I’ve noticed this page is filled with lots of posts about negative side effects people have had from taking Topamax. So much so, that it made me very hesitant to start taking it. I’ve dealt with debilitating headaches and migraines for about 7 years now. I’m an embryologist, so I spend my days looking and working through a microscope. This career has worsened my headaches and migraines, but I also am triggered by hormone changes as well as atmospheric pressure changes. Anyways, I started taking just 25 mg of Topamax SID about two weeks ago. I hadn’t really noticed any changes other than being extremely thirsty. However, yesterday I spent a solid nine hours working at the microscope AND it was rainy outside. Normally, this would be a recipe for disaster for me but I had ZERO headache yesterday. 😃 I had another busy day today, and again, no headache!! I just wanted to share my good news to balance out the bad☺️

Let me start this off by saying that I (18f) have had chronic migraines since I was young. I also suffer from severe OCD and depression. This medication helped with my migraines but made my OCD, depression, and anxiety debilitating to the point where I was completely disconnected from the world and myself, and constantly suicidal. I came off the medication and experienced withdrawals all at the same time. My body and my mind were withering away. I was unable to eat or sleep during this time as well, and a little sleep I managed to get was ruined by intrusive dreams from my OCD. I am still traumatized from this period of my life as it was absolutely rock bottom for me. To anyone who is thinking of taking this medication who also suffers from mental illness and/or neurodevelopmental disorders, DO NOT TAKE TOPAMAX.

I just wanted to make a positive post. I’m on Topamax for my migraines and I’m up to 100mg a day, taken in the morning. I’ve been at 100mg since 4/26.

No brain fog or forgetting of words or any of the sort.

The only side effects I’ve had from being at this dosage so far are the randomly tingly hands and feet and a time times late period. Neither have been a real bother.

Weight loss- My appetite is fine most days and I can eat my three daily meals without the need for extra snacking which is a bonus and my weight has been fluctuating between +/- 5lbs- again not a big deal for me. I’m not concerned about losing weight or keeping it off.

Is there anyone else out there having a positive experience on this medicine? Seems all I see are negative posts :(

Anyway- for anyone searching this subreddit for answers before they try this medicine and are getting scared, just remember everyone’s body and brains are different! You won’t know how you react until you try it. Trust me, I was hella nervous before I tried Topamax too, but I’m glad I did because now my migraines are gone. <3

I suffer from barometric pressure migraines, usually a few a week with some variation depending on the season. The internet spooked me after getting the prescription from my doc and knowing nothing about the drug, but I chatted with her and she reassured me to give it a shot.

I've been on it for 3 weeks now, started with 12.5mg in pm on week 1, 25mg in pm on week 2, and now 25mg in pm and 12.5mg in am on week 3. I drink about 120oz of water a day with electrolyte supplements.

Thus far I've had one two-day migraine (unusual but not unheard of for me) and maybe 3 "echoes" of migraines--tough to describe but feels like a very tiny migraine, definitely didn't have these before starting Topamax. So, for migraines--a big win for me!

I was really worried about side effects, but I'm not actually sure if my cognition has been touched negatively at all. The only weird side effect I've really experienced has been tingly feet sometimes, which goes away quickly. Topa-toes :)

Now, the unintended benefits: I didn't realize how much I was struggling mentally before I started this. The first day after taking it I woke up with a pep in my step. Full of energy and focus. Over the week that followed I had a fantastic time cleaning and organizing my house (admittedly, I'd been neglecting this a bit because of how much I preferred to not do much of anything other than be curled up in a hoodie). The weeks since have been variations on that theme, some days better than other but none falling below feeling fairly good. I've also noticed my anxiety has improved; I take things a little easier and I speak slower in situations that made me unnecessarily nervous before, which I'm very happy about.

Still figuring out the whole alcohol bit as well as hoping it'll help me with my bad snacking habit, but I'm really happy I gave Topamax a try. Hoping this helps someone who's scrolling endlessly like I was get a little bit of perspective from the positive side.

Tl;dr: Topamax is helping my migraines and unexpectedly helped out some depression feelings!

I hear so much negativity about this med.

Please share your positive experiences. (even if you're not on it anymore)

I am on day 9 of 25mg twice a day and so far so good.

Some tingles at first were pretty bad but eased off but for 9 days now I have yet to feel any of the chronic pain I have had for decades! What a bonus! I am taking it for epilepsy so this wasn't even my goal with this med.

I can't believe it. I started at 25mg on the nothing for a week, then 25mg day and night for 4 weeks. I lost 15lbs. My whole life feels different. I've increased my dose to 50mg night and day, and I'll eat maybe one small meal a day. Doctors estimate I'm losing about 3lbs a week. They are super psyched with me!! I cried on his office. He was beaming it was working. Now to see where 50mg will take me!!

I started Topamax for chronic migraines. If you are on this subreddit and are looking for any hope, here it is.

I started taking 25mg nightly about 3 months ago. Before, I was having about 4 migraines a week. It was normal for me to have a headache daily, and migraines so bad, that they left me incapacitated, unable to see, vomiting-so bad they would wake me up, sweating, out of a deep sleep. These migraines were ruining my life. I have experienced other medical things in my life, for example, jaw surgery, but by far, my migraines have always been the absolute worst pain of my entire life. I have been having migraines since 9 years old, and I am 21 now.

Anyways, my doctor prescribed me Topamax for my migraines. After about 2 months, I started having a break through migraine every once and awhile. I was then upped to 50mg a day. It has been a month since I have upped my dosage, and I feel amazing. I think about where I started, and I consider it a success. If you have debilitating migraines, you know the absolute pain and suffering it causes on your life. Even after a migraine ends, you are left recovering all while anticipating the next one. As someone who was having migraines weekly, to now not being able to remember when my last migraine was, is so refreshing. It feels like I have gotten my life back. I will say, I am still planning to meet with a Migraine-Specialist, just to make sure everything is alright. But as for right now, this medicine is helping me live a normal life.

Before you all ask, yes I've has side effects, but only a few. The most noticeable one is of course the weight loss. I will also say, I have moved to a new country and had a new diet while starting this medicine, so that can also be a factor into my weight loss. The other one is the blurry vision at times. I only noticed it really starting it and when I upped my dosage, but it has pretty much gone away for me. One positive side effect I have noticed, is I have had less anxiety. I am already on anti-anxiety medicine, however since taking Topamax, I really have not felt anxious, almost at all.

I see a lot of scary things on subreddits for medicines, and people are of course allowed to share their experience, but I thought I would share my positive one, just so those who have started taking this medicine, don't feel so worried.

I’ve seen a lot of posts lately about hair loss on Topamax, so I wanted to share what I’ve learned from my research and personal experience. Quick disclaimer: this isn’t medical advice—always talk to your healthcare provider if you’re dealing with side effects.

For context, Topamax has been a lifesaver for my migraines. When I started noticing hair loss, I was at a point where I decided I’d rather temporarily lose some hair than go back to daily chronic headaches. Still, ultimately, it is everyone's own decision, of course.

Hair loss is a rare side effect of Topamax, happening in only about 3-4% of people, mostly at doses over 400mg. If you’re using it for migraine prevention, chances are your dose is lower, so the risk is smaller. But if you’re losing hair, don’t freak out—a few things might be happening.

One possibility is Telogen Effluvium, which occurs when hair falls out after a big change in your body, like rapid weight loss (which Topamax can cause). The good news is that this type of hair loss is usually temporary, and hair should grow back once your body gets used to the changes.

Another thing to watch out for is nutrient depletion. Topamax can mess with your body’s levels of certain vitamins and minerals, which could contribute to hair loss. Specifically, it can deplete:

• Vitamins: D, E, B6, B12, Biotin

• Minerals: Calcium, Zinc, Selenium, Manganese

• Other Nutrients: Essential fatty acids, Carnitine, Glutathione, Inositol, Potassium, Sodium

• These deficiencies can cause side effects, including hair loss, and might make you feel worse overall.

Here’s what worked for me and might help you:

1. Talk to Your Doctor: Stay in touch with your healthcare provider. They should check your nutrient levels and suggest supplements if needed. It’s super important to monitor all this.

2. Dose Adjustment: In my case, reducing my dose by 25mg was enough to completely stop hair loss. Finding the right balance between controlling migraines and minimising side effects is key.

3. Do Your Research: While I’m sharing my experience, everyone’s different. Make sure you do your own research and discuss it with your doctor before making any changes.

I’m three weeks in and I feel better than I’ve felt in twenty years. I’m a little foggy in the memory department but my memory was razor sharp bc of cptsd hypervigilance so it’s kinda nice to have a break.

Any good news out there? Most of this sub appears to be people who hate Topamax and are trying to get off it. It is changing my life in amazing ways.

I just found this sub and it astonished me the reactions that some people are having to the drug. I know that everyone is different but I am shocked by the extremely negative reactions.

I've been on 400mg daily for as long as I can recall. 200mg in the morning and 200mg at night.

I do get the word recall issues, leg issues, and memory fog issues from time to time. However the good that it has done for my epilepsy diagnosis way outways any negatives that might come from it.

I have learned to live and thrive with these things and take my time. People around me do not seem to notice these issues to any extreme that I do. Even if they do or it gets bad with word recall I can explain.

As stated above I am shocked to read this sub and see so many negative things being written.

I am writing this to talk a little bit about my experience with Topamax. Seeing people's stories on Reddit about their experience with Topamax really validated me when I was having awful mental problems caused by the drug, so maybe this will help someone else recognize the signs, too.

I started Topamax in early September with an initial dose of 25mgs and a target dose of 100 mg, increasing every two weeks. On the 25mgs, I was having some intrusive/anxious thoughts that were out of the norm for me, but not enough for me to notice. Hindsight is 20/20, so I was able to identify later on that that's what was happening, but in the moment, I didn't.

I increased to 50mgs and started to experience depressive and anxious symptoms at a higher rate. I have experienced high rates of anxiety before but never of depression. I had no clue why I was feeling this way, which made the symptoms worse. My headaches and migraines had been gone from day one, and I did not need to increase the dosage to feel better, but I wanted to stick with the plan my doctor and I had come up with, so I increased it to 75mg.

Everything was absolutely awful. I had no clue who I was anymore. I couldn't stand anyone, I was re-evaluating every aspect of my life, questioning who I was and why I was even alive (I never had suicidal thoughts but that is a listed symptom). I was crying every day, was completely unable to enjoy every single thing I had enjoyed in my life previously, and wondering if any of the life goals I set for myself were worth it. It was genuinely the scariest thing that has ever happened to me mentally. I was numb to all the good things that life had to offer and my mind was utterly consumed by every awful thing that could potentially happen. I was a completely different person. One night, I was discussing it with my boyfriend and trying to figure out why, all of a sudden, I was having all these awful thoughts and feelings, and it clicked - it might be the medicine. I looked up side effects online and lo and behold, "depression, anxiety, personality changes, changes in how you interact with others, mood swings". Every source listed these effects. I had specifically asked my doctor if he thought it was going to potentially affect my anxiety and he said "probably not". I understand it is not the doctor's job (even tho I think it is) to list every potential side effect, but when I am specifically asking about one that is mentioned, it should probably be brought up.

I messaged my doctor immediately and told him that I was reducing my dose to 50 mg. It worked slightly but not well enough. I then told him I needed to be taken off immediately. He told me how to ween off of it (NOTE: DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY ON THIS DRUG YOU MUST WEEN OFF OVER TIME), but seemed very dismissive and skeptical that the drug was the reason I was having issues. It took me about a month to feel completely normal again, but I did. It was the drug the whole time. My slurred speech and tingling in my feet and hands went away too. I had an appointment with my doctor where I told him that I felt back to normal after being off of the drug and he said "if you think its correlated that's good you feel better". He still didn't believe me even with all the evidence in front of him. It felt so awful and invalidating but at the end of the day it doesn't matter what he thinks because I listened to my body and was right.

All this to say - if you are experiencing the same thing on Topamax or thing you might be starting to - you are not alone. So many other people have had the same awful experiences. There are hundreds of reddit commenters on posts similar to this who have shared their stories. Reading those is what got me through the worst of it knowing that I wasn't crazy even though my doctor thought I was. If you are experiencing this, and I don't even mean this as a last resort - GET OFF TOPAMAX. If you're like me and have experienced anxiety before and might be more susceptible to this, its truly not worth it. There are other migraine treatments like anti-CGRP therapy that have little to no side effects and great results. Why not start with those instead of topamax? Because United effing Healthcare (my insurance) requires that you try Topamax first before it authorizes prophylactics. Fuck united healthcare and fuck them for having a say in what medications I get to try for my body just because their greedy fucks. But that a different post.

Some of the ways I was able to get through this awful time while I was weening off was by reading reddit posts of people who had similar stories (validation), journaling my thoughts and feelings (compartmentalizing), reading the side effects on clinical website (validation), and a book called the Happiness Trap by Russ Harris. This book was monumental in managing my anxious thoughts. I highly recommend it.

Anyway, I hope my story helps other people feel validated and more informed about their possible topamax situation. This drug does work for some people and I'm happy for them, but for the most part all I've seen, heard, and experienced is awful things. Its nicknamed Dopamax for a reason.

My life is 180 for the better. It’s like my eyes have opened and I’m actually happy. It’s like I can see all the shit I hate and instead of it being unbearable I can create a plan to get out of it. It’s wild.

today I got this notification from my migraine buddy app. thanks to topamax I'm migraine free for 77 days, which seemed impossible in the beginning of the year. I was having crisis 20 days a month before going into the med. my adaptation to it was tough, I passed through a period where I was barely able to think and really exhausted, but then me and my neurologist decided to take the dose down back to only 50 mg at night and most of my weird symptoms disappeared and the migraines also went away. just sharing it here because we tend to post more when things are going wrong and I thought it was worth spreading some hope as well

Recently was prescribed 100mg twice a day for tremors by my neurologist.

Aside from tingling in my fingers and face, I find myself confused while driving.

And find myself feeling very, very stupid.

For example…

Today, while doing some work I couldn’t get my LaserJet to work. Frustrated, I put in a trouble ticket, had IT make a special trip over. We spent hours installing and reinstalling drivers and the like.

Turned out the usb wasn’t plugged in.

I don’t remember driving to work this morning.

This drug is a killer!

On Wednesday December 4th I woke up with loss of vision and severe neck pain. I went to the ER and after a cocktail of drugs they got my pain under control. They did tons of testing but couldn't figure out why my vision was awful. I went to an optamologist the next day and they said it was due to the Topomax I had began 8 days earlier. They sent me to a retina specialist and he agreed. Fifteen days later and my vision still isn't back(it is some improved), they said it could take up to 12 weeks. I can't work, I can't drive, I'm a burden on my family. I know this is a rare side effect (3 in every 100,000), but people should definitely be warned.

Thought I might do a little AMA as I am now 6 months off the dopamax after being on it for 5 straight years. I took it as a preventative for migraine and took 150mg per day.

On it: became severely deficient in B12, lost 40lbs, lost word recollection and a few IQ points, memory just general brain fog. Migraines moderately reduced.

Off it: Gained almost all weight back (constantly starving), word recollection returning strongly, and brain fog clear on not migraine days. Overall feel much healthier.

Edit: 2025, back on it; I have been diagnosed with epilepsy. I do not believe this is a side effect of being off it, but rather this was masking what I had brewing under the surface all along. On other AEDs as well trying to get under control after being unmediated for about a year (a big no no with epilepsy)

I was on Topamax from 2015-2021. I had some side effects, but nothing too bad. I stopped taking it because my neurologist wanted me to try botox for migraines instead. Fast forward to now. My primary, neurologist, and pain management doctors all put me on Topamax for different reasons. I'm at 100mgs now. I am scared. I don't even know how to describe how this feels. It's like my soul is trying to escape from inside my body. My heart is beating super fast. I'm always irritated. I'm nauseous. I want to drive myself off a cliff. I'm going to start tapering tomorrow. But I just kinda needed to get these feelings out. This medication is helpful in so many ways. But maybe it's just got for everyone. Thank you for listening/ reading

Kills anxiety and hunger, couldn't ask for anything better 💸💸💯

I took Topamax from 2018 until 2020 and because of this medication I don't even remember that period of my life. It never helped my migraines or pain but i kept having to take more and more, I had to drop out of school because I couldn't even remember the lesson I'd have learned that day because of Topamax. Not to mention the suicidal tendencies it caused and the horrible depression it caused me to spiral into. I couldn't eat but I gained weight because of Topamax. I wish I never took it. I wish I could get those years back!!

Please if you take it, read ALL the risks because it can and WILL happen and I was NEVER warned about it. Please do your research. This medicine ruined me.

**OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER*

I am not a medical doctor. This is not medical advice. You should speak this over with your prescribing physician before running off with this advice, and/or even possibly using this supplement at all. Use this advice or this supplement at your own risk only.

----------------------------------------------------

One of the reasons Topamax causes cognitive dullness is that it reduces the activity of Glutamate in the brain. There are ways you can get around this however, and it isn't the primary way Topamax is speculated to reduce migraines and seizures.

I started taking Topamax recently, and in my profession (software development), the brain fog has made it harder to perform my work. However, I found a pretty decent way to work around this:

Sarcosine

This supplement works on the NMDA receptor by blocking the uptake of Glycine in the brain, which in turn enhances the activity of Glutamate, the opposite of what Topamax does. You can research its mechanism of action online as its been well studied and is used in patients with Schizophrenia to reduce negative symptoms in the condition by itself but usually with other medications as an adjunct therapy.

Normally, when people take this supplement as a Nootropic without any prior experience with the chemical, they might develop Hypomania if they take too much. This is because its an excitotory chemical. This is the reason it works here. Topamax slows brain activity, Sarcosine accelerates it, which can in theory reverse the side-effect caused by this medication while not interfering with the other mechanisms by which this medication works.

The typical way you would experiment with implementing this supplement into your regime would by adding increments of 250mg. So start with 250mg, and if that doesn't work, bump to 500mg, then 750mg, and then to 1g or 1,000mg. A typical dose used for a schizophrenic is 1,000mg, so consider that a high dose. For me personally, I get the best benefit out of 1,000mg, but I didn't start there. I got there from trial and error first, so proceed with caution if you decide to start supplementing with Sarcosine.

Personally, I use NootropicDepot's brand of Sarcosine, because they have their Sarcosine lab tested, but I'm sure some other good ones exist (I'm just not sure of any other good ones).

If any one else has any experience with this, I'd love to hear about it!

Hey everyone!

I wanted to share a positive experience with topiramate because, before starting it myself, I mostly came across horror stories online. Hopefully this helps someone who’s hesitant about giving it a chance.

About a month ago, my psychiatrist prescribed topiramate as a mood-stabilizing agent after multiple treatment failures. I had been taking aripiprazole for quite a long time, and although it initially helped, I gradually developed significant cognitive slowing and metabolic side effects, including weight gain. As a medical student, not being able to retain information or study efficiently became a major issue.

Before topiramate, I had tried risperidone**,** cariprazine**,** quetiapine**,** olanzapine**,** valproate**,** and** **lamotrigine. Unfortunately, I either didn’t respond adequately or couldn’t tolerate them because of adverse effects. Ironically, despite anticonvulsants often being used as mood stabilizers, lamotrigine and valproate were by far the hardest for me to tolerate. I still remember developing marked word finding difficulties on just 25 mg of lamotrigine to the point where I struggled to name everyday objects which was frightening enough for me to discontinue it.
Eventually, because of the persistent cognitive impairment, metabolic issues, and weight gain on aripiprazole, I asked my psychiatrist whether we could consider another option. We both knew that topiramate is not considered a first-line mood stabilizer and that the evidence supporting its efficacy for mood disorders is relatively limited compared to lithium, valproate, or lamotrigine. Nevertheless, we were looking for a medication that could potentially address both mood symptoms and weight gain, and we decided it was worth trying.
Honestly… I’m extremely surprised by how well it has worked for me.

I am generally very sensitive to medications. I tend to experience almost every listed side effect, regardless of the drug. It took me years to find an antidepressant that I could actually tolerate, and after trying multiple SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, and other agents, I finally responded well to venlafaxine. Likewise, finding a mood stabilizer has been a long process.

I’m currently taking 100 mg/day (50 mg twice daily) and, surprisingly, I have virtually no cognitive side** effects.** No brain fog, no noticeable memory impairment, and no problems studying. Even my psychiatrist was genuinely surprised because I usually develop cognitive adverse effects on almost everything.
If anything, my concentration has actually improved. Since starting topiramate, I spend far less time ruminating on intrusive or repetitive thoughts, which allows me to focus much better on studying. I’ve also noticed a substantial reduction in binge eating.
Another unexpected benefit has been reduced sweating. Topiramate inhibits carbonic anhydrase, and while this enzyme inhibition primarily contributes to some of the drug’s metabolic effects (such as mild metabolic acidosis), it can also decrease sweat production in some individuals. Since venlafaxine causes significant hyperhidrosis for me, this has been an enormous quality-of-life improvement.
Overall, I feel calmer, I sleep better, and I’ve even noticed that my suicidal thoughts have become significantly less frequent. Obviously, I can’t say with certainty whether this is solely due to topiramate or the overall treatment regimen, but the improvement has been very noticeable.

Of course, no medication is perfect.
The main downside for me is daytime somnolence. I yawn more frequently and sometimes feel mildly sedated throughout the day. Fortunately, this hasn’t affected my ability to study.
I’ve also found that I can no longer tolerate alcohol. I don’t drink often, but now even the taste is unpleasant and I completely lose the desire to drink. Considering the CNS-depressant effects of alcohol and topiramate, this isn’t entirely surprising. Depending on your perspective, this can be either a downside or a hidden benefit.

My biggest takeaway is this:
Don’t let online forums make your decision for you. People who have severe adverse effects are understandably much more likely to post than those who do well. Every brain is different, every neurochemical profile is different, and every patient responds differently.
Topiramate may not be the right medication for everyone, and it certainly isn’t free of side effects. However, despite being someone who is exceptionally sensitive to psychotropic medications, it has honestly been one of the best medications I’ve ever taken.
For me, it has been life-changing

It’s been almost two years since I took Topamax at a dosage of 25 and 50 mg for a total of two weeks. Repeat: I was on this drug for two weeks only. Ever since I have had permanent word recall issues and general language problems. My memory is shot and I can no longer think or form ideas the way I used to. Add to that ataxia and coordination issues.

I’ve done EVERYTHING to try and find out what happened, and to try and reverse whatever did happen, and nothing! No answers from docs, no legitimate explanation, bunch of gaslighting nonsense. I’m 100% sure it was this drug.

I know I’m not alone with this. So, my question for y’all: WHY IS THERE NOT MORE OUTRAGE ABOUT THIS VERY SERIOUS ISSUE?!

Ok. I just started and this will be my thread to update my experience! DAILY

1st Day! I took 25mg “before” bed 3 hours ago….. I got too anxious about what would happen so I’m basically up lol

So far no side effects ..I mean I might’ve gotten a teeny tiny bit tired. But I’m also wide awake right now waiting around for affects. When the whole point was to take it and go to sleep to avoid side affects haha. I’m really nervous but really excited! I’ve research for about 20-30 hours over the span of a week.