Topiramate: Side Effects I Had with This Medication

Due to some damage, similar to a stroke, following a infection, my neurologist put me on Topiramate about two years ago in order to "decrease pressure" in my brain." I suppose I am lucky they are not drilling holes in my skull to accomplish this task.

This said I am actually quite happy with the results of Topiramate. While the initial event cost me a great deal of eyesight in my left eye and that was an ongoing, downhill slide at the time, since I began taking the medication it has stopped. Also gone are the severe headaches which I suffered from the time of the event.

I still get headaches but nowhere near what they were. Now they are the everyday, garden variety ones which may be treated with "over the counter" Motrin or Tylenol and no longer require prescription medications. Add to that the fact that they are few, far between, and of short duration, compared to right after the event when they were all the time, intense, and lasting for hours or days. This is a great improvement as far as I am concerned.

There are, however, a few side effects to Topiramate. The good news is, some of these side effects actually work for me and, to be honest, I like them. One is a mixed blessing.

The most obvious side effect is the "mixed blessing." I can no longer drink soda in any form. I cannot, in fact, drink any kind of carbonated beverage, not even an Icee. It all tastes like battery acid to me. I dearly loved Sun-Drop and Cheerwine colas. Mt. Dew was practically a necessity of life for me. I used to be an EMT and would joke about "spiking a 2-liter bottle of Mt. Dew and running a large bore IV of it directly into my arm" at 2 AM to keep me going. Not anymore. While I still remember the taste of soda, I can no longer stand it. I said this was a mixed blessing because I now drink far more water and fruit juice. Somehow this has also led to me eating less "junk food." Generally I have adopted a healthier lifestyle.

This leads to another side effect of Topiramate, weight loss. I have lost about forty pounds since I started taking it. Topiramate may not be a diet medication but it certainly helps. Of course the question is, "which came first, the chicken or the egg?" Is it the Topiramate causing me to lose weight or is it simply that I have stopped drinking all those sodas? I do not know but, whichever, it is working.

A less thrilling side effect which I have noticed since I started taking Topiramate is an occasional tingling, "pins and needles," sensation in my hands, face, and, occasionally, my feet. It does not hurt exactly, but it is annoying.

One final side effect which I have noticed, and this one took me some time, Is a difficulty recalling words. I will be in the middle of a conversation and suddenly not be able to recall a common word. It is frustrating because the word will be in my thought; I know what I want to say, I just cannot say it. This does not seem to extend to my writing and typing, merely to my speech.

Overall, I must say, for me, the benefits of Topiramate outweigh the drawbacks. This is especially true since I was well on my way to losing the eyesight in my left eye when I started taking it. I, for one, am quite happy with this medication, so far.