Topiramate and Hair Loss: What Users Say

• Par...
• January 16, 2020

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "On Topamax, and 6 years ago I had what I thought was a seizure and spots in my right eye. The spots NEVER went away. Other symptoms of this horrible drug - ITCHING, SEIZURES, HAIR LOSS, EXTREME HOT FLASHES, EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS. My doctor never, ever cared about any of it. I quit this awful drug in October 2016. Had a minor stroke shortly after. Do not take this drug if you want to stay healthy and keep your eyesight. I filed a complaint with the FDA, and of course, they didn’t care either. This drug is a result of greedy drug companies and the FDA being lobbied to allow such a destructive drug. Doctors don’t care either. They all just keep making their money while patients end up with permanent damage that CANNOT be fixed."

• Jes...
• August 20, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was afraid to take this medication. I went online and looked it up, and read so many bad things about it: hair loss, memory loss, etc. I am so glad I went ahead and gave it a try for myself. I think it's a miracle drug! It's helped stabilize my mood, taken away my migraines, and even helped me lose a few pounds! I haven't had any negative side effects at all from it! I know its effects everyone differently, and for me personally, it's been great. I love it!"

• Chi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 27, 2017

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Started ten days ago. First night, I passed out. Very tired. Next few days in a deep fog and a bit disconnected. I no longer have those side effects. Doctor has me at 50 mg once daily, and I take it in the evening. I literally eat half of what I previously did. I lost about three pounds over the course of a week, no exercise involved. I'm not counting calories; just not interested in junk food. I read a post on another forum to take extra B complex and Biotin to avoid any hair loss as the drug seems to deplete that nutrient in the body. Will post again in another few weeks with more information. I was at the point where I was considering surgery because I had tried everything."

• Jen...
• May 30, 2015

Topiramate for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I was on 25 mg to start and ended up taking 100. I lost weight. But the price I paid in side effects was not worth it. I lost so much hair that when I try to braid it, it's like braiding tiny strands of dental floss. It looks so ridiculous, long I had to chop it all off just to conceal how grossly thin it is. People call it Dopamax for a reason. It made my memory Swiss cheese, and when I had to process information, it felt like fighting through seaweed. The worst side effect was the depression. This stuff makes me downright suicidal. It helped me lose about 80 pounds by starvation. I never wanted to eat. I became anemic. If you've never had that before, you'll find simple physical tasks to feel like they're inciting heart attacks."

• NAS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 27, 2014

Topiramate for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I was very excited when I started taking this medication. And then... I had read the side effects, and I was like, oh, this is crazy. I will say I was on no other medication. I have never had hair loss like this. It was gobs of hair in my shower. The previous posters that refer to brain fog - yep, that too."

• Pen...
• May 16, 2015

Topiramate for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed bipolar 2 about 3 years ago. I am a 36-year-old female. I was originally given Topamax 50mg at night with Seroquel 50mg, as well as a variety of antidepressants and Klonopin for anxiety. That worked great for a while until it didn't, and I weaned myself off everything. DON'T DO THAT!! I had a horrible hypomanic episode followed by a 4-month depressive crash. I'm now on Latuda, Celexa, Klonopin, and my good buddy Topamax. I have had no serious side effects from Topamax. A little hair loss (more like extra hair in the brush) but it's only noticeable to me. Not bad. No word loss, no memory problems. I'm in grad school with a near 4.0 GPA. It helps me maintain my weight so the other meds don't affect me."

• Nan...
• December 18, 2016

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I gained 60 pounds in under 2 years from being on gabapentin for arthritis and fibromyalgia. I learned I had prediabetes and asked my doctor to put me on it, and she was more than willing. 40 pounds melted off me like butter in less than 2 months, no problem, UNTIL... my long blonde hair was clogging the drain every day in the shower! Long story short, what's the point in being skinny if you're bald? I had pretty hair, now 3/4 of it's gone and still not growing back! Makes me wonder what other damage it's done. Not worth it!!"

• Kar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 23, 2015

Topiramate for Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with bipolar depression about a year ago. I have been on Topamax for that as well as migraine headaches for 8 to 9 months now. The migraines went away, and I have lost about 40 pounds since taking Topamax! The only downfall is hair loss. I highly warn anybody taking this drug not to miss a dose or try weaning yourself off, because I have done both and ended up with very bad mood swings and will be crying on the floor one minute, then raging and angry, then it will be as if nothing happened."

• mnp...
• November 12, 2019

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "I took 50 mg Topamax daily for migraines. Six months into it, I started noticing increasing hair loss and looked for answers, including having both hormones and thyroid checked. I reread the included drug information several times and found nothing about hair loss. At the point I had lost half my hair, I finally Googled Topamax hair loss and found it is a side effect of Topamax. Also during this time, I had extensive testing trying to find out why I was having increased period pain, and both my doctor and I missed that this is listed as a side effect. I stopped the medication six weeks ago because of the hair loss, but also putting on hold additional procedures considered for dealing with the menstrual pain as there is a good probability this was also caused by the Topamax. Two stars that I give the drug are only because of the 'bonus' side effect of the weight loss, which was the only hesitation that I had about stopping taking it, and the nominal reduction in the number of migraines I was experiencing."

• Kri...
• November 21, 2016

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "Been on this for just a week now at 25 mg, also on 50 mg of amitriptyline at night. The first few days I felt really spaced out, but sort of kept coming in waves through the day. I also suffer from M.E. as well, but have found the past few days I have had lots of energy. I don't feel tired at all. Supposed to up dose to 50 mg on the second week, but I'm thinking may stick to the 25 for a little while to see how things go. No migraines up to now. Reading all the reviews, most of the side effects seem to come when the dose is increased. Really worried about the hair loss business, don't think I could deal with that one. Think I'm going to give this a go for a few months and see how things go, it's all trial and error, or kill or cure."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2023

Topiramate for Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I was prescribed Topiramate 25 mg twice a day and Phentermine 37.5 mg as this is FDA-approved as an off-label drug. However, the first day I took it, I couldn't sleep all night and was so restless the entire night. My doctor said to take just the morning dose only. I took it for 7 days and noticed blurry vision in both eyes, headaches, bad eye pain, high pressure, alopecia-terrible hair loss. I called the doctor's office, and they told me to go to Immediate Care Center and evaluated me. They did a thorough eye checkup, put dye in my eye, and reduced eye pressure. I was told to discontinue this medication, Topiramate, as it does mess with the eye anatomy. I was also asked to go visit my optometrist for a thorough eye check, to which he too said to not take this drug. To lose weight and have these vision and other related side effects is totally not worth it. The more I read about this drug, I was finding out that people gain all the weight back that they lost and have these side effects as well."

• Bet...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 4, 2023

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "This drug is awful. I took 50 mg per day for migraine prevention, and it caused significant hair loss. I already have thin hair, and this drug made it worse. My hair was coming out in clumps in the shower. This drug should be illegal. Do not take it if you want to keep your hair!!"

• wak...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2017

For Migraine Prevention "After reading all of the horrific side effects (hair loss being the big one for me), I decided to look up the rate of this side effect. The answer? 2%. Take all the bad reviews with a grain of salt, knowing it's typically what drives a person to write a review in the first place. Onto the details: I'm taking topiramate 75 mg for migraines (occipital neuralgia). I was instructed by my doctor to take my medication in the evening, that was a majority of the 'foggy' feeling will be while I'm sleeping. I do notice I begin to start getting a little disoriented, but that's completely gone by morning. I stopped drinking since the risk of kidney stones is (slightly) higher. I make sure to drink more water and Gatorade occasionally."

• Jua...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 11, 2016

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "This drug isn't for everyone. The side effects are completely crazy. I have been on it for almost 12 months now. It has provided relief from migraines by almost 95% of the time. This has been a big deal for me. Side effects I've experienced: hands and feet tingle periodically (some days are worse than others), hair loss started 3 months after taking it but began to cease 6 months later, definite brain fog (some days I feel like I'm losing my mind), grogginess (I can only take my dose at night, otherwise, I'm a zombie during the day), changes in vision, loss of appetite, fatigue, irritability. At first, I convinced myself the side effects were worth tolerating compared to having a migraine. But as time goes on, I'm beginning to think I'm wrong."

• Tig...
• June 26, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Absolutely horrible!! It wasn't until a year of several tests, scans, and a colonoscopy that made me go to another doctor and beg him to find out what was wrong with me. I never dreamed it was this medicine. I had lost 30 lbs, but I had diarrhea, a funny taste in my mouth, weakness, hair loss, fogginess, my memory was bad, and it felt like my muscle mass was going down to nothing. My daughter said I was looking frail all the time. It started getting hard to get out of bed. This went on for a year and a half. I was getting older and taking care of my elderly folks, so I didn't read into it much. I'm so glad I switched doctors, he noticed immediately what it was and told me to wean myself off of it."

• ang...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 9, 2015

Topiramate for Bipolar Disorder "I am bipolar I and went on Topamax as an alternative to the awful weight-gaining meds I have been subjected to in the past. My anxiety went through the roof! I was crying constantly, my heart was pounding, and I became fearful to leave the house. I love the 10 lb weight loss, but not worth the anxiety and hair loss... sad I wanted it to work."

• You...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 9, 2016

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "I took this medication starting in August. I stopped because my hair was falling out. I'm 20 years old and I've lost most of my hair now. I had to go get it cut to my shoulders in hopes it would look better, but it doesn't. I began taking Topamax to help with my migraines, and I dropped a lot of weight. I lost 20 lbs over the course of 8 months. I now weigh 136 lbs and sort of want to continue because I love the fact that I'm losing all this weight, but I know it's bad for me as I am now getting addicted. I've been off the medication for about 2 months, and my migraines are returning. I don't want to continue taking it because of my hair loss, but I am not sure what to do. I tried taking medicine for hair, skin, and nails to help, but it didn't work."

• Rez...
• May 23, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been taking topiramate for about 3 years for depression along with Viibryd. I did lose 30 pounds and do have some memory problems. But what I have discovered is my hair has been thinning out. My hairdresser told me that she has been noticing for the last 6 months that my hair is a lot thinner and has been wanting to tell me. This prompted me to go online to see if my medicine was the cause of this. The first few comments I started reading were people saying their hair was thinning out. So I am going to assume this medication is the culprit of my hair thinning. What do you think?"

• cin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 6, 2021

Topiramate for Fibromyalgia "I went on Topamax 9 months ago. At first, it seemed to work. Then, 2 months later, in the beginning of summer, I realized I stopped sweating. Then the hair loss started. I became extremely constipated, muscles were sore, feet and hands felt like needles. Towards the end, my muscles became weak and a lot of nausea. I still had migraines on a regular basis. My body hurt so much. After 9 months, I had severe diarrhea and vomiting. After being off the pill about 2 weeks later, my body started feeling better. Doctor says it is the only pill I have left to use. I would rather have the migraines than how awful this pill made me feel."

• LOV...
• March 3, 2008

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "I love Topamax! I can finally sit through school without getting a migraine. It might make concentrating a little more difficult, but no harder than trying to concentrate with a migraine! The only side effect I can complain about is the tingling in my hands and feet, but that usually only lasts about 15 min. I haven't experienced any hair loss (thank God), and I also can't complain about the appetite loss."

• maw...
• July 13, 2015

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I started on this medication on July 7th, 25 mg at night for weight loss. The 1st night wasn't too bad, now, when I take it at night, I can't sleep. I just started today on twice a day. Some of these reviews scare me to the point that I'm not sure if I want to continue taking this. I don't have memory loss and don't want it and surely don't want my hair to fall out."

• jes...
• November 15, 2007

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "Topamax has been a lifesaver for me! I am living alone without fear for the first time in my life. I can go outside during the day and not feel like crying from the pain of 24/7 migraines. I can drive without fear of not being able to get myself home. The side effects I have had are weight loss (I needed it anyway), some memory issues (I write things down more), and last, the big one: I have lost almost all my hair. It’s very traumatic, but after years of pain and fear, I am free to live my life, and if I have to live it in a wig, so be it!"

• Ser...
• February 2, 2017

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "I was in a car accident with a head injury. I had intractable migraine and other headaches that came and went daily on top of that, and three months after the accident, my neurologist offered Topamax. It's been 9 months. I lost a lot of hair; I have the soda is flat thing; the pins and needles; and I have lost weight. I think the brain fog was not noticeable because of the brain injury. It took care of my headaches immediately. I didn't mind the side effects. I ran out of it once, and on day two, had a seizure. I tried to titrate off recently, and the migraine returned with a vengeance, so I am still going to be taking it. I don't mind the side effects in comparison to the headache. Also, I use hypnosis for some of the side effects."

• eob...
• November 17, 2007

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "I have been taking Topamax for about 10 months now for migraine prevention. I have had several undesirable side effects, including irregular heartbeat, shallow breathing, tingling extremities, memory loss, and even hair loss. It helped only during the first few months, but now I get just as many migraines as before."

• Dmp...
• January 2, 2017

Topiramate for Migraine Prevention "Have taken 10 mg Topamax for 4 months. I thought I had found a preventative, but after 3 months my hair was shedding more than usual. Thought I was stressed out and overwhelmed with small kiddos and hubby deployed. My dermatologist didn't see anything very serious, like alopecia, so I continued. I began taking biotin and vitamins, but hair still kept coming out and my scalp was starting to show more. I stopped completely and only lasted 4 days before a migraine wanted to come on. Luckily, I took a rizatriptan in time to fight it off. Topamax worked beside the side effects of hair loss, forgetfulness, and some leg cramps. Has anyone had any luck with another migraine preventative?"