jewelfields
Newbie
Reged: 06/21/02
Posts: 26
Loc: California
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Has anyone had experience using Topamax(topiramate)for the treatment of depression, alcoholism or eating disorders? It is an anti-convulsive drug used to treat epilepsy but has shown to be promising in clinical trials where it was used to treat the above conditions. Even though it has not been approved for these conditions, it appears that docs are already prescribing Topamax for them. Thank you for any information.
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tone
Veteran
Reged: 06/29/03
Posts: 554
Loc: Chicago
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Just want to make a quick note about medications used for things they arent approved for..
i dont care what something is approved for or not approved for and none of us should care. first, it is hypothesized that a particular drug might help with another condition through knowing what its mechanism or clinical effects are. then, research is done on the use of the med for those conditions. Next, wheather the FDA approves it or not that doesnt matter, doctors will use it based on the research and thats fine with me. the doctor is not an employee of the state, he/she is a doctor and its his/her sovereign right to use treatments how they feel fit to.
if you want to try someone offlable i say go for it. theres not many situations where someone would be any more dangerious than using the drug for what its offically indicated for. i mean obviously you wouldnt use ritalin if your a manic or tons of wellbutrin if your epileptic, (two examples) but in most cases its no more dangerious than offical use.
go to this page and do a search to research a drug and see if you can find if it was studied to help with what off-lable use you have in mind:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/
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PrivateRealm
Threadhead
Reged: 03/18/03
Posts: 879
Loc: usa
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I have been taking Topomax for a while now for preventive means against migraines. I switched from Neurontin to Topomax as it is better for people with eating disorders, asn I am a recovering Bulimic. I have been in "remission" for almost 4 years now. Topomax is supposed to fight the urges to binge.
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KeriAnne~~~
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take - but by the moments that take our breath away."
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dsmmcm
Board Addict
Reged: 11/08/03
Posts: 391
Loc: southwest US
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Topamax is an appetite suppressant. While it is officially a drug to treat seizures, it is used for many other things, including the treatment of migraines. Only about 60% of prescriptions for topamax are for seizures. My doc has told me that there are about a dozen clinical studies going on to test topamaxs ability to help with various medical conditions.
D
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jewelfields
Newbie
Reged: 06/21/02
Posts: 26
Loc: California
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Thank you tone, PrivateRealm & dsmmcm for that great info. I've been looking into this medicine and it seems it might have potential for some folks - weight loss, depression (both of which I've been battling since childhood) and alcohol abuse treatment all in one pill. I have also come across many reports of negative side effects:
http://www.ubpn.org/messageboard/thread.jsp?forum=18&thread=4777
Anyone else reading this who has experience with this med, I would love to read your experience.
Thank you.
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dsmmcm
Board Addict
Reged: 11/08/03
Posts: 391
Loc: southwest US
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jewelfields,
It's hard to judge side effects with topamax. For seizures, the dose can be 400-600 mg. For headaches, it is usually much less, like about 100 mg. At 100 mg, I didn't notice any side effects except a slight loss of weight (food just didn't taste very good). On the other hand, one of the side effects of topamax is kidney stones. I don't know how much topamax increases the probability of kidney stones, but if you have ever had one you would be really reluctant to take a high dose of topamax-- it's one of the worst pains there is.
D
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Sweetz
Diamond Mind
Reged: 05/11/02
Posts: 765
Loc: Texas!
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I had a very brief experience with Topomox. I was put on the lowest dose (25 mg) and took it for a week with no problems. When I went to take 2 a day of them, I couldn't wake up. I literally took No Doze all day and had to spend the night out of town at a friend's house because I was too tired to drive. I was supposed to gradually get up to 200 mg. I couldn't get past 50 mg. I also tried Zonegran and some other one. Had the same problem or worse side effects. One of them I almost passed out on. Just be careful. I know you have to drink lots of water with the topomax. My Mr. Know it All Neuro said that they were looking to get it approved as a weightloss medicine. I just don't see it. He also said the kidney stone thing was no more than the regular population of people that would get the stones anyway. I don't know if I believe all that stuff.
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"If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice."
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