Topamax: a migraine medication, but also used for seizures/epilepsy, and in my case, for nerve pain.

Here is a page listing some of the side effects (one of the scariest, IMO, is the possibility of developing kidney stones). Although many sites state otherwise, my doctor claims that from her findings, the dosage amount has little to do with the amount of actual weight lost. In any case, supposedly it curbs the appetite, although I don't actually notice being less hungry. David says he sees me eating less, but I don't think that's true. And he's hardly ever home anyway, so what does he know. LOL

It was either this medication or something else (the name of which escapes me), which would have packed on the pounds. Sorry, but I was my heaviest (141, non-pregnant) a year ago, and worked my ass off to get back down to 125 (my weight when I got pregnant with both kids), and so forget taking something that's going to make me gain weight again. I don't even know if it's going to work. At this point, I might as well take nothing.. which is something I'm considering.

This med has been working pretty well.. I have several issues, but mostly this constant pain in my left arm, and these frequent cramps in my left thigh. The topamax diminished the pains in my arm, but also greatly decreased the frequency in my leg cramps, which I didn't even expect. The only real side effect I noticed at first was being extremely tired w/in an hour of taking it, but I take it before bed anyway, so that's not a real problem. (I'm on a dose of 25mg/day). Oh.. and of course the sensation of being real light-headed whenever I get up.

Well, then just after Thanksgiving, I was supposed to go up to 50mg a day. Within a day or two of taking 2 pills instead of one, I got very sick. REALLY sick. And I was taking extra strength tylenol, too, (for a 103 fever) which I think wasn't mixing well with the Topamax or something. I got a rash on my abdomen, my hands and feet felt HUGE and tingly.. it was just weird. I stopped taking the Topamax altogether for a few days, until I called the doctor, to make sure I wasn't suddenly having an allergic reaction. Ever since then, not only am I still tired, but now I have the tingling of the hands and feet (and sometimes left side of my chest), which I wasn't experiencing before. It's a typical side effect I guess, but it's odd to me that NOW I'm getting it, when I wasn't before, when my dose only changed for a couple of days.