Topiramate for Epilepsy User Reviews

• The...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 20, 2019

Topiramate "It made me skinny and dumb, but worked too. I have been taking Topamax for about 13 years now for my epilepsy. It took a long time for it to work completely (near), but has helped my migraines a lot too. The side effects are horrible. I dropped to 7 stone very quickly, and it took a long time for my weight to stabilize. The pins and needles in my feet come and go, but can be bad at night still. But the worst is the memory. Words fail me. I can’t do simple math in my head anymore. I don’t remember people’s names. Just terrible sometimes. If it was only migraines, I’d survive with sumatriptan. I need it for my epilepsy though. It’s good, but terrible."

• Jam...
• February 18, 2020

Topiramate "I have seizures but also suffer from severe migraines that became more and more frequent. My neurologist started me on this medication. I was also on 400 mg Neurontin and was previously on Keppra. I’m now up to 100 mg daily of the Trokendi with the Neurontin, and my headaches are almost completely gone! I’ve suffered from migraines almost all my life! I feel them try to come once in a while when severe weather is coming or when my hormones are fluctuating, but they never fully become a complete migraine. I haven’t experienced the brain fog I’ve heard about, but I do get tingly nerve sensations in my feet, hands, and face occasionally. No mood swings, my mood is actually more stable. Hope this helps someone. Also, I don’t have frequent seizures, so I can’t really say if it helps with that. My seizures are triggered by traumatic stress, so it’s more of a preventative."

• Kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2021

Topiramate "Please, please explore other options. I hope no one has the experience I had. I was prescribed this for seizures and sleep issues. My first and only time taking this pill was horrifying. I could not see, think, and had no ability to function. I sat in the bathtub an entire night awake without having a single thought pass through my mind. I did not know this was even possible. I was crying uncontrollably, and yet I understood that I was trapped inside of my body without being able to have any thoughts. I was simply aware that I was there and nothing more. Don't try this at home, kids."

• Sky...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 22, 2022

Topiramate "My dad was given Topamax for seizures. After the first dose was given, he was incredibly sick, he vomited. A few days after this, he lost his appetite completely. He then started having severe memory problems and then came to anger outbursts. It also caused incontinence. After around a month of this, we decided to take him off this drug, and I would never again give this to him. It works for some people, but we will not be ever trying this drug again. It almost destroyed him."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 3, 2021

"I've had a very difficult time on topiramate and am finally weaning off of it, thank God! If only my doctor did this more quickly! I had mostly negative side effects from being on topiramate: memory loss, trouble finding words, dizziness, exhaustion, and irritability. I'm taking the topiramate with Trileptal, which is working great, but since we have to be 'careful,' the doctor is weaning me off the topiramate slowly. I'm still taking 150 mg ER dose, and it's unbelievably unbearable. I worry that I won't get my memory back or my words, does anyone have this fear?"

• lon...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 5, 2024

Topiramate "I have used this medication for over a decade with excellent results. No seizure activity. No perceptible side effects. Dosage of topiramate ER 50 mg 2X daily. No drug interactions unlike tegretol. No skin issues unlike dilantin. Very benign."

• Fpe...
• May 20, 2021

Topiramate "I had issues with finding words on this drug, and to be honest, it is a little bizarre. At times, the drug will make you feel a little loopy, especially if you haven’t eaten anything. I hadn’t noticed anything with weight loss. I eat a balanced diet and work out quite vigorously. I started it at 244 pounds and am at 242 pounds. If you are looking for some miracle weight loss drug, then it may not be for you. My neurologist even said that people come in and want it just to lose weight. I was prescribed it as I already take Lamotrigine. My neurologist said it would be a good combination. I was planning on going off of it because of forgetting the words; however, I am going to stay on it. It is either a minor side effect vs. seizures."

• Zom...
• November 11, 2020

"Topiramate was the worst drug I have ever taken. I only took it for a little over a week and I started to notice mood swings and very dark thoughts that I eventually tried to act upon. My throat got very swollen, gums bleeding, burning, and peeling. I turned into a completely different person. I haven’t taken it in days and I’m still not at all back to normal."

• Dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 1, 2023

Topiramate "No other medication has ever brought my seizures to a stop other than Trokendi XR. I was very excited because of this positive reaction to Trokendi - NO seizures! Yet as the months moved on, my side effects became more and more apparent. I lost my appetite and physical energy, which led to the beginning of depression! I became anorexic and lost over 20 pounds in about 3 months. My weight went from 160 pounds to 138 pounds. The worst part or side effect was I lost all my physical energy!! I became jello. I was always tired. I had so much fatigue and felt the need always to sleep. I had no desire to do anything. I was becoming depressed because of this, my life was not the same anymore. This scared me greatly because I had enjoyed my life, I was an active person who became a couch potato with no desires or pleasures in life. Because of these side effects (mainly lack of energy), I had to stop taking Trokendi and go back to having seizures."