Topomax info and updates

It has been a while since I spoke about my Topomax updates, and I have received a couple of personal emails from Women who are starting, or thinking about starting Topomax. I have decided to respond here in case anyone else is prescribed Topomax, but doesn’t have a lot of info and may be as nervous or info-crazy, LOL as I was before I started taking it.

First, Topomax has literally helped me tremendously. Now, do I recommend Topomax for everyone with PMDD~~ heck no, but I wouldn’t recommend Prozac for everyone either. :) Topomax is a step in a different direction of medication though, diff than Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, etc…

Second, I cannot speak on high dosages of meds, my doc puts it to me as, I take candy dosages. It works for me and I am very lucky that my 2 doctors that I work with believe as I do, don’t mess with it unless a must and figure out first what’s going on with me before uping, etc…

I have heard that some doctors start slowly and move up until they hit a dosage they think is right for the patient, I am just not really for that for me.

I take 30 mg of Prozac and I take 50 mg of Topomax. I will continue taking 50 mg of the Topomax for at least a year and then IF I feel it needs to be uped, we can look at it, but for the most part they both think this will do the trick. Only time will tell and that’s good enough for me.

In addition to my meds I exercise daily, I walk 2 miles a day with my 2 yr old in his stroller and my Sib husky on her leash so needless to say we are getting a heck of a walk.
I also only drink water in addition to my coffee, and yes I will be the first to admit I drink too much coffee, I have gone without for 3 months straight, didn’t have much of a change and decided it was my ‘not give up’. :)

I don’t drink, smoke or do any drugs. I don’t eat a bunch of junk either so I am sure all of these, no I am POSITIVE all of these come into play with my outcome. I only say this because I don’t want anyone to think I am saying I have a miracle pill that works for me. Every day, Every month is a thinking process, something I have to work on, getting enough sleep, etc…

After all of my rambling, my point is about Topomax.

I LOVE being on my Topomax. This is actually the first prescription I can really say that about. I have been on Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Sarafem, Zoloft, was given a prescription for Klonopin (took 2 pills gave me major migraine, never took again), was given muscle relaxers, forgot name. Also took Zanax and one other one just like Zanax (name has slipped my mind).

All have been horrible for me except just my Prozac and my Topomax and of course Sarafem (same thing as Prozac just a prettier name).

With all of my appts with my psych and my doc, we figured out that I have cyclothymic disorder (definition below). I was okay living day-to-day life because unlike someone that is bipolar when you have cyclothymic disorder you never get overly high or overly low. So, to a lot of people you are just more energetic than most people rather than hyper and when you are down you are just in a dump, it happens so quickly people don’t consider you ‘depressed’.

My problem was that when I was growing up I thought it was just all a part of my PMDD and just craziness, but as I got older my cycling became worse, obviously as I get older my hormones change. Also, during my PMDD time I began dropping really low and then bouncing really high, hormones were playing a major part in something I already had. Like I said, the older I got the tougher it was, when you are high and do too much, you become exhausted, etc… you get the pic. Again, this is not nearly as high/low as a bipolar so for the outsiders looking in, it is possible to hide, esp during my PMDD time. Everyone already know I sat in the background a lot for a couple of wks during that time anyway.

Cyclothymic Disorder is a chronic bipolar disorder consisting of short periods of mild depression and short periods of hypomania (lasting a few days to a few weeks), separated by short periods of normal mood. Individuals with Cyclothymia (thymia: from the Greek word for the mind) are never free of symptoms of either depression or hypomania for more than two months at a time. In 1980 the classification of Cyclothymia was changed in the DSMV-IV from Personality Disorder to Mood Disorder.

Though the above description portrays Cyclothymia as a mild disorder, it is so only relative to the severity of Bipolar I and Bipolar II disorders. Cyclothymia can completely disrupt the life of an individual and create personal chaos. In their continual oscillation of mood, they never know from one day to the next what to expect.

Incidence of Cyclothymia

Equally common in men and women, cyclothymia affects 0.4 to 1 percent of the population. Most commonly the disorder begins in the teens or early twenties. Eventually approx 30 percent of individuals with cyclothymia experience a full-blown manic episode or major depression, and their diagnosis is changed to Bipolar I or II.

Causes

Genetic factors appear to be causative in Cyclothymia as they do in the Bipolar Disorders. Many of those affected have a family history of major depression, bipolar disorder, suicide or alcohol/drug dependence.

Symptoms

Zigzagging from periods of elation to gloom

Unable to maintain enthusiasm for new projects due to mood changes

Personal Relationship Problems due to influence of moods causing a constant “pulling close and pushing away” of emotions

Abrupt changes in personality from cheerful, confident and energetic to sad, blue or “mean”

Sleep difficulties are prominent, with affected persons sleeping little during hypomania, and “unable to get out of bed” during depression.

So, I take the Topomax to keep me from going up and down. Another reason it was so exhausting is because unlike bipolars you don’t necessarily stay up/down for a lengthy time. You actually fluctuate quite often, it’s tiring.
It helps wonderfully. I don’t feel tired on the Topomax, or wired. I still have all of my feelings, I still cry, laugh, etc… I just am able to control my rage, this has to be done not only for my own sanity but also because I have a husband and 4 children. They can’t have a Mommy apologizing all the time, but then continue living thru a monthly mess.

I take the Prozac to help with low times of PMDD ‘2 wk time’.

For me it has been a life saver, I can take a medication, still be the ‘better’ me that I enjoy, be the Mommy and Wife that I enjoy being, etc… Please! Please! Please! don’t take all of this great info as I don’t have any PMDD symptoms and I take my pill and lalalalalala, life is so easy and dandy. It’s not.

I am able to deal with stresses that most people are able to deal with and not freak out like I would without my meds. I do still feel stress, life insanities, etc… but for me that means I am on the right meds. If I couldn’t feel I would be worried. Also, this month has been extremely difficult for me, even with the meds, but I expect it with some of the personal things going on in my life. Again, I am thankful for the Topomax because I can still feel the sadness, etc… but I am now not raging because of the stress and that’s what I can’t/couldn’t stand.

I wrote at the beginning of all my ‘firsts’ with Topomax, the dry mouth (dying of thirst), tingly arms, etc… It did all go away and I am happy to report I haven’t gained any weight with it, a great plus since all the meds, except my Prozac have caused a small amount of weight gain. Other than Paxil, I gained 20 and it took about 10 months to lose that, even off the meds, sucked!

All in all, it’s been a while since I have been on the Topomax with the Prozac and am happy with the results. AGAIN, I do repeat what I said before, it takes the other things too…exercise, sleep, good eating habits and a TON of patience.

I hope this information helps anyone out there that is thinking about Topomax.