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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1428 to 1452 of 1838. Go back in thread:
Posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 6:15:36
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by Jenbracha on January 22, 2005, at 1:11:08
What do you guys make of the fact that at 375 mgs Topamax I've started to get really hungry and has wine started to taste OK again? At 300 not much interest in food and wine was bitter. (We're still drinking the same brand.) I'm exercising more will power now than I have for months and still gaining weight. Winter weight? Can't be, it's been in the damn 60s around here.
Also, I'm so tired of chopping pills, which I've been doing for 2 months, that I'm going to 400 mgs today 6 days early--I've been giving each 25 mgs two full weeks but I'm sick of this shilly shallying.
Top is working far better as a mood stabilizer at the higher dose which is also $247 less expenseive than the lower one, go figure. (200 mg tabs vs 100) But it's still very expensive and I may have to find something else because we're switiching to an HMO 2/1 that has a higher co pay and it's beginning to look quesionable budgetwise. Also those famous word finding issues are reappearing.rainy
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 22, 2005, at 9:57:44
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by Jenbracha on January 22, 2005, at 1:11:08
No it's not too late to go back down if you are having this many problems. Go back to 25mg and see what that does. Your Dr should have known better than to start you on a higher dose. I really can't believe the carelessness some Dr's have with this medication. Either they just don't believe all the information out there about the bad side effects of going up too soon or they just flat out don't care. RARELY have I heard of someone not having a bad side effect of not going up too fast. However, maybe it's the opposite and you need to go UP on it. When I needed to go up on my medication it let me know in a very BAD way. I had horrible night time hallucinations! I thought they were night terrors until I looked up the definition of that and realized I was totally awake and concious and I remembered every weird and scary detail of them. Once I went up, they went away. Does your Dr plan on you staying on the 50mg? How long have you been feeling so crappy like this? You said you have been taking it for 2 months? You can always go back down to the 25 and if you feel worse go back up. I doubt you will though. Topomax isn't a drug you can just jump right into the middle of a dose. It's one you have to be titrated up on very slowly. I wish you much luck!
Posted by monkeypants on January 22, 2005, at 18:44:37
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 20, 2005, at 15:03:28
Hi all,
This is in response to Stresser's question about Tmax below. I've gained over 20 lbs in 2 months since going off Topamax cold turkey. I thought it was because I switched to Lamictal from Tmax, but it could very well be that I just quit taking Topamax one day instead of titrating down gradually. I wasn't aware of this (go figure, since I can't afford health insurance or a pdoc) until I saw the tremendous weight gain.
monkeypants> Are you saying that when you quit the topamax cold turkey you gained weight vs. tapering off? My daughter quit two days ago cold turkey, and now I am wondering if she should go back on to a lower dosage and taper down.?-L
Posted by stresser on January 22, 2005, at 19:46:08
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by monkeypants on January 22, 2005, at 18:44:37
Thanks so much for the information. I did call the pharmacy and was told to taper down over a period of about two weeks, so she is doing that. They said every other day should do the trick. -L
Posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 20:47:24
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 22, 2005, at 19:46:08
Every other day at what dose?
rainy
Posted by stresser on January 23, 2005, at 18:17:34
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 20:47:24
I started decreasing by 50 g, every day until she sees the doc. It makes me nervous to drop to every other day, until I talk to him. I can always refer back to the pharmacist for advice again on decreasing the dosage. How did everyone else do it?-L
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 29, 2005, at 16:22:23
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by rainy on January 22, 2005, at 20:47:24
Has anyone noticed any change in their fingernails taking Topomax? My index finger nails have started turning downward in the center and now my ring finger on my left hand is doing the same thing. I have noticed this because my fingernails lie in the bed pointing up at an angle and for them to suddenly start growing downward is really odd. I was just wondering...
Posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:51:27
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 29, 2005, at 16:22:23
No, nothing yet, but I haven't been on it too long. I have noticed that I'm not biting off the heads of people at drive-thru windows.....and that's a good thing. Does it make anyone tired? It's either that or Zoloft, and I'm not liking that part of the treatment at all. I'm not bipolar, but the doctor is keeping me on it because I am showing signs of anxiety/depression/anger (over what I don't know on the MMPI). My face is breaking out...hummmmm? What do you think about that one?-L
Posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:53:32
In reply to Re:Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 29, 2005, at 16:22:23
Bridgey - Oh, I forgot..... Nice to hear from you!
Posted by bridgey1128 on January 30, 2005, at 11:13:24
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:53:32
Thanks, needless to say, I have been REEEEEEEALLY busy. The show is going really well, but exhausting. I really feel like I need to go up on my meds but there is no way I am doing that in the middle of a show. I have so far managed to stay well and, for the most part, so has everyone else. I think when I go in for my physical I will ask about going up after the show. I haven't noticed my skin acting up other than the regular times during "that time" of the month. I have to admit the fingernail thing is weirding me out.
Posted by stresser on January 30, 2005, at 14:47:44
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain, posted by bridgey1128 on January 30, 2005, at 11:13:24
Why do you think you need to increase your dosage? Does the topamax make you tired? Something is making me really sluggish and not wanting to do anything at all. -L
Posted by headachequeen on January 31, 2005, at 10:17:31
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on January 29, 2005, at 18:53:32
Oh, dear... so much rsuhing through my head as I try to catch up on all the posts I have missed and there have been soooo many...
I have missed posts and missed all of you and this is sort of a flying visit...
But I had to break the rules and am typing with the left hand only... stop laughing L and L, I am laughing enough for both of us!
However, be careful going off Topomax... any loss of weight will then be regained... it gives back what it takes away...
that is one of it's nasty little tricks...
the tech who worked on the weight loss protocol told me that one... this after I had been off it and tegretol for almost three weeks for one of the tests... and it has taken a while to get back the ground I lost as a result of that time...
Someone had been started at a RIDICULOUSLY high dose and is having problems.. this infuriates me...
of course there will be problems at these high starts... like starting your stalled car by driving it off a high building.... when will these doctors learn???
25 mg until your body adjusts.... and never increase until your body says okay.... and always start in the evening... when half the total dosage is reached in the evening, then start the morning at 25 and do it the same way...
off soapbox now...for those with hair problems, ask the hair stylist about the Joico shampoo for people with hair loss problems... it is not expensive and is designed for people who have diseases for lack of better term that cause loss of hair and it really will help...
I am presently on three AEDs that cause hair loss as well as an antibiotic with that propensity as a side effect... have noticed a little more hair coming out when I brush... of course it could be the wax and the putty and stuff too????... tried this stuff and got back on the vitamins and am having a better hair day experience...
and my hair is a real thing with me... as most of you know...
and now I forget what else hit me as I read...
I am thinking of all of you as we adjust to a new grandchild and the loss of her twin, and I get ready to have them attack my camera hand with knives and scissors later this week...
meanwhile, that Redhead Thang has struck again and the tangle of bone chips and nerves in my wrist that the surgeon said he would not touch because it is above an artery opened of its own accord a couple of weeks ago and of course I developed cellulitis...
enter the antibiotics and these weird dressings and all the rest of it..
so much for a quiet year....
in the midst of it all, the new medications are about as much help as the water I use to take them, the seizures are still my closest companion...
and my dearest uncle who had the same birth injury and the same weird epilepsy died of surgical complications the day before the baby was born...
he went into statis, the same mess I got into before Christmas and they could not bring him out of it... apparently a reaction to the anaesthetic and shock of the surgery they think...
can't wait to see what happens in February...
in the meantime...
stick to small doses to begin and small increments but only when your body is ready and Stresser I hope all goes well with your daughter...
I want that so much....
our daughters deserve happiness and so do we...
kat
it has been such a fun couple of weeks
Posted by stresser on January 31, 2005, at 12:02:57
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by headachequeen on January 31, 2005, at 10:17:31
If someone doesn't lose weight on topamax, will they gain after they quit taking it? Did you lost the weight you started to gain back when you started taking the topamax again, and at what dosage did you start back on again when you resumed after the three weeks? (if I follow correctly, and most of the time, I do not). I also can't remember if you lost any hair taking it. M, wasn't on 400mg any longer than one week, so we don't know if that dosage was going to make a difference in mood swings or her weight loss. She really didn't notice much of a weight loss at a lower dosage. I'm taking it for mood swings, and I really don't notice it affecting my appetite much either...but I take 175mg. That's not much, and I don't think I will be taking more than 200mg to top it out. It has really helped me with my mood elevations, not Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde these days. I'm not frieghtend of myself anymore, and my family can live with me! Nice to have you back on the board, even if you are using your left hand! Good luck with surgery on Thurs. -L
Posted by stresser on February 14, 2005, at 19:23:23
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by headachequeen on January 31, 2005, at 10:17:31
Kat,
Where are you? How is your wrist? Your health?
We miss you -L
Posted by stresser on February 14, 2005, at 19:27:12
In reply to Re: Bridgey :Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on February 14, 2005, at 19:23:23
Sorry
I'm such a blonde ditz! There's no Re: Bridgey.....I don't know what I did. You all should know me by now!!! -L
Posted by nicki on February 18, 2005, at 18:06:07
In reply to Re:oops /Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on February 14, 2005, at 19:27:12
My doc told me to start at 25mg at night and 25mg in am for a few weeks then 50 at night and 50 in am. Sound logical? I'm scared to death of it but very hopeful!
Posted by headachequeen on February 18, 2005, at 20:23:38
In reply to Re:oops /Topamax and weight gain, posted by nicki on February 18, 2005, at 18:06:07
> My doc told me to start at 25mg at night and 25mg in am for a few weeks then 50 at night and 50 in am. Sound logical? I'm scared to death of it but very hopeful!
Well, here I am... the hand healed like a dream despite the surgeon's (and my and my doctor's fears... but the back of my hand and part of my wrist as of this evening ARRRGGGHHH are seriously infected... that redhead thing and the cellulitis telling me that it is here and could have done worse had it wanted to... on 2000 mg a day of Keflex for two weeks... if that doesn't blast it out nothing will...)
now for nicki ---
the best and most successful way to start topomax is to start at 25 mg at night... puppy cookies for the doctor... for two weeks or more, until your system accepts it and feels comfortable....
then on the same time frame work up to half the total daily dosage...
at half the dosage, start adding the other half in the morning in 25 mg increments, the same way, at two week increments...
works well and safely...
if you have a problem then go back to the previous dose for a while until your body adjusts...and Stresser, I am thinking of you...
none of you is forgotten...
but typing opens the lesions on my hand that are slowly closing and we hope healing...
kat
Posted by stresser on February 23, 2005, at 11:08:17
In reply to Topamax and weight gain » nicki, posted by headachequeen on February 18, 2005, at 20:23:38
Kat,
So nice to hear from you...happy that your hand is healing and not to worry about the typing. We will wait until you are ready for your hand to heal.
Nicki-
Topamax isn't bad at all! I haven't had trouble with it, it helps greatly with mood stablization and can decrease appetite for the lucky ones!
Let us know how it works for you -L
Posted by headachequeen on February 23, 2005, at 22:43:17
In reply to Re: Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on February 23, 2005, at 11:08:17
> Kat,
>
> So nice to hear from you...happy that your hand is healing and not to worry about the typing. We will wait until you are ready for your hand to heal.
Thanks!!!! and I am glad to know that Topomax works to stabilise moods....
have been on antibiotics for 15 days to deal with the cellulitis that broke out on my hand (incision totally healed and ready for the next round but the back of my hand is a disaster) and Monday they call to tell me that the antibiotic is the wrong one...
I told them that it was not the right one when they gave it to me...
so now we are on two weeks or more of a new one...
and I am dealing with more outbreaks including an involvement with the area in front of my right ear...
I am not a very stable person right now...
nurses still coming to change dressings and clean wounds and ooh and ahh about the incision...
but that does not make me feel any happier...
still I shot two rolls of film yesterday and got some good shots...
I can close my fingers on the right hand and bend them properly... all things I thought were connected with the original wound years ago that started the cellulitis...
turns out it had to do with this tendon problem...
when the swelling in my hand goes down from this nonsense I will be able to wear rings again and be a real person again...
until then they had better up my topomax...
my moods are almost dangerous at the moment....
but working on new ideas... will not let this thing control me... any more than I intend to let the epilepsy control me...
starting new business despite seizures and meds and all the rest of it...
my new approach to life is going to be that I shall simply trample the epilepsy into the ground...
neurologist or no neurologist... rules or no rules...
rules are meant to be adapted...
and life is to be lived...
only one chance at it...
and as the surgeon said, it is not a dress rehearsal...
have to do it the first time and do it all and do it right...
fasten your seatbelts... it may get interesting or it may be a real mess...
especially with this mood <GG>
film at eleven
kat
Posted by stresser on February 24, 2005, at 7:12:12
In reply to Re: Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by headachequeen on February 23, 2005, at 22:43:17
Yes, I should say they had better increase the topamax or the ride will be rough. Why don't the doctors listen to us when we say we know the meds aren't correct? You are right, life is not a dress rehearsal, and maybe you should tell the other doctors that one also? Haaa, how would that go over? Now THAT would be the film to see at eleven!
-L
Posted by headachequeen on February 24, 2005, at 23:45:29
In reply to Re: Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on February 24, 2005, at 7:12:12
> Yes, I should say they had better increase the topamax or the ride will be rough. Why don't the doctors listen to us when we say we know the meds aren't correct? You are right, life is not a dress rehearsal, and maybe you should tell the other doctors that one also? Haaa, how would that go over? Now THAT would be the film to see at eleven!
> -LThe film is going to be a trilogy...
spent the afternoon at the hospital with my doctor... called for an appointment and was told to get to his office at once...
seems the infection has moved through my system and is now in the area in front of my right ear, lymph nodes are involved and I am in intense pain... there is not enough topomax in the world to control my mood ...
however, when I walked into the office one of the patients just leaving saw my bandaged hand and wrist and was so upset that my surgery had not gone well. The receptionist chirped up, oh no, it healed beautifully, not even a scar... the back of her hand and her wrist are infected and now her face but we never expect her to do anything the normal way... she wouldn't be kat if she did and I started to laugh...
laughing hurts so much....
tonight I am taking pain killers... my face and neck hurt more than my hand ever did..
Why cannot I not get anything right and I don't want to hear about the redhead thing...
but the good news is that my doctor and the neuro have been talking... the neuro says that last time he saw me I was having great success with the meds...
and I want to know who it was he saw?????
It wasn't I, other than the topomax...
we are now two full years and a month with no migraine and the weight loss is holding...
now if I could kick these seizures we would be laughing... no on second thought... a quiet smile...
kat
Posted by stresser on February 25, 2005, at 7:21:12
In reply to Re: Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by headachequeen on February 24, 2005, at 23:45:29
AHHHH, I forgot about the red hair! That explains everything, and I can see where this is going now. Do they clear out the waiting room at the doctors office when they see you coming?
I'm sorry, it's my mood today and your post was quite humorous....but I expect that from you.
You must be in extreme pain, what medication are you taking for that? Are you still having the seizures as of now? How are you taking care of the dogs?
It's no wonder you haven't gained any weight, you don't have the time, and energy (it seems) to do it. I will probably gain some for you......you can count on me, anyway! -L
Posted by headachequeen on February 26, 2005, at 22:31:42
In reply to Re: Topamax and weight gain, posted by stresser on February 25, 2005, at 7:21:12
> AHHHH, I forgot about the red hair! That explains everything, and I can see where this is going now. Do they clear out the waiting room at the doctors office when they see you coming?
> I'm sorry, it's my mood today and your post was quite humorous....but I expect that from you.
> You must be in extreme pain, what medication are you taking for that? Are you still having the seizures as of now? How are you taking care of the dogs?
> It's no wonder you haven't gained any weight, you don't have the time, and energy (it seems) to do it. I will probably gain some for you......you can count on me, anyway! -L
>As I mentioned a while back, my primary care physician and his wife, also a doctor, are leaving the area (my husband says I drove him away )...
until a few weeks ago they had been unable to find anyone to take over the practice, but we recently received a letter telling us that a doctor now completing his residency in family practice and emergency medicine is going to take over the practice in June and is recruiting others to come to the area;
when I was in to see my doctor on Thursday about this latest outbreak of infection (and painful it is!!!!!!!!) he commented that they had not told the man he actually was taking on three practices:
his, hers, and me...The dogs are still with their big brother thank heaven because now no one can tell me that the infection is because I am always handling them...
although one bright and shining star in my life suggested that had they amputated my hand when I first developed cellulitis (I think it was in 97) then I would not be having this problem...
I guess that amputation after the cellulitis is in the bloodstream would stop it from taking hold????I am really getting tired of stupid people.
Wish I could find a way to give them my epilepsy...the 'kids' come home as soon as this is cleared up and then I am going to adjust my work and training schedule to fit the epilepsy rules...
there are ways to do the things I want to do and love to do and still fit inside the rules...
as in, do it without having seizures and breaking my neck...meanwhile, the incision is so healed that I can use the cameras with intense comfort as long as I don't break open the almost healed areas on the back of my hand...
but I cannot wear my glasses now because the temples rub the area that is affected...
laughing, swallowing, chewing...
well, those are out of the question right now...
one antibiotic needs to be taken with food and lots of water...
the other must be taken one hour before eating or three to four hours after eating...
both are four times a day....
and then there are the topomax, tegretol and clobazam, batman to work into the mixture...
one of which is now on three times a day...I am certainly learning to tell time...
but have no interest whatever in food...
both antibiotics have a serious effect on appetite... more so than topomax!!!
if I stay on them long enough it should be a really thin me emerging from all of this...I can't wait to meet the slim new me...
and that will mean a new wardrobe ....
which means the recycling clothes stores...
have learned that when on topomax that is the only way to shop LOLnow all of you...
remember: small increments and only when your body says it is ready...
in case I have not been around often enough to nag you....and L, how is M doing????
I am constantly thinking of and worrying about her...
kat
Posted by stresser on February 28, 2005, at 13:35:28
In reply to Re: Topamax and weight gain » stresser, posted by headachequeen on February 26, 2005, at 22:31:42
Maybe I should send you my clothes!! Topamax isn't helping me with staying away from the goodies! Handcuffs... maybe. -L
Posted by TylerTor on March 7, 2005, at 23:25:20
In reply to Re: topomax pain » JPS, posted by headachequeen on April 6, 2004, at 16:00:23
I have 2 herniated discs with neuropathy in right foot and drop foot. I am currently having nerve blocking done where I get injections of marcaine (similar to dentist novocaine) directly into my back and take Topomax and Amytriptyline (an anti-depressant) at night. When the therapy was suggested to me, I researched it and, in Canada anyway, it is quite common. I've been in pain for 7 years, it has become neuropathic so percocets no longer help and the last 6-7 months the pain has been debilitating. Surgery isn't an option because the pain is now neuropathic. It's only been a short time but my pain is definitely reduced. Of course the treatment doesn't fix the problem, so should I decide to discontinue the therapy then I imagine the pain would return but it does work.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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