Has anyone had weight-loss as a side effect with Topamax?

DogMom22

I take topamax for migraines and for back pain, presumably nerve pain although I have no diagnosis for the back pain. Topamax has helped my migraines a lot and my back pain some. I have lost weight on the topamax and can attribute the weight loss directly to the topamax. Weight Loss as a side effect of topamax are very common but not everyone experiences it. I will note that 25 mg is a pretty low dose but it is the normal starting dosage. I tirated up to 100mg daily and had trouble with other side effects and am now at 50mg. There is a long post on this board called Calling all Topamax Users you might want to look at as well as do a Google search on Topamax and weight loss to help you gather information. Also, I am willing to answer any questions from my own experience and research I can (also Topamax does not make your metabolism higher so you can;t just eat everything in sight and loose weight, rather after a period of time it changes brain chemistry to change your appetite and feelings of fullness and satisfaction, if you pay attention to them, you may eat less, or eat less of high calorie foods and therefore loose weight - or so that is what I understand and seems to be true from my own experience - a word of caution - topamax has a lot of other common side effects which you may not be experiencing at 25 mgs, you might want to become farmiliar with them before talking to your doctor about an increase, also you might just need to give the 25mg time, it seems to me the weight loss side effect didn't kick in for me for at least 4 to 6 weeks.

Chaswick

Hi Melissa,

Absolutely no question that Topomax causes weight loss. Many migraineurs take it or have taken it in the past and I bet at least 90% plus have lost weight for no reason other than Topomax.

Chaz

Sunnycal

My husband lost his appetite when he was taking Topamax, and was eating about 1 1/2 meals a day. He was also sleeping 12-14 hours a day and very depressed, which was why he stopped taking it.

Melissa765

Thanks for your detailed reply!!! I just read that thread that you mentioned and it had some great information as well.

"topamax has a lot of other common side effects which you may not be experiencing at 25 mgs"

I've actually only taken one dose, but I've noticed that I feel kind of "out of it," and loopy. For example, I was doing homework today, and granted it's precalculus, but I couldn't think for the life of me, and I found myself saying "3 and 7, 28, yeah, 3, 7, 28." (haha) My eyes also feel weird and like I can't focus. Lastly, I've been laughing constantly today, and this isn't a bad thing, but things that I wouldn't normally give a second thought to, I was laughing at to the point where I couldn't breathe! Now this could all be unrelated, or due to the fact that I was up from the pain all last night and I'm simply overly-tired, but I read some of the side-effects and this seems somewhat related. I'm not sure though...

Anyway, have you ever taken Neurontin? Or have you ever heard of the side effect of bladder problems? I feel like I have a urinary tract infection almost, in the sense that I feel like I have to go to the bathroom constantly, but I know that it's not because there's no stinging or burning. I read on a site for Intercystial Cystitis that anti-siezure medications, and particularly Neurontin, can cause this symptom if you have I.C. I've never been diagnosed with it, but my mother has it, and I think it's hereditary (?), so perhaps that could be bothering me. I'm just worried because I'm still slowly decreasing my dose of the Neurontin, and I'll be on it for another week or so.

I also know that my doctors always ask me if I have any bladder or bowel problems because I know that it can be related to the nerves in the spine.

Sorry if I'm not making sense, but I'm basically just wondering if I should mention this to the doctor as a new symptom (from my nerve problems), or if I should give the Neurontin a chance to get out of my system, since this new symptom only started after I began taking it.

Chaswick, thank you for your reply as well! It's good to know that this probably will help with the weight-loss too. :-)

Blasterboy

I think the dose you're on won't course any weight loss though, you need to be on something higher and I think that to use the drug, just for weight loss in amongst your pain pills is not good; the drug itself has to help, but I guess you figure that.....

I'm on 400mg a day of Topamax and for the 1st 3 months I'd leave my meals 1/2 or 3/4's finished. Now I think most of my appetite is back and that the weight lose has stopped; in fact I only lost 8lbs in total. For a 180lb (current), 185cm tall, guy that’s no supper drug, but it's better than the others in similar classes like Neurotin were you're prone to put weight on! IN fact My PM has just put me on a mix of Lyrica and Topamax (Lyrica previously caused my chronic weight gain, but helped pain) and we're hoping that the two will work well together. The do work on different calcium channels and with the different weight factors it will be interesting etc, lol......

MammaPam

I have been on Topamax for 18 months for severe, chronic migraine. I have had migraines since I was 14 years old and have tried EVERY therapy known to medicine. As a health care worker, I have access to lots of information and have always been willing to try any new drug that came along. After a "mini stroke" from too much Imitrex my neurologist started me on Topamax in addition to my Beta blocker, SSRI and asaprin therapy. I have had a few side effects, tingling in extermities, difficulties recalling names but my headaches are fewer and less severe. Ulike most patients, I actually gained weight when I started Topamax. I believe this is because of the positive effect it has had on my lifestyle and the lack of migraine related vomitting : !!!

GOOD LUCK!! And GET WELL
MAMMAPAM