Topamax side effects

19 March 2011

Topamax – Kidney Stones and Birth Defects?

One of today’s preventative drugs for migraine Topamax (topiramate) has come under fire lately as the medical community expresses concern about some of its possible side effects.

Coming first in December, a study out of the University of Texas brought up the issue of kidney stones (nephrolithiasis). Patients on topiramate for two years were tested. 10.7% of them had kidney stones with outward symptoms. However, among patients with no history of kidney stones, the CT scan showed that 20% had kidney stones with no symptoms after two years of taking topiramate!

What does that mean? It means that, if you take Topamax for a couple of years, you have a very good chance of developing kidney stones. (read Nephrolithiasis in topiramate users.)

Then, just this month, the FDA in the United States issued a warning that topiramate could cause development of cleft lip and/or cleft palate in newborns. Taking Topamax could double your risk – still a small risk, but quite a jump. This is particularly a concern in the first trimester, but the dangers thereafter are not well understood. We do know that topiramate passes into breast milk.

Another reason for pregnant women to carefully consider the risks before taking Topamax during pregnancy.

Topamax has helped many migraine patients. There’s a reason why it’s frequently prescribed. But we need to remember that it does have risks. Many patients stop taking it because of side effects (and migraine patients may have more Topamax side effects than everyone else). But the fact of the matter is, some side effects are not known right away. There are other treatments that should be tried first, including both drug and non-drug options.

via Warnings about Topamax (topiramate)

16 March 2009

New Migraine Topamax study: Adolescents

James Discoveries & Stats, Medications 7

The latest migraine Topamax study was published in Pediatrics this month. It was a study of migraine patients age 12-17.

The children and teen crowd have had far fewer migraine studies done. Last year we talked about Topamax for children; this study focused on the older subset – adolescents. Here’s what they found:

As you can see, there was a significant difference. In more practical terms, those taking Topamax went from 4.3 attacks per month to 1.3, and had fewer days with migraine. (Note, however, that even those on a placebo saw a significant reduction in attacks, so the numbers aren’t quite as good as they look) The numbers on the bottom of the chart show percentages.

The researchers said that topiramate was well tolerated. However, the fact of the matter is that almost 3/4 of the patients experienced side effects. The common ones were upper respiratory tract infection, itchy or tingling skin, and dizziness.

There should be some concern that, in the rush to make Topamax an "approved" migraine drug around the world, we start thinking it’s the best thing to try. The fact remains that topiramate is a powerful drug which commonly has side effects. It is hoped that Topamax will not be the first thing your doctor recommends.

This is especially important in children. As was pointed out in the Italian review in 2008, we should be especially concerned about the impact these side effects will have on children and teens. Other common side effects in children are weight loss, anorexia, trouble concentrating, and tiredness.

Topamax may prove to help adolescents with migraine. However, the side effects may prompt many to look at other options.

Via: Topiramate safely prevents migraine in adolescents

5 May 2008

Topamax for children?

James Medications 2

After all the discussion here about the side effects of Topamax, it was interesting to read the research about Topamax for children that was published last month.

In reality, there hasn’t been a lot of testing when it comes to topiramate for children. However, the researchers in Italy pulled the research together that has been done in the past, and made some interesting observations.

Has Topamax helped children with migraine? Yes, we have seen a reduction in migraine attacks in children taking Topamax.

Were there side effects? Yes, but which ones and how bad they were varied a LOT from child to child. The most common problems were weight loss, anorexia, abdominal pain, tiredness, trouble concentrating, and itchy or tingling skin (paraesthesia). Sometimes the side effects were only temporary.

The researchers made a good point regarding side effects. They said,"Since these adverse events, although often transitory, may be distressing for the child, we strongly recommend to assess the disability caused by the migraine episodes before deciding to initiate a prophylactic treatment."

In other words, be cautious, because these side effects may impact the life of a child far more than it would an adult.

It’s been noted before that decreased sweating, another possible side effect, may be particularly dangerous for children. Children on Topamax need to be watched closely.

By popular demand, there’s now a more in depth article on Topamax side effects here.