Best time of day for taking Topa?

[sashha41]

Hi,

I am new to MWO, and new to Topa -- only at 50 mg currently. I have read the Lancet report, RJ's book, and nearly every post on this forum about Topamax. I see that people consistently split their dosing of Topa into 2 times daily, and I also see that most people consistently feel fatigued. I am curious to hear what experiences people have with changing their dosing schedules and how it impacts the fatigue. For example, in the Lancet report (and RJ's book), one dose is in the AM, with another in the afternoon, but not at night. Several people post that they take an evening dose, however. Does anyone take it in the afternoon instead, not at night? How does that impact the fatigue?

I'm encouraged by everything I've read thus far and hope this post provides myself and others even more insight.

Thanks to all.

[skempy]

Is there an answer to this somewhere? I'm starting Topa again today and also working...need to beat the fatigue.

[Isolde]

Hey there sashha and skempy! I was also VERY concerned about the fatigue from Topa. I tend to be naturally kind of tired during the day (I blame it on sitting in front of a computer for 8 hours at work), so being MORE tired AND kind of dopey was not something I was looking forward to. The first day I did feel like I was very sleepy, much more so than usual. The second day was not as bad though. And really it has not been bad at all since then. Some periods of tiredness here and there, but that is really pretty normal for me. I do the normal split - one dose in the am, and then the second about 12 hours later. The last couple of days I've actually felt kind of energized, almost jittery. In a good way! I didn't even think about it until I started typing this post, but I am taking another supplement that is not on the MWO list. I've been taking it on and off for a few years, and just recently started it up again. And I have noticed that when I've ramped up the dosage in the past, I have felt more energized and alive. So maybe that is why I am not feeling so tired and goofy from the Topa. I couldn't say for sure of course, but it is an outside variable that could be a factor. The supplement is MSM. You can google it if you're interested in reading more about it - it has tons of benefits. I am currently taking 8 grams a day in powder form (you have to ramp up slowly, as it can cause some GI upset).

Today is my 7th day on 50mg of Topa, so I'm bumping up to 75mg tomorrow. So far I'm doing well! Cravings are definitely reduced, both for alcohol and food! It changes the way that a lot of drinks taste - anything carbonated, so there goes my beer and all the mixers I use for my mixed drinks! I think that plays a role in craving reduction right there.

I do feel kind of headachey pretty often, just slight though. Not sure if it's strictly from the Topa, or an interaction between that and the MSM. It's not enough to make me reach for the Advil or anything, but it gets worse when I drink. I am drinking a LOT of water and always feeling like I need more.

In any case, even if the MSM is the only thing keeping me from passing out on my keyboard at work during the day, I have read a lot of posts that say the effects DO go away after about a month or so. My doc said the same thing as well. So just be prepared with extra coffee/tea/energy drinks for a bit! I also ordered the Adrafinil the same day I got my Topa script, but by the time it gets to me I will have supposedly gotten over the 1 month hump anyway!

Best of luck to both of you! Keep us posted on how you're doing!

[sashha41]

Hello and thanks for the only 2 responses I've received so far. I've been surprised by the lack of responses because there are other places in the forum where people have reported various experiments with dosage/times of day, but maybe it's just not a compelling enough topic.

In any case, I'm now up to 100 mg/day and I'm exhausted all the time. I'm happy to say that beer tastes like crap (not that I was a huge beer drinker), and I can easily curtail some of my favorite drinks such as vodka tonics or margaritas. My favorite vice has always been wine, however, and that one is still a challenge. I'd say I've cut back about 10%-15%, and I think I'll get even more improvement at a higher dose of Topa, but I really need to do something about the tiredness. I take 50mg around 8 AM, and another 50mg around 4 PM. If I take it much later, it is hell getting up the next morning. I want to add another 25-50, but what time of day?

The worst part of the tiredness is that I used to work out 3-5 times per week, and for the past 2 weeks, I've barely done more than moderate walking because I just don't have the energy.

Any suggestions?

Thanks to all.

Sashha

[Isolde]

Sashha, I've noticed this to be a very quiet area of the forum myself. You might also want to post this under General Discussion, as that area sees a lot more activity.

Hopefully the fatigue is just a temporary side effect. Aside from taking additional supplements for energy, I'm not sure there's much you can do aside from waiting it out (which is not easy to do when you are dragging yourself through the day). You've already experiemented w/taking the dose later, and you know that doesn't work for you. I'm not sure if you could take it all at once, I haven't heard of anyone doing that. Hopefully you will get some more responses to help you out w/this!

[Larisa]

Hey, there,

Sorry for not responding earlier - I was glued to the topa postings when I first started taking it, and then I kind of tapered off of them as I got more comfortable. I didn't have many side effects, and it took me until about 200 mg. to feel much craving reduction. I'm at 300 mg now, and I also got exhausted! I know exactly what you mean about working out - it seemed ridiculous to even consider it when I could barely drive to work in the morning without passing out! I kept thinking a little exercise might help me wake up, but the one time I forced myself to go to the gym, I could not physically make my body get through 30 minutes of movement on the elliptical trainer.

The only thing I knew to do was wait it out. I think the Adrafinil - the stuff RJ recommended for mental fogginess - actually helped me to wake up considerably and even acted as a mood lifter. I took 2 of them at a time, which was a little expensive as they're $40/box, but it was worth it. The tiredness did eventually wear off. It's so wonderful not to have to drink every day until passing out; I will say that in my case, it was more than worth having to put up with the initial exhaustion.

Just my two bits, hope it helps! Please feel free to ask me anything else, if you want to. PM me if I don't answer here - it's easy to lose track sometimes. And best of luck on kicking that jerk AL to the curb!!

(BTW, I take 100 mg mid-morning and 200 mg around 3:30 pm.)

Ah...one more thing...if red wine is your poison, the topa will soon make it taste like ass, fear not...

[skempy]

Back again! I'm now up to 75 mg of Topa (25 in am and 50 pm) - also at the end of a 2 week trial of Campral for which I have no Rx and no connection w/the doc that gave me the samples. I don't think it's doing any good though, since I haven't stopped drinking. Maybe I've cut back a tiny bit, but Friday night I just was completely blistered after downing a 1.5 liter of wine. I've managed to taper down to 3-4 (generous) glasses a night, so 1.5 liters was alot, even for me!

I'm actually beginning to wonder if the supps didn't play a bigger role than I originally thought when I used them 2 years ago. I probably should incorporate them again...

[marlxoxo]

Hi Skempy, I just wanted to tell you that I found the kudzu and l glut along with the topa made a huge difference for me. Have you tried the MSM or adrafinil for fatigue as mentioned in an earlier post? I haven't but am interested in hearing more about them as I too get very tired from the topa. I have recently slacked off on the herbs and the topa and find the bottles of wine and vodka are emptying out quicker. I'm going to the beach for 2 days, will take the topa with me and when I come back, I'm going hard core with all the herbs. It really worked before. Good luck, let me know if you find anything for the fatigue as I will do the same.