# Topamax effecting your writting?



## shadowbox (Nov 25, 2008)

I have some pretty severe migraines that make it hard for me to function.  I have recently started taking  Topomax, which is used to treat seizures as well as migraines.  There is one side effect, however, that can cause a person to have some memory recall issues, particularly in finding the correct word.  As an aspiring writer, it is important to me to use a variety of words.  I don't want to rely on a thesuarus ( though they are a god save in some moments.)  I was wondering if any one had taken Topomax and had these problems. 


please and thank you.

SB


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## BookStop (Nov 25, 2008)

Ouch, Shadowbox. I suffer from migraines too, but I don't think as severe as yours. I find focusing helps with pain and nausea, which goes against all conventional migraine therapy.

So to answer your question, no, I haven't taken topomax. I would definitely discuss your word pinpointing, or lack of, to your doctor. It doesn't sound fun.


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## shadowbox (Nov 25, 2008)

I havn't experienced it has much as some of the other side effects and it does say it will fade in time.  So far the weirdest side effect is the alternate taste, where things that tasted one way before taste completely different now.   mostly it makes me tired and nauseas.  It does effect my typing time, and my spelling, but I can work with that.  At least I am not crying and screaming at my husband.  Which is the alternative.  My doctors said the first week is the worse, then it fades, and I'm 4 days in.   So perhaps I'll just have to take a little writing break for a few more days.


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## sloweye (Nov 25, 2008)

I have to take a anti depressant which has much the same effect, when the Doctor put me on topamax for my migrains it wiped me out. he did change them but im damed if i can remember the name. it began with a p. worth asking for an alternative drug. i couldnt remember where i lived with the combo, scary.


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## shadowbox (Nov 25, 2008)

I take if before I go to sleep, and it seems to last till a few hours after I wake up, which I can handle I suppose.  There aren't a lot of migrain medicines I can take because many of them elevate blood pressure, which I am on two medications to keep down.  I also take Midrin, if by chance I happen to get one anyway.  I was on  Imitrex but it landed me in the hospital.  I stopped taking my anti-depressants a while back, but I remember the effects.  I could have watched a kitten get hit by a train and not cared, so there was no way I wrote diddly.  Eventually I would like to be off all medications, if that could happen.  I mean I am only twenty one, and writing is a big part of life.


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## sloweye (Nov 25, 2008)

I have been on the anti-depressants now for 18months, thankfuly they stopped my migrain treatment about 5 months ago, i dont write, find it very tough as im dyslexic, but i love to read. though it takes so long. its hard to remember the start of a book by the time i get to the end, on the migrain stuff as well it was hard to remember which book i was reading. i must have 9 - 10 books with pages marked, i cant even remember buying two of them. you have my sympathy


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## shadowbox (Nov 25, 2008)

And you have mine!


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## Werewoman (Dec 21, 2008)

Sorry I'm jumping in a little late here, but I just found this thread and I have some experience that may help someone.

I suffered horribly from migraines for years, and the older I got, the worse they got. I was unbearably sensitive to lights, sounds, smells (perfume or cologne - OMG) and even wind. I usually went straight past the nausea and right to the buick prayer which made the pain even worse. If I stood up, my head throbbed even worse. So I spent my time in bed, with the lights off, the drapes closed, the door bolted, and a goosedown pillow over my head. 

I started on Midrin, and that was okay, except my hands and feel always got freezing cold. Then I tried Fioricet, which I liked much better and continued to use for a couple of years. Then I tried a couple of the new drugs like Maxalt and Zymax, but it seemed like they just made the pain spread out throughout my head. Finally, my doctor suggested I try taking propanolol (used to be inderal) which is a beta-blocker. That stuff is a God-send!! I rarely get migraines anymore. I take propanolol 3 times a day and if I do feel a headache coming on, Bayer Plus will usually do the trick.

It's not perfect, but I am so much better than I was.


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## Interference (Dec 21, 2008)

I've had migraines since I left school.  They come and go, then last year I had to take three months off work (during which time they subsiided considerably).  My doc also prescribed Inderol for me and though the are certain, shall we say, performance issues with it, it definitely seemed to work for me.  My migraines became a little less frequent and a lot less debilitating.  As WW says, it's a beta-blocker, so God knows how it works on headaches, but it seemed to do well for me.

And it hasn't ruined my writing.  Hasn't improved it, either, but you can't have everything.

(WW, I _swear_ I'm not stalking you.   The thread just popped to the top of the list)


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## Werewoman (Dec 21, 2008)

Yes you are stalking me; otherwise you wouldn't have thought of it in the first place!  I never noticed it until you mentioned it....

You know they make little blue pills to help with your....um....issues as a result of taking the propanolol.  It's actually for high blood pressure and heart problems (arythmia, I think). The medical community doesn't know exactly what causes migraines.

What I do know is that the pain is caused by swelling of the blood vessels in the brain and propanolol restricts the swelling of blood vessels (thus the...um...you know ), it's what's causes the blood vessels to swell in the first place that stumps the docs. Some say it's an allergy to chemicals in certain foods like nuts, chocolate, and red wine. I used to keep a diary of what I ate everyday and could find no corelation between the two. I also once read it's actually the body's way of letting out unexpressed rage. That one is certainly a possiblity with me since I have a nasty case of PTSD as a result of a rather rough beginning in life. 

I have a lot of friends who are vietnam vets who take it for their 'shell shock' (same thing as PTSD) and it helps alot. The VA also prescribes it for the soldiers coming back from the middle east. I've read it 'turns down' the adrenal glands thus reducing the fight or flight response over inappropriate reactions to certain stimulus (aka flashbacks). It certainly helps keep me on an even keel, but for me the price is 'lesser' emotions - the good ones, too. It's a small price to pay for a little peace. 

In answer to the original question, I'm only a writer wannabe, but I can't see someone writing coherently under the black cloud of a migraine nor some of the meds given to control thems.

Sorry, there I go again, writing a blog instead of a post.


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## Interference (Jan 5, 2009)

The other thing I was going to say but forgot cos I was too busy stalking people is that I got a book on pressure points which has helped me a fair amount, as have peppermint essence for inhaling and ice packs (frozen peas out of the freezer more than once - it's okay if you keep in mind which end of the packet is open).  The pain is still often tremendous but it can be dealt with a little more quickly, in my experience, with these in conjunction with non-debilitating pain-killers.

Meditative relaxation is also good, of course, but extremely difficult to achieve while in pain.  What can help, though, is when you spot the first signs of an onset (apart from gulping down the paracodol) is to sit quietly and play some music.  If you aren't a musician, you might consider taking it up just for its medicinal effects.  I play guitar, but I imagine piano would be even better.

Of course, when you're in mid-cluster and the pain wakes you at 4 a.m., all bets are off ....


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## Scifi fan (Jan 5, 2009)

I think you should speak to your doctor about this, because you don't want to get misleading impressions.


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## Interference (Jan 6, 2009)

This isn't about getting or giving misleading impressions, Scifi Fan, it's about fellow sufferers sharing tips.  Doctors will tell you that migraines have evaded positive, effective treatment for centuries; some will suggest they will probably continue to do so.  The concensus of medical opinion accepts that the causes of migraines can be various, and the pain and nausea that accompany them are common, familiar and sometimes excruciating to many people.  At the moment, medicine has, apparently accidentally, come up with some reasonably useful preventative treatments, some of which can have unwanted side-effects.

I have frequently, and (on Friday, in fact) will again, consulted my doctor on available treatments that will allow me to continue to function and, ultimately, not lose my job because of my migraines.  He will either suggest something new to me (I've been on my current course of tablets for exactly twelve months) or a repeat or variation on the same.  I will try whatever he suggests.  But I will continue to grow feverfew in my garden, to keep ice packs in my freezer and to take paracetemol when the pain gets too much for these to cope with.  I will meditate and medicate in almost equal proportion.  I will still expect, some days, to wake up (literally) screaming from the pain and possibly lose a day's work or more as a result.

However, if I have found something that _sometimes_ works for me and that may even work _better_ for others, then I'd be miserly to keep it to myself, wouldn't I?

Please don't think I'm having a go at you, SFF, I thoroughly subscribe to consulting doctors about pains, lumps, fainting spells and a whole range of other things, it's just that in the case of migraines, where migraine has been diagnosed, there truly isn't a lot for doctors to do but experiment


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## Scifi fan (Jan 6, 2009)

OK, I googled, "topomax forum" and got a ton of links. Try it and see what you like. But, as I said, take the opinions with a grain of salt, since you don't know who they are.


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## mygoditsraining (Jan 20, 2009)

sloweye said:


> I have to take a anti depressant which has much the same effect... he did change them but im damed if i can remember the name. it began with a p. worth asking for an alternative drug.



Do you mean paroxetine?

Anyway, I had some issues with headaches last year, but they weren't migraines - I was suffering from an asthmatic response in my sinuses that caused them to swell and fill with fluid, resulting in massive pressure headaches that prevented me from sleeping and blurred my vision.

To the OP, I'd say that on balance being able to write (but needing a thesaurus to hand) is better than not being able to write and lying curled into a ball clutching your head in pain. Keep a diary of your health and how you feel between visits to the doctor as a document detailing your experiences (with a pain rating for headaches or other side effects) can help a diagnosis or assessment of treatment massively.


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