Posted by FloydAS on April 7, 2016, at 9:26:33
I'm currently taking Topamax 50 mg twice a day for migraine prevention. Initially I did lose a small amount of weight during the initial side effects of everything tasting funny and food simply being off putting. That passed and my eating habits returned to normal. I have been on Topamax for about 3 years. I have progressively gained weight and now having difficulty losing any despite watching what I eat. I have read that in some rare cases (maybe rare is too strong) that Topamax can cause a paradoxical weight gain effect in some individuals.
Complicating matters, I started Brintellix 20 mg a year ago which isn't reported to cause significant weight gain, but of course that is individual dependent.
I also had two hip arthroscopies to repair torn labrums - one in 2014 and one in late 2015 and struggling to regain normal activity levels. That being said my weight gain started before the surgeries and continued at the same rate afterward.
I'm also on Focalin XR 10 mg during weekdays for ADD concentration problems at work. Between the Focalin and Topamax the doctors figured I would experience weight loss but I have experienced the opposite.
I also take propranolol daily to control essential tremor. I've been on Propranolol the longest - probably nearing a decade now.
So with all of that background, it's very difficult to determine what's my primary cause of the weight gain since it is likely there's an inter-relationship between multiple factors. But I'm willing to remove the likely biggest contributing factor.
I plan to discuss with both my regular doctor and my pdoc within the next month but wanted the board's opinion. My initial thought was to possibly ween off the Topamax under doctor orders (if he agrees) and see if the headaches and migraines return and monitor the weight issue. Brintellix has been good to me so I really don't want to mess with it. And I'll be shaking like a 99 year old Parkinson's patient if I go off Propranolol so my options are quite limited I think.
Any thoughts? Sorry for rambling, but I appreciate any input.
poster:FloydAS
thread:1087900
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20160331/msgs/1087900.html