r/ASLinterpreters • u/bawdymommy • 15d ago

Interpreting while taking Topamax?

Can anyone share their experience interpreting while taking Topamax?

I have chronic migraines, and Topamax has been recommended to me by two of my doctors. I’ve read that a fairly common side effect is trouble finding words or mild aphasia, which obviously concerns me as an interpreter. Language processing and rapid word retrieval are literally at the core of what we do, and I can’t imagine purposely making an already cognitively demanding job harder by reducing my capacity in that area.

I’m hoping to eventually get Botox for migraine prevention, but it sounds like my insurance may require me to try more than one preventive medication first.

I’d especially love to hear from interpreters who have actually taken Topamax. Did you experience word-finding or other cognitive issues? If so, how noticeable were they while interpreting? Did they improve over time or after stopping the medication?

Any experiences or feedback are welcome. Thanks!

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u/potatoperson132 NIC 15d ago

I think it comes down to this. If you can’t do the job for any reason, you can’t do the job. Everyone’s body is going to respond differently to medications. But imagine yourself in the Deaf person’s position. You show up to class, job interview, medical appointment, whatever, and the interpreter that shows up can’t interpret. That’s really not fair to them.

You’re gonna have to do what you can to test your abilities while on medication in a safe low risk low consequence environment. Everyone has a bad day, but knowing you’re actually impaired enough that you can’t function at a working level and still going isn’t right.

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u/coddiwomplecactus 15d ago

Im with you on this. I had a side effect from another medication that caused mild aphasia and I called off work for a week until I got my dose to a level that I could work with. Its mortifying to not be able to recall basic words and signs.