Posted by Greg on March 6, 2002, at 17:56:25
In reply to Topamax questions, posted by HMK on March 6, 2002, at 15:43:02
HMK,
I can give you my experience with the med for what it's worth.
It would probably take the place of the Neurontin, it did in my case. I am also BPII and have had very good reaction to the Topamax, both with weight issues and as a mood stabilizer.
With the weight I think it's really important that you plan a good diet and an exercise plan to go along with it. Some think that the Top will do the trick all by itself, but that's not the case. You might lose a few pounds but not much more than that. With the Top, diet and exercise, I've lost 32 pounds so far. You have to be pretty diligent with it.
I did have some pretty severe cognitive dulling with it at first, especially at start-up. I was having trouble spelling words, doing math problems, transferring my thoughts onto paper, stuff like that. Every dose increase was an experience. But it worked so well on my moods that I was determined to stick it out. It took about 3 months but everything finally returned to normal (normal for me anyway). I take 200mgs a day, 100 am, 100 pm. I guess it's like most meds in that it depends on what you're willing to tolerate in the hopes of getting the desired effect. But remember this is just what happened to me, none of this may happen to you. For me the end result was well worth it. If you do decide to try it, I recommend starting at a very low dose and raising it slowly, but your doc should know that...
Well, I hope this helps some. Good luck and let us know what you decide to do.
Greg
> I am severely overweight diagnosed bipolar II looking into taking Topamax. I currently take Effexor XR, Geodon, Valium, and Neurontin. I know I need to talk to my doctor, but what medicine would Topamax replace and has anyone had a good reaction to Topamax? I'm really concerned about the cognitive slowness that has been reported in some instances.
poster:Greg
thread:96744
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020301/msgs/96766.html