Topamax Update: I'm Not A Drooling Retard Yet

Howdy. Due to the number of folks that seem to hit this site because of a previous post or two that I made concerning my troubles with Benign Positional Vertigo last year and then being prescribed Topamax (lots and lots of Topamax and Vertigo google search words, apparently, bringing folks to Ornery Woman like flies to sugar), I thought I'd give y'all an update on how Ol' Billychic was doing.

Fine, thanks.

Originally, I was wary because Topamax is normally prescribed for folks suffering from epilepsy. However, in low doses, it is given for migraines - which is what the doctors thought was part of my problem: that I had vestibular migraines that were adding to the BPV. 25 mg of Topamax at night was suggested to keep the nasties away.

My concern, however, was that it would make me...stupid - which is what so many sites were warning me about. I had read that it would make me duller than a bag of rocks and decrease my word association skills - or, basically, instead of saying "Hi, Roger!" I would say "Hi, Chair!" because my brain had been morphed and I had become retarded overnight.



This is not the case. I have been taking this stuff for about 8 or 9 months now, and it has made no negative noticeable difference - well, except for the fact that I have an insatiable urge to call people strange names, but they are always people I don't like, and the names are usually things like syphyllitic cunt and fucktard, so this is probably not indicative of any neurological change due to the drug...more just that I'm an ornery bitch with a potty mouth. (wink)

My BPV is about 90% gone (it's always there a little tiny bit...some days more than others) and the migraines are mostly gone. I have noticed that if I go for several days without taking the Topamax, the chances of having a migraine, as well as a heightened experience of vertigo increase exponentially almost.

The one big drawback is that this shit is expensive, yo. Even with my prima-dima healthcare plan, the prescription costs me, AFTER my insurance has taken care of their share, about $40 a month. Not a lot compared to what some folks pay for their meds, I'm lucky; but a lot more than I thought I would have to shell out.

So there you have it, to all those interested: the topamax seems to work for me and I'm not a drooling idiot. Or, at least, not any more than I already was.