Comparing Contrave vs Topiramate

For Obesity I am 56yo woman, 405 lbs (not a typo), 5'9" tall. I find in thus forum that most people don't have the amount of wright to lose as I do yet I am hopeful. I started Contrave June 8th 2017 and have lost 11lbs. Soon I'll be up to 3 tabs/day. I find that it is helping somewhat yet I still am craving fast food. I am following a low carb diet with no exercise yet. I hope that the higher dose will help with the cravings more. Side effects for me have been lethargy and some nausea. I plan on continuing this med in hope that I finally can resolve my food addiction.

For Obesity I started Contrave & during the 2nd week became so nauseated that I had to stop taking it. About 4 weeks ago I started to take it again, and have stuck with just the ONE morning pill and have been doing great...I've lost 12 pounds. BUT and here is the biggest thing for those complaining they are "NOT LOSING WEIGHT" I'm also doing this with the Weight Watchers program, meaning I am taking accountability for the food I am putting into my mouth, I'm eating more fruits & veggies, I am not going to the drive through of McDonalds or eating medium size pizza's expecting this medication to help me lose weight. YOU have to change your habits or the medication won't do anything for you. I suggest taking this with a 'diet plan' or 'eating program'

For Migraine Prevention I have been on Topamax for a little over a year now to treat severe migraines. I started from 25 mg and slowly went up to 150mg. I used to get 3-4 migraines a week and now they are down to maybe once a month, if that. For that it has been a life saver, but there are a few side effects. The tingling in the hands and feet went away completely after a few weeks on the final dose. but the mental fog is a side effect that stayed. I still have trouble concentrating and remembering things, especially details & sometimes have trouble finishing a sentence. I am a student and I use to get A's all the time and now I can study for hours and will not get anything higher then B. To me this is a price to pay for being migraine free.

For Migraine Prevention Until three months ago I thought I had tried it all. My doctor mentioned Topamax in a follow-up and asked if I'd be willing to try one more time. (I'd about given up) I had just happened to be recovering from a horrific migraine from the night before that had me down with my ice packs and my trusty bucket for nine hours. So I said, "Yes, gimme!" I'm still trying to decide if it was the best decision... My goal was 100mg a day, I haven't made it beyond 50mg yet. My side effects are tingling hands/feet, brain fog, thirsty ALL THE TIME, hot flashes, and forgetfulness. I went from 2-3 migraines weekly to about that monthly. So it DOES help, but the side effects are ridiculous and they aren't going away. It's choosing the lesser of two evils.