward, so I went back to my Trileptal and left the Topamax behind. Quit it cold turkey after getting back to my regular Trileptal dose. Mentally and emotionally, I'm already feeling better, however, I am having some terrible muscle aches and nausea from quitting the Topamax."

• Bipolar...
• October 18, 2018

"I’ve used this medication two separate times for different reasons. The first was for a mood stabilizer. I was on it for around 10 months and I was hypomanic but didn’t realize it bc I was in school so I was putting the energy to good use. I ended up cutting my very long hair off to way above my shoulders with layers. It took 3 years to grow out. I’m still pissed.This most recent usage and more traumatic experience was when I added it to my daily meds for migraines. I took 25 mg of topamax for a week then 50 mg a day for 5 days. I stopped completely after having suicidal thoughts. I should have been more prompt to end the medication bc when I started it I noticed I was more alert and my heartbeat was more pronounced, but I really wanted it to work so I thought I just needed to get used to it. 3days after stopping the medication I checked myself in to the psych ward. Oh also I bleached my hair while on it and I hadn’t colored it in over 10yrs"

• green...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 8, 2018

"I'm a 35 year old female with rapid cycling bipolar 1 and anxiety. I take 250mg topirimate and 300mg quetiapine as mood stabilisers plus 300mg venlafaxine, 30mg buspirone, and 1mg lorazepam. Initial side effects were fatigue, brain fog, and loss of appetite. Fatigue eased up after two weeks but it can still be a bit tough to wake up in the mornings. Brain fog is much better but I'll occasionally misspell words when I'm writing or say the wrong one when I'm speaking. Appetite remains lower but I'm still able to enjoy a healthy diet. No new effects have sprung up. Like many of you, I've lost weight. It started when I began the tablets and the weight has stayed off. My mood cycles have basically stopped, leaving me functional and stable, and my symptoms feel under control. I'm not doing weird impulsive things, like constantly overspending while manic, generally being a nightmare, or having to deal with crushing depressive crashes. It's also great for preventing my migraines."

• My ex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 17, 2022

"I wasn’t given topamax for bipolar disorder but for migraines, but it made a major positive impact on my moods. I treated it a year ago and the side effects were so intense I honestly couldn’t handle the medicine & ultimately stopped it. I recently began taking it again due to bad migraines again and when I got the medicine filled it had a note on it saying that the look some ingredients have changed but it’ll have the same effect as it did before… it seems to work so much better with hardly any side effects at all. Weight loss is a side effect but a very welcomed one as I am overweight and a bad binge eater. It’s helped my moods improve a lot since I started it. One thing I will say is to take or drink magnesium and potassium supplements/drinks to lessen side effects and you’ll be fine. I've been on the medicine 3 weeks, almost 4, and the migraines have calmed down a lot already."

• Rezcan
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2019

"The topiramate actually really helped stabilize me and also helped me lose weight that seroquel had helped me gained on. However, no matter how much water I drank I had to stop taking topiramate because I had gotten two kidney stones in one month and they were getting bigger. This is really unfortunate because I really really loved this medication. It really helped me, but the kidney stone side effect is no joke."

• Emma
• September 23, 2018

"I take 150mg Topmax in the morning and 150mg in the evening for bipolar and it works wonders for me. The only side effect I have is occasional tingling/pins and needles in my hands and/or feet, which can be a bit irritating but I am willing to put up with it as I have lost nearly 2 stone in weight since being on this drug. All other medication for my bipolar made me put on a lot of weight so this drug has really helped me. I guess everyone is different and some people are more susceptible to the side effects, sorry to hear some of you are having a hard time on this drug."

• Misfit
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 4, 2022

"I was only on topamax for a month or so. My doctor started me on 25 mg for 2 weeks then jumped to 50. Everything was good and I was happy until it hit me that I was manic the whole time I was on it. Like bad. The energy was great though so I miss that but the mania was not healthy. I spent so much money on stupid things and I randomly took every single photo off of my walls. It was weird. I’ve never been manic before."

• Looney...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 25, 2020

"I enjoyed your comments GOLDCT. I take 200mgs daily for past 3 to 4 months and so far, pretty good. It has me loosing weight so the fact that it makes you shed some is something to watch in every way. I experience several symptoms but its nothing I can't handle in exchange for some stability ya know? The brain fog stuff gets me...yet again, praying the good I get out of Topamax continues. Take care you all!"