Topiramate for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Can...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 27, 2019

"I was really hoping this was going to help, especially with the majority of the reviews being so positive. Within 5 days, I was having speech problems, memory issues, and went into having self-harm/suicidal thoughts. I threw it out 30 minutes ago. *** That does not mean this is a horrible option if you have been put on it. With medications like this, it can be very trial and error and will have different effects for different people. This was just my experience."

• Bip...
• October 18, 2018

"I’ve used this medication two separate times for different reasons. The first was for a mood stabilizer. I was on it for around 10 months, and I was hypomanic but didn’t realize it because I was in school, so I was putting the energy to good use. I ended up cutting my very long hair off to way above my shoulders with layers. It took 3 years to grow out. I’m still pissed. This most recent usage and more traumatic experience was when I added it to my daily meds for migraines. I took 25 mg of Topamax for a week, then 50 mg a day for 5 days. I stopped completely after having suicidal thoughts. I should have been more prompt to end the medication because when I started it, I noticed I was more alert and my heartbeat was more pronounced, but I really wanted it to work, so I thought I just needed to get used to it. 3 days after stopping the medication, I checked myself into the psych ward. Oh, also I bleached my hair while on it, and I hadn’t colored it in over 10 years."

• Cys...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 13, 2019

"Please, if you want what’s best for your body, run! It does what it’s supposed to for mood disorder and bipolar-cool, but god forbid you stop taking it or miss a dose. You will go into a whirlwind of panic attacks and crying spells. When you sleep, you will wake up nauseous, dizzy, with a sharp pain in your chest you can’t shake. Then you will have cramps, and I personally couldn’t stop throwing up. I was hospitalized for 2 days. Fluids didn’t help. Nothing. I am scared for life. I am traumatized from the medicine itself :( I only stopped because I lost my insurance after my dad died, I couldn’t go to my psychiatrist. Please, just beware."

• You...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 26, 2016

"I started noticing the weight loss at the end of January. I weighed 235 and was down to 220 in a month without trying to diet or exercise. I was taking 100 mg then up to 200, and now 300. I weigh 209 to this date. 26 pounds in 56 days. My mind is foggy, I feel like a zombie, some days I can clean for 5 hours, I have migraines when I've never had them before in my life, my knees are in pain, my throat hurts, a numb feeling all over my body. Doctors screw you over, so be careful. I'm on a vegan diet for the past 5 days. Will update after another few months to see more of the symptoms and weight loss."

• Jen...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 22, 2019

"I have been on Topamax for 20 years, 400 mg each day and would love to hear about other people's long-term experiences. I’m concerned about the long-term effects and how much it is working after this long?"

• Rte...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 3, 2018

"Topiramate nearly killed me! I was put on it by a psychiatrist who never saw me again after prescribing it. I suffered severe weight loss and lack of appetite, I went from a healthy size 10 to 48 kg and was almost size zero. After discontinuing topiramate, I began having bulimia symptoms and am sure I would have starved to death if I wasn't taken off it. It did not help my depression or other bipolar symptoms. It made me not able to empty my bladder properly, resulting in kidney stones and a severe urine infection. I would urge anyone considering taking this drug to do your research into the physically devastating side effects carefully and only do so with regular monitoring by a psychiatrist and not for it to be left to a GP to monitor."

• Sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 20, 2018

"I was happy to be prescribed a bipolar medication that would not cause me to gain weight, which the others had done. However, the minute I started taking topiramate, I experienced bladder issues. It was pretty debilitating and painful, so I had to stop immediately, unfortunately. I can't comment on whether it would have worked mentally or not."

• Dis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2021

"I started taking a very low dose of topiramate and started having awful, disturbing nightmares every night. I was also vaguely drowsy and confused all the time, which was interfering with work - I sometimes appeared slightly stupid when interviewing people. When the dosage was increased, I started having pain in my eyes, a bad headache, and nausea. It was the weekend, so I couldn't reach my psychiatrist. I called the pharmacist, and he told me to go to the hospital right away because this was a side effect that could make me permanently blind if not addressed quickly. Needless to say, this was a traumatic experience, and I would not recommend taking this drug."

• Jem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2020

"Started taking topiramate. Christmas night was the first night I started itching. I took my Atarax, calmed it down, went to sleep. 2nd night I took it, same thing, but I also woke up at 2:30 and my mouth was sore, and my tongue felt like it had a burning sensation, and I was itchy all over."

• ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 28, 2021

"I have never been so glad to read bad reviews in my life! I thought it was just me. My psychiatrist just kind of prescribed topiramate on a whim. I don't normally question him. He mentioned no side effects. But he never does. So, 200 mg daily for 8 months. I've wondered why I had less than no energy, sudden problems with bladder infections, hair loss, can't spell, can't remember yesterday, can't concentrate. It didn't help my moods either. I had just accepted the fact that it was me at 61. Now I know differently. It just took 12 hours of research to find out. It was worth it. I'm very upset with my psychiatrist of 12 years. Don't take this medicine if you have an alternative."

• Mik...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2021

"This medication, paired with sertraline, derailed my life. I was so sick I was forced to take leave from work. At the five-week period of the medication, my blood work came back with “critical” levels in seven results. I wound up in the ER and was diagnosed with neutropenia. At this point, I’m now on my fourth week off work, isolated from family, and my levels are slowly returning to normal (fingers crossed). Be careful and get your blood checked regularly. I was at 0.2 neutrophils, 136 blood platelets, and 2.0 WBC, I also had mild cytosis and irregular smears. All in all, I was better off rapid cycling on my other medication or not even on medication. I pray my body isn’t permanently damaged. Every patient's worst nightmare. Having the drugs that supposedly are going to help you totally derail your life."

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2013

Topiramate "I only took this drug for 3 days before ending up in the psych unit from a psychotic episode. I had never had one before, mind you. My doctor warned me, also, when he gave me the Rx, to watch for symptoms of such an episode. He did not go on to tell me specifically what those symptoms would be like, and I had no idea what this could entail. He said the drug had/has been known to cause these episodes. Just telling me to watch for symptoms, though...by the time I started having the symptoms, I was too paranoid to be able to do anything about it or even realize what was happening since I had never had such an episode. It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life, and I still have nightmares and anxiety about the things experienced in my head and thoughts during the time of the episode that lasted for 2 weeks, even while in the hospital. I would love to sue the pants off the makers and that doctor who, by the way, when my mother called my doctor for help, he stated, 'Since she won't talk to me, I am not her doctor anymore as of this moment.' I wouldn't get on the phone because I was in the middle of a psychotic episode and thought everyone was trying to kill me. Great doctor, huh?! DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG!!"

• Lev...
• August 1, 2011

Topiramate "I have been diagnosed with anxiety for over 10 years. I have been taking Lexapro and have Bipolar for 3 months. I have been on Topamax. I love it. I have lost weight and feel great."

• kat...
• July 10, 2008

Topiramate "Love this. I have been on Seroquel and gained a tremendous amount of weight and turned into a zombie. I lost 20 lbs in 1 month and feel the best I have felt in a long time."

• cha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 22, 2013

Topiramate "Over the edge... best thing ever!"

• Bip...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 16, 2015

"Be very careful with the dosing, less is more. Start slow. For me, I'm Bipolar 1, and 50 mg brought clarity, but 100 mg made word-finding difficult."

• gre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 6, 2014

Topiramate "I have felt great. No weight loss yet, but I feel very good. I am taking it with sertraline. And so far, it is the right medicine for me."

• Kim...
• February 10, 2013

Topiramate "Stabilizing when used with Lamictal and Lexapro."

• aus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 17, 2016

"I take this as a mood stabilizer, it has really helped level out my moods."

• Deb...
• January 2, 2017

"After so many years of trying, I finally start to function as a (almost) normal human being. Topamax is my lifesaver."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 16, 2019

"I love Topamax! It has helped so much with my racy thoughts I have with my bipolar. It even helps me sleep at night."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 16, 2012

"Love it for bipolar disorder and losing weight! I've been on this for just over 3 years, and I've lost close to 100 lbs!"

• Ged...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 1, 2014

Topiramate "I have been taking it for mood, and it works wonders! Mood is stable with only one side effect."

• Jal...
• February 17, 2018

"On Topamax for 8 years. 200 mg daily. Bipolar 1 with psychotic features. It leveled my moods, and I lost 165 pounds in 20 months. Maybe a little brief mental fog rarely, but I can live with it."

• pri...
• July 14, 2008

Topiramate "Great, and also losing the weight from the previous medicines I was on. Love it."