New here and starting Topa and with a question

[airam]

Hi everybody!

This is my first post here. I'm a 44 year old woman with a long time drinking problem.

I downloaded the book but haven't finished yet. English is not my first language so I read a bit slowly.

Anyway I started Topa yesterday. I took 25mg al 5:00pm. I started having a few SE right away. A little tingling and some kind of weird vision.

I was drinking a lot. About 500mls of vodka every night. I definetly want to stop. I know it can be dangerous to stop abruptlly because of withdrawal, so I want to taper off.
Last night I drank 3 beers and had a few symptoms: sweating, insomnia.

But I really don't know how to do the tapering off process safely. How long should it take? Can somebody help me?



ETA: I have taken for a few weeks B-complex, Milk Thistle 600, Magnesium 200, L-Glutamine 3g

[havefaith]

I drank the same amount of vodka per night, and I stopped cold turkey!( it was not easy the first 3 days
I was irritable, tired and all I wanted to do was eat chocolate. And Like you I started out taking 25mg of Topa the first week(I'm on week 4 and I've stayed on 75mg, 100 was too much). I Always take it in the afternoon cause it makes me kind of sleepy. I take L-glut1800mg & b complex vitamins. It takes some time, but I promise you will feel much better. And the Topamax works- it just takes some getting used to(for me about 9 days) I have no cravings for alcohol!
Good Luck to you, and if you have any other questions you can always send me a note.

[airam]

Thank you so much Havefaith! So, are you telling me that at day 9 you stopped craving alcohol? That is great news!
I tried to stop cold turkey in the past and it was horrible. I don't want to experience that again.



Yesterday was my second day on Topa.
I took it at 5:00pm, the only difference was that I took it before dinner as opposed as after dinner the day before. I don't know if that affects differently, but I had almost no SE. No vision problems or tingling.

I continued my tappering off. I drank two and a half beers (12oz. 5%). Two before going to bed and a half during the night whenever I woke up feeling shaky or nervous. I had a much better night than the day before, no sweats at all, and slept better (maybe because a took a homeopathic sleeping pill).

Today I'm not as sleepy as I was yesterday and in a good mood.

I'm not sure if I'm starting to feel an effect from the Topa. I drank the first beer and got a buzz almost immediately Then I started to think about vodka. I didn't had any at home so I opened another beer and that was enough for the night . During the night I had a not very compelling thought about drinking vodka on Saturday. We'll see.



I forgot to add that I'm also taking Prozac 20.





Please let me know if you have some some advice for me. I'll really appreciate it.
Thank you.

[havefaith]

Geez, you sound just like me.
I take 20mg of prozac(which I would love to get off of).
I took 25 mg of topa 1st 5days(little bit of cravings)
Day6-10 took 50 mg of topa(cravings started going away)
Day 11-19 took 75mg of topa( no cravings)
Then for about 3 days I bumped it up to 100(too much, made me really dopey,didn't like it!) so I stick to 75, that seems to work for me. tomorrow is day 30AF( and I always take my Topa in the afternoon)

[individualnz]

Interesting stuff guys.

I too take prozac 40mg. I was taking Topa, but ran out and came off, but I am getting some more.

Main side effects for me are dopeyness, word recall problems, and perhaps some agitation. I think if I refined the times I took the topa it may have helped. I took it morning and at bed time. I only managed to get up to 75mg, mainly due to side effects of feeling very simple to my work colleagues and not being able to express what I am thinking clearly.

I too would be very interested in other peoples experiences, and tips to avoid unwanted side effects. I shall get to the doctor to try and get it again and join you guys with titrating up. My drinking has deteriorated markedly with every month that goes by!

Some have had great success and it would be fab to hear from them. Lets keep this thread going guys, keep up the good work and lets keep documenting our progress, I know it truly gives me hope in hard times.

Does anyone notice any effects on their mood? Interestingly many of us are already medicated for depression so it may not effect us, however it does seem to drop me a peg or two.... however so does the AL! Still I have noticed a difference in mood, Topa and AL.

Regards Indy x

[havefaith]

Indy x
I noticed a change in my mood after day 24 AF (I was real bitchy up until that point) & I've been on 75mg of Topa.
I only start taking it after a full lunch, 25g @12:00 25mg@3:00&25mg@25mg@6:00, so far so good. Doopiness seems to be going away.(thank god)
Keep up the good work!

[sunshinedaisies]

Hi there - Indi - how is Prozac different to celexa - any idea? How long have you been on it? I have been on the celexa for years. I am wondering if I should change it .....

hugs, Sun xx

[individualnz]

Hey SD,

Same class of drug, as you probably know, SSRI. Celexa is Citalopram right? Prozac is an older SSRI. Its entirely up to how the idividual responds to them. For me citalopram did not lift mood as much as Prozac, however it was a lot better for anxiety, if that makes sense. Once again, it is entirely an individual response to these drugs, but they are in the same class and have the same side effects pretty much. If Citalopram is working for you, its best to stick with what works.

Personally I believe I am very impulsive on prozac, thats not a good thing when you are trying to knock off the booze! I would truly like to take something like SAMe but I doubt it will give the AD properties I need at this point!

Starting Topa at lunch today, 25mg. I want to be AL free, I will titrate up untill I can achieve that!

Keep up the good work all

Regards Indy

[sunshinedaisies]

Hi Indi - I went back and looked at my calendar - not sure when I started titrating down but I was down (from my high of 300 mg a day) to 75 mg a day on 12th July and still AF. I know I was still AF when I broke my foot 28th July - and that my (down) mood hadn't changed, but my brother said that the Topa was probably still in my system and to give it a couple of weeks to get out. I think I finally stopped the Topa around the 18th. I started drinking again on the 5th or 6th of august - and started the topa again on the 9th at 150 mg daily. The thing is that my mood hasn't gone 'down' again since starting the Topa - and the cravings haven't stopped either!!!!! I am up to 200 mg daily. Today I did take an extra 50mg but forgot tonight's dose and it is too late to take it now. So I suppose I have only been on it again for two weeks. Which means I have only been drinking again for three weeks. Seems longer somehow. Maybe I should have titrated up slower - funny really - that is what I tell everyone else to do!!!!

I have found a web site that compares all the AD's so will study that before seeing my doc. Maybe my mood won't change this time - just hope that the Topa kicks in soon!!!!!

Good luck with the Topa again - I am rooting for you - maybe I should go back down and then start again going up slowly!

hugs, Sun XX

[airam]

Hi!
Here I am. Not very well because the Topa is not making its effect yet. I still need alcohol. I hope sometime, someday I'll be free. I'm still at 25. I planned to raise the dose to 50 today but was scared of SE. Sorry.