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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by dari on June 3, 2000, at 9:13:41
I was on 300 mg of topomax daily for bpII fm March to Sept. of 1999. During that time (neurological testing revealed) my IQ dropped from 158 to 83 very slowly. So slowly, you almost didn't know it was happening - one of the most insidious aspects of this drug at this dosage for me. By June and July I was unable read or write well, shouldn't have been driving and was near suicidal. A bit of background, I was the first person put on this drug by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Med Ctr after clinical grand rounds. They have high hopes for this med - it's a new drug, what can I say? I always chuckle when I see those ads on tv for meds when they start telling you about possible side effects. I wonder if they ever advertise topomax on tv if they will tell you that potentially you can be stupid, too.
I've been off the drug for about 10 months now and I'm back on neurontin 600mg daily which may make me spacey, but at least I can read my son his bed time story at night!
I hope you have better luck than I on this med. PS: for those of you concerned about weight gain, I did lose weight on this drug - the only benefit I found.
Posted by Cari on June 7, 2000, at 18:56:58
In reply to topomax and cognitive dulling, posted by dari on June 3, 2000, at 9:13:41
Dari,
Ohmygod that is about the worst side effect I've ever heard!!! So sorry you had to go through that!!! Thank you for sharing your story. I was prescribed Topamax when I complained to my dr about weight gain from anti depressants but never did fill the prescription because he warned me that it had a side effect of "making it difficult to put thoughts into words" and I write ads for a living so that would have been awful. Now, after reading your story, I'm REALLY glad I never took it!!!
Posted by dari on June 9, 2000, at 7:24:34
In reply to Re: topomax and cognitive dulling, posted by Cari on June 7, 2000, at 18:56:58
> Dari,
> Ohmygod that is about the worst side effect I've ever heard!!! So sorry you had to go through that!!!Dear Cari:
Thanks for responding. I was beginning to think that maybe my post was too inflammatory or too unbelievable. Yeah, it was pretty terrible. I am no longer the most trusting patient of doctors and meds! Well, I hope that your new med is working for you now. Were they considering the med for you as a mood stabilizer or an anti-convulsant? Just curious. Have a good day. dari
Posted by Cari on June 9, 2000, at 13:08:18
In reply to Re: topomax and cognitive dulling/back to Cari, posted by dari on June 9, 2000, at 7:24:34
Dari,
Actually it was for neither. It would have been solely for weight loss. My entire life I'd been very thin and able to eat whatever I wanted, then all of a sudden the Paxil & Remeron made me gain 30 lbs in 2 months and I feel like a cow. I asked my doctor if there was anything that would help me LOSE weight and he said Topamax has been known to do that so he prescribed it for me. I was afraid to fill the prescription when he said it has a side effect of making it difficult for people to think and form their thoughts into words. This REALLY scared me because I write ads for a newspaper for a living, so I could not keep my job with a side effect like that!! Hence, I never filled the prescription. I'm still 30 lbs heavier than I used to be... but the combination of Paxil, Remeron & Klonopin has controlled my severe depression/anxiety (unipolar depression, not bipolar, only go one way... DOWN... no highs) and am now able to lead a normal life and feel normal for the first time EVER. I'm really sorry you had to go through what you did with the Topamax. You'd think they'd test it a little better with how strict our FDA is!!!
Posted by AMenz on May 30, 2001, at 23:24:31
In reply to topomax and cognitive dulling, posted by dari on June 3, 2000, at 9:13:41
I have had a similar experience to yours but on lithium, zoloft and ativan.
I am worried that the effect is permanent. Did you recover your cognitive skills after discontinuing the drug?
> I was on 300 mg of topomax daily for bpII fm March to Sept. of 1999. During that time (neurological testing revealed) my IQ dropped from 158 to 83 very slowly. So slowly, you almost didn't know it was happening - one of the most insidious aspects of this drug at this dosage for me. By June and July I was unable read or write well, shouldn't have been driving and was near suicidal. A bit of background, I was the first person put on this drug by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Med Ctr after clinical grand rounds. They have high hopes for this med - it's a new drug, what can I say? I always chuckle when I see those ads on tv for meds when they start telling you about possible side effects. I wonder if they ever advertise topomax on tv if they will tell you that potentially you can be stupid, too.
>
> I've been off the drug for about 10 months now and I'm back on neurontin 600mg daily which may make me spacey, but at least I can read my son his bed time story at night!
>
> I hope you have better luck than I on this med. PS: for those of you concerned about weight gain, I did lose weight on this drug - the only benefit I found.
This is the end of the thread.
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