Migraine Headaches Support Group

Migraine is a neurological disease, of which the most common symptom is an intense and disabling episodic headache. Migraine headaches are usually characterized by severe pain on one or both sides of the head and are often accompanied by photophobia (hypersensitivity to light), phonophobia (hypersensitivity to sound) and nausea.

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worldofblah4 04/18/2014

I started topamax maybe two months or so ago and went up to 200 mg a day maybe a few weeks ago and within the past week I have felt very confused and forgotten how to spell words that I have always known how to spell. My pdoc has told me to play around with the dose. If I cut it down to like 100 mg a day will I go through withdrawal or something? I can't afford to feel this way because I am in grad school and work as a research assistant in an OCD study and need to be on my game all the time at work and school but also not have migraines all the time. Anyone have any advice?

22Lynn 04/18/2014

I would ask the doctor how to cut down to 100 mg a day. If they don't tell you perhaps the maker of Topamax has that on their web site. I wouldn't just start guessing how much to cut by day or week to make the titration go well for you. Good luck.

deleted_user 04/22/2014

I think reducing your dose of topirimate too suddenly can cause seizures (but only in very rare cases). It is therefore advisable to reduce your dose as slowly as possible. Obviously as you are having side effects you need to reduce it as fast as it is safe to do. When I came of topomax last time I reduced the dose no faster than 50mg per week. If you are unsure I would talk to your doctor about it.

deleted_user 04/23/2014

We have threads here on Topamax and I put the titrate schedule there on one of those threads.

My neurologist really made it clear to me that I had to build up slowly on Topamax due to seizures and that if I ever was to come off it, I couldn't do it suddenly and would have to come off it slowly due to seizures.

You can even search the web for the dosage schedule to start Topamax for migraines (remember it is used for other ailments too).

YvetteK 04/28/2014

One of the times I came off of it, I did it at 25 mg per week due to seizure risk. I didn't tell my doctor I was doing this, because were I to do that , he would have me ween off at 15 mg per week. Just make sure you come off of it very slowly.

deleted_user 04/30/2014

I have not started it yet but friend had same reaction as you too.

deleted_user 05/01/2014

Topamax is poison, they are just trying to drug you it is also a antipsycotic, Doctors love to prescribe, but the side effects are so so bad

gigglemon 05/01/2014

well guess i had a real quack! I was told to just stop that one. glad i didnt have any ill effects when i did

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