I have been taking way way too much Topomax for the past year. Like 650 mg. The highest does recommend I read is 400. Now this is my only form of a mood stab., (and I have tried many) and this one helps me the best, but it also has lots of side effects. I think i am ready to take it down to 400. It scares me to be on so much when that isnt even a "normal" amount. So I have consulted my doc and we have been lowering it between 25-50 mg a month. I am now at 500mg. I also take an anti depressant at a high dose so I'm doing ok actaully. So FAR. THat is. However. Has anyone else ever been on a larger amount of Topomax and then lowered it? Has it made them gain weight then? I took Depakote back in the day (4 years ago) and I gained 20 pounds with that. I am a small girl to begin with so I can handle 20 pounds (dont like it, but I guess I can handle it). But people comment blah blah blah. Eventually had to stop taking it and over time the topomax changed my body. Never lost my appetite, but the Depakote weight just fell off real fast. I'm tried of explaining this stuff to people. I've been around the weight I am now for the past 3 years. If I go down to 400 of Top. from 650, does that really alter your body?? Cuz being on 650 of Top. really makes my head to cloudy. I dont know how i did it for so long. H

Hi Haleigh,
I have been on topamax for about 3 months now but the most my pdoc would put me on is 200mg!! And she told me that it wasn't a mood stabilizer. I had been on effexor xr for several years before the topamax and when she put me on the topamax she told me I needed to be on a higher dose of the effexor once I got up to the 200mg of topamax. So she put me on 225 mg of effexor xr and she said that was my mood stabilizer. I wish I could help you out with the weight situation!! I'm not really sure what to say about that or how that would work. I would think logically after being on such an enormous dose of the topamax and then going down to the recommended highest dose (I hope I made since there) you may gain some weight. But I would guess it wouldn't be that signifigant! Like maybe, maybe 5 to 10lbs. Now I am guessing!! Please don't take my word for it!!!!! I could be very, very wrong, but that just sounds logical to me. And if I were in your place that is what I would expect! Now don't get me wrong, I would be just as worried as you are, but I would think that there is now way that as long as you are still on the topamax and on at least the max. recommended dose that it would do something to regulate your weight at what it is. Does that make any sense to you? I hope so!! But please don't just take my word for it, because I am not a doctor or anything I am just guessing. And, I can't believe the doctor put you on that much!!!!! I have since read up on topamax since I was put on it and the max recommended dose is only 400mg!!!!!!!!!!!!! Did your doc. say why he/she put you on such a high dose?? I would ask and tell tell him/her you read that the max dose was recommeded to be 400mg!! I was worried about the long term effects of just the 200mg!! Please let me know how everything goes I am curious about the weight issue as well. Befor I started all of these meds I was 125lbs (5'4") then at my highest I got up to 190lbs!!!!!! I finally have gotten down to 160lbs and still going!! But the drawback is that I know that it is with the help of the topamax and I am also on adderall xr and the adderall REALLY helped!! So I REALLY understand why you are concerned. Sorry so long but I really wanted to try to help you out as much as possible. Thanks!!

Take Care Keep in Touch,
Beth :wave:

Well I am not with that same doc now so that is good. I obviously eased into the 650 mg, so didnt really seem that major at the time. And it is a mood stabilizer trust me with that. Effexor also has mood stabilieziing effects with anti depressant qualities to it. For some reason they have never given it to me though. (possiblity of mania? I'm assuming). Anyway, I would go in his office and tell of my impulise feelings and poor judgements and then he would just deside to up it. He also gave my Ativan to take "for when I really felt out of control". THat way I was really just to sedated to do anything that would hurt myself or that I would regret later I guess. I know he was only trying to calm the mania, but instead he just hid the real me. There is like this weight on my shoulder that I have to fight everyday just to function on a normal person level. It is so hard to remember things, just finishing sentences. It is a lot better now that I have gone down to 5oo. I will try going down to 4oo and see if that is okay or I get worse. I know I dont want to be manic, but also dont want to be a zombie. It is always a seesaw ya know. Very scary. I have a better doc now who listens to me. She hates Topomax, but I reassure her it is good for me. I have tried Depakote and Tegratol and I am totally afraid of Lithium. I have tried a lot , I mean ALOT of other things, but they have all just been anti'antiety things and other antidepressants, etc. Really in the grand scheme of things I am not THAT concerned about the weight. I think you are right, if I did gain it would only be 5-10 pounds. I just kinda want to know what to expect. I am a VERY panicky person. So I just need to vent to someone who gets it.
THanks for reading this long post. H

Hi Haleigh,

No problem! I know how it can be! It's hard to figure out to what to worry about first sometimes. And being a female I completely understand why the weight issue would be of some concern though. And I that was me getting panicky about the topamax when I read that you were taking such a high dose of it. And I just never heard of it used as a mood stabilizer. But I guess you and your doctor know more about that than I would. And if it is working for you that way and you and your doctor are working together on that then good for you!! It's really hard it seems for a lot of people to find what works for them. And if this works for you, then kudos to you!! And as for reading your entire post, I don't mind because sometimes I would like it if people would take the time to read mine also. I have made a friend on here who is a very nice person so most people will read your post and help you out. But sometimes it's hard to get a reply. And that is what I would like to get back. Keep me updated on how it goes on lowering the topamx and how you do on it. I am curious what will happen and how you will feel.

Take Care,
Beth :angel:

ok....i went from 25-300 mg of topamax over a generous period of time, and i didn't start noticing any weight loss til just recently when i got sick from the topomax.......which i found out from my dr causes GI problems, and i am a petite girl...so i would definately notice it, i started topamax in april, and i started getting the GI problems at the beginning of oct 2004....i have lost at least 10 lbs if not more, cause i can't eat, but maybe once a day, so the dr dropped my dosage to 200mg.....i haven't noticed any weight gain yet, and that was last week.......so.......i don't know if topamax causes weight gain when you take less....you just might be thinking it does....so therefore eating more? cause even at 400mg, you should be losing weight not gaining it, i would think...

I just started Topamax for migraines. I had the medicine for 2 months but was deathly afraid of the side effects. I couldn't take the pain any longer and decided a week ago to start taking it. I am only on 25mg a day. Which is the lowest dosage. I was reading a lot of postings which said even with the lowest dosages they were experiencing extremely bad side effects. How long until I should start (if I even am going to) feeling the side effects? And if I can find a positive...will I even see a weight loss with this low of a dosage?