Last year I was prescribed Topamax for mood disorders, and soon discovered its weight loss side effect.
As it was so long ago I cannot quite remember how it was for me, but I think the main side effects I experienced were: - forgetting what I was saying midsentence -numbness and tingling which got worse with elevated heart rate -really bad stomach pain if I walked right after having eaten -unexplained weight loss
I don't remember having less appetite like a lot of people have said, I think my weight loss was mainly "magical". I woke up in the morning and I somehow had lost weight. I also remember having really bad stomach pain if I had to walk after having eaten, which made me actually scared of food to the point where I ended up breaking up my food into tiny pieces and eating really slowly to give it time to be digested (like a toddler).
I have gained all my weight back (and then some) since then, and I am hoping to give Topamax another go, but I can't remember exactly what dosage I was on, or how soon I started to see effects, etc.
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12 Answers
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H0llywoodAngel
25 April 2019
They just prescribed me the generic version, Topiramate, a month ago. For me, it's to treat the terrible migraines that escalate into seizures due to a brain injury. I get a lot of numbness and tingling in my mouth, but I didn't immediately make the link between the meds and the tingling. See, I'm used to sensory issues in my mouth, hands, feet, etc from the injury. I should probably be telling my doctor about this but I'm actually... really happy taking this medicine so I might just keep quiet.
The immediate weight loss for me was 5 pounds. By immediate, I mean within like... 72 hours. I lost a few inches around my waist almost immediately and I don't think it was water weight? I haven't gained it back. Soda has been nixed from my diet almost completely because mixing the tingling with the carbonation of the drink makes soda actually really hurt my mouth (and it will make it feel like there are ants in m mouth? I really hate that feeling) so that might be why the weight dropped so quickly. Did have to change my diet at all though.
I keep losing weight, and I was concerned at first, but I've realized that I've felt much more fit, so maybe I'm losing fat?
What is worrying is I have a much more increased appetite.
Votes: +0
RH
rhoverton
6 March 2019
I would not rely on what we are saying here. You need to find a expert doctor as you having significant problems and in dire need of an expert. I for one am extremely concerned for you and would not want you to live your life based on my experience even though I am on 200mg and have had side effects but yours make me want to find the best Dr available.
Votes: +0
AN
Anony1220
5 March 2019
I started taking Topamax as a recovering alcoholic to help with cravings. When I started taking it I was about 210 lbs. I was taking 100 mg twice a day. I am now 165lbs. This was over a year ago. I didn’t experience any weird side effects nor have I relapsed. As far as the weight loss it could be attributed to the Topamax or no alcohol but I think now I’m at a plateau.
Votes: +0
PE
Petinwonderland
24 Aug 2018
I have been on topamax and have lost 21 lbs in 9 days. Food smells delicious and I'm starving but the minute I see it I want to vomit. I'm lucky to get a fee bites down per meal. I am eating about 500 calories per day tops. I'm miserable. They say it gets better after 6 weeks.
Votes: +0
RH
rhoverton
6 March 2019
I had the exact same effect and yes it got better about 6 months later
HY
Hypochondriacal
28 April 2018
My first time taking Topamax, I lost FOURTY pounds. Went from nearly 180 to 135 in almost no time. However I was taken off the medicine because my family felt my appetite was too poor. I tried it again about a year later, nothing happened. I'm currently on it again- DOUBLE what I was taking- and have yet to see the magic happen again...
Call it a one hit wonder.
Votes: +0
YR
Yrosa12
18 June 2018
Hello in how many months did you lose all that weight?
LY
Lynn09
31 July 2018
What dosage were you on?
DE
Debbie22
21 March 2018
All of you people who have lost weight on Topamax are so lucky. I had the opposite experience (weight gain) though I didn't have any of the bad side effects. I was taking 50 mg and then my doc bumped me up to 200 mg when she lowered my dose of Abilify. We were hoping for weight loss but unfortunately I suffered more weight gain. It seems like a few years ago when I was on Topamax (25 mg only) I was able to lose a small amount of weight. That was before the abilify though.
Votes: +0
JU
Julie83gunter
24 May 2018
Hi Debbie i was abilify and im on tomapax and the reason your gaining weight is abilify is the weight gainer i had the same problem so i stopped the abilify and continued the Topamax and now im losing weight again abilify is evil
LA
LasOlasFTL
21 July 2018
i can’t really address weight loss with Topamax as i’m just starting on it... but i sure can tell you about Abilify: that stuff is the devil!! i took Abilify from July through December of last year, and in that six months i gained 70 POUNDS. i was 140 to start with, so i actually gained 50 percent of my body weight in six months. it almost destroyed me, physically and emotionally. however, i digress. my point is that Abilify has been shown to exacerbate compulsive behavior, including compulsive eating. like the other poster, i’m inclined to believe it was the Abilify that caused your gain. JMHO.
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2324LLW
21 March 2018
I've been on 50mg for 8 days and have lost 11 lbs. I've been making an effort to eat healthier though too. It helps deminish my appetite substantially but doesn't completely take it away so I still have to make healthy choices.
Votes: +0
HO
HottyGranny66
31 March 2016
I like your reference of "magical" weight loss. I feel the same way! I have just lost weight with absolutely no change in eating habits. I mean I eat donuts, bacon, mashed potatoes - everything I've always eaten - with slow steady weight loss. Since starting Topamax, I've lost like 50 lbs. I haven't had any gastrointestinal side effects at all and have had no more mood swings either. All in all it has been a great med for me and I wouldn't consider going off of it.
Votes: +0
CL
claireese
30 March 2016
Chiaraherself... Did you lose weight the second time with it ??? Curious :D
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IN
Inactive
30 March 2016
No, I didn't. I also stopped for a few months, then tried it again along with dieting and I still did not get any of the results of the first time... I guess it's a one time wonder.
CL
claireese
31 March 2016
What is the deal with that ?? haha I was down to a size 2. Now I am an 8 climbing to a 10. Depressed and barely able to move uggg
CR
crazydude81
15 Sep 2015
I am prescribed Topamax as a mood stabilizer at 50 mg. (any higher dose causes confusion) and it literally melted weight away. I lost 50 lbs in 4.5 months without exercise; my lifestyle changed in how I ate though. I wasn't hungry. Some food tasted gross, I used that to my advantage. 1 year later, down 62 lbs. I'm 34/male/5'11" and now 205 lbs.
Votes: +0
BE
Bethdrn
10 Aug 2015
I've been on 100mg a day for a little over 2 months now for migraines and I've lost 10 pounds. For me it's due to loss of appetite and changes in taste. Most of my side effects are under control now, but I thought about quitting several times due to severe stuttering and confusion. I still occasionally can't find a word I'm trying to say, but my migraines are mostly under control.
Votes: +0
HO
HottyGranny66
10 Aug 2015
Hi - I have been on topomax for about 5 months and have lost about lbs. - "magically" -- that is, without any effort to change my eating habits or exercising at all. I was about 220 lbs.before starting it -- my other psychiatric meds had made me gain about 20 lbs -- but the topomax came in there and really cleaned house!!! I hope I never have to go off of it. Plus, it has helped with my mood swings which is what I am taking it for the first place. All in all it's a good treatment option for me. I hope it helps you as well.
Votes: +0
HO
HottyGranny66
11 Aug 2015
I guess I should have added that I was 220 lbs. before starting the Topamax and am now 165 lbs.
HO
hopin32
16 Aug 2015
Wow! that is an extraordinary amount of weight to lose in 5 months. Pretty awesome.
KI
Kimmiec88
7 Feb 2016
How many mg are you on? I'm only on 25 mg once a day and haven't seen any results yet.
