Tonight I made the decision to drop back to 150 mgs a day of Topamax. I was supposed to up to 200mgs, but instead I went down. This is a first for me. I usually try to max out to get the full effect, but for once side effects are worse then any possible benefit.
For the past week I have felt like I am shaking internally. This morning I did yoga and it was hellish. My hands and feet tingled something horrible during so many of the poses. I have eaten so little and gotten full so fast. Yesterday I slept for 11 hours and woke up feeling exhausted and still with headache. My bowels are like bricks and my brain is deep in a fog like never before.
I had to ask myself if eliminating pain is really all that matters and in the end I want for a greater quality of life not just pain relief. So tonight, I compromise with my body. Hopefully it will accept my trade.
4 comments:
I just found your blog through "The Daily Headache" - this entry is just like what I have been writing about/experiencing! I'm in the process of tapering off Topamax for good for the big reason of the horrible side effects. My brain is a fog memory-wise and word-retrieval-wise, and it just makes me feel like such an idiot. I had been on the Topamax for at least a year and a half, ugh. It had been helping to keep my pain levels down (with Cymbalta) but not enough that I would want to stay for that reason. (I have New Daily Persistent Headache - NDPH)
I'm going to be trying Zonegran, which is apparently similar to Topamax WITHOUT the bad side effects - crossing my fingers!!
Good luck to you, I know your frustration/pain!!
Good luck with your new meds and thank you for commenting. It made my day. Seriously!
I am doing a bit better at a lower dose. Still having some bad bouts of depression and I know how you feel with the word retrieval thing. Isn't that a joy. I find myself playing charades a lot more lately. :)
I added your blog to my site and will be reading it. Thanks for commenting.
i too take topomax and also have seizures that is the reason i take
it but i do have migraines very bad ones they have not been as bad
on this. as a matter of fact i have
only had 3 but i do suffer the other fog tingle in my legs i as skip words while writing sometimes
but i take 400 mg a day. without it
i would have lot more seizures good luck my god bless
After only two days of tapering my Topamax dosage down a notch, I'm already experiencing a *ggrrrrrr****.
However, If I knew that my memory would fade faster than my grans', I can't say that I would've tried it at all. The impressive vocabulary I possessed 18 months ago, has now diminished to that of a.., a,a a ... can't recall the word.. [the recall that just doesn't 'RE-CALL' is a bastard], and trying oh so desperately to communicate what I really am trying to say because "I just can't(pause) find(pause) the words".
I'm probably worse off being cognitively impaired, than having a 'teeny-tiny temper', as before Topamax days. It's rather grey here too in Topa-land, and the thought of removing it from my daily activity schedule, pleasures me greatly.
I'm hoping Lamictin knows what to do with me.
Post a Comment