How much topiramate for weight loss

All antiepileptic drugs medications used to treat seizures due to epilepsy are known to slightly raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Clinical studies looked at people taking an antiepileptic drug for any condition. The people had about twice the risk of suicidal thoughts or behaviors than people taking a placebo.

In these studies, suicidal behavior or thoughts occurred in:. These symptoms can include:. If you have any symptoms of new or worsening depression while taking Topamax, talk with your doctor right away. They can suggest ways to ease this condition. They may also recommend that you switch to a different medication.

If you need to stop taking Topamax, your doctor will explain how to taper off the drug gradually. However, weight gain has been reported with some anticonvulsant drugs that are in the same class as Topamax.

A drug class is a group of medications that work in a similar way. Topamax can cause weight loss. However, the drug may reduce your appetite, which may lead you to lose weight. This depended on the dosage and condition treated. One review of studies looked at the average weight loss in people who took Topamax.

It also looked at how long it took them to lose weight when they took the drug. People who took Topamax for at least 4 months lost an average of But your doctor might recommend Topamax for preventing seizures or migraine if you would also benefit from weight loss. You should take it as prescribed by your doctor for seizures or migraine.

Note: Weight loss is an approved use for the brand-name medication Qsymia. Qysmia contains topiramate the active drug in Topamax with another drug called phentermine. The drug is also approved for use in people who are overweight and have an increased risk of health problems. These can include conditions such as high blood pressure , high cholesterol , and type 2 diabetes. Typically, your doctor will start you on a low dose.

Your doctor will ultimately prescribe the smallest dose that provides the desired effect. The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs. The usual recommended dosage is 50 mg taken once in the morning and once in the evening.

Your doctor will gradually increase your dosage to this level over the first 4 weeks of treatment. This allows your body to get used to the medication and helps reduce the frequency and severity of side effects. Topamax is used to treat epilepsy a condition that causes repeated seizures in certain situations. The dosage of Topamax is gradually increased over the first few weeks of treatment.

Topamax can be used on its own to treat partial-onset seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. The usual recommended dosage for treating these types of seizures is mg twice per day.

The drug should be taken once in the morning and once in the evening for a total of mg per day. This is the dosage for both adults and children ages 10 years and older. Topamax can be used with other seizure medications to treat partial-onset seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and seizures linked to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome LGS. LGS is a rare form of childhood epilepsy that causes several different types of seizures. For the first week of treatment, the starting dosage is usually 25 mg to 50 mg per day.

After this, your doctor may increase your daily dosage by 25 mg to 50 mg each week until the recommended dosage is reached. The usual recommended dosages for treating these types of seizures in adults ages 17 years and older are:.

The recommended dose per day is split into two equal doses. One dose is taken in the morning and the other is taken in the evening.

Topamax is used to treat certain seizures in children ages 2 years and older. The usual recommended dosage of Topamax in children ages 12 years and older is the same as it is for adults. For children ages 10 years and older, the usual recommended dosage of Topamax is the same as it is for adults. Below is information for treating children ages 2 to 9 years.

For the first week of treatment, the starting dosage is 25 milligrams mg taken every evening. If your child tolerates this well, for the second week of treatment, their doctor may increase the dosage to 25 mg twice per day. This is a total of 50 mg daily. This will take place over the first few weeks until the recommended dose is reached.

After this, their doctor may increase their daily dosage by 25 mg to 50 mg each week. This is done until your child is at the minimum recommended dose for their body weight. This increase will continue until your child is at the maximum dose for their body weight. For children ages 2 to 9 years, the usual recommended dosage of Topamax is based on body weight as follows:.

Children ages 17 years and older typically take the same dosage of Topamax as adults. The following sections discuss the dosages for children ages 2 to 16 years. For the first week of treatment, the starting dose per day is usually about 1 milligram mg to 3 mg per kilogram kg of body weight. Topamax is typically taken as a single dose every evening. This allows their body to get used to the medication and helps reduce the frequency and severity of side effects.

The medication is split into two equal doses. The daily dose is increased until your child is at the minimum recommended dose for their body weight.

For children ages 2 to 16 years, the usual recommended daily dose is 5 mg to 9 mg per kg of body weight. The recommended daily dose is split into two equal doses. One dose is taken in the morning, and the other dose is taken in the evening.

Take your next dose at your usual time. This can include setting an alarm on your phone or downloading a reminder app. A kitchen timer can work, too. Topamax is meant to be used as a long-term treatment. You should avoid drinking alcohol with Topamax. Drinking alcohol during Topamax treatment can increase the frequency and severity of Topamax side effects, such as:.

In serious cases, drinking alcohol with Topamax may lead to serious side effects. These may include slow, shallow breathing, loss of consciousness, coma, and in rare cases, death. Topamax is more likely to make you feel sleepy, low in energy, or a bit dazed and confused. You may also have trouble with concentration, memory, or speech while taking it.

Topamax has a half-life of about 21 hours. The half-life of a drug is the time it takes for the amount of the drug in your body to fall by half. It takes about five half-lives for a drug to be almost completely removed from your body. So for Topamax, most of the drug will be flushed out of your system within about 5 days after you stop taking it.

Controlled substances are drugs that have certain effects that give them a high potential for being misused. They also have a high risk of leading to drug dependence. Because of these risks, there are special rules about how controlled substances are prescribed and dispensed. Mood stabilizers are drugs that help prevent extreme changes in mood, such as those that occur with bipolar disorder. People with bipolar disorder typically have episodes of depression and episodes of mania.

Mania is a mood disorder that gives you an unnatural feeling of physical and mental energy. Several anticonvulsant medications also work as mood stabilizers in people with bipolar disorder. Topamax, which is an anticonvulsant medication, is sometimes used in this way. Anticonvulsants are also called antiepileptic drugs. Anticonvulsants are mainly used to treat epilepsy a condition that causes repeated seizures.

These include migraine and nerve pain. However, once Topamax controls your condition, you will need to keep taking it to continue to prevent seizures or migraine. If you stop taking Topamax, your seizures or migraine headaches may happen more often. They could also become more severe. Sometimes people without epilepsy have had seizures after suddenly stopping Topamax. If you and your doctor decide to stop treatment, you may need to stop taking Topamax gradually.

This can help reduce your risk for seizures. Topamax can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain foods. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works.

Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below are examples of medications that can interact with Topamax. Before taking Topamax, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take.

Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Topamax can make birth control drugs that contain estrogen less effective at preventing pregnancy.

Topamax treatment can also make certain birth control medications less effective at preventing pregnancy. These include:. If you use birth control that contains estrogen, your doctor may recommend switching to a different type of birth control medication while you take Topamax. Taking Topamax with phenytoin Dilantin or carbamazepine Tegretol can lower the level of Topamax in your blood. This could make Topamax less effective at preventing seizures or migraine headaches. If you need to take Topamax with phenytoin or carbamazepine, your doctor may prescribe a higher dosage of Topamax.

This should increase the chances that the drug works for you. If you need to take Topamax with valproic acid, your doctor may recommend blood tests. These will monitor the amount of ammonia in your blood. Taking Topamax with drugs called carbonic anhydrase inhibitors can raise your risk for a side effect called metabolic acidosis a high level of acid in your blood. Metabolic acidosis can also raise your risk for kidney stones.

If you need to take one of these drugs with Topamax, you may need more frequent blood tests than usual. These tests will check the level of acid in your blood. Central nervous system CNS depressants are medications that slow down activity in your central nervous system brain and spinal cord. These medications typically cause you to feel drowsy and less alert. But in serious cases, they can also cause slow, shallow breathing , loss of consciousness , coma , and in rare cases, death.

There have been no studies involving people who took Topamax with a CNS depressant. However, taking the two drugs together could raise your risk for the side effects mentioned above. For this reason, you should avoid CNS depressants while taking Topamax. These drugs can sometimes cause reduced sweating. Topamax can also reduce sweating.

Therefore, taking Topamax with anticholinergic drugs could raise your risk for overheating and hyperthermia high body temperature , especially in hot weather. Examples of anticholinergic drugs that could raise your risk for hyperthermia with Topamax include:. If you need to take one of these drugs, talk with your doctor about whether Topamax is right for you. Hydrochlorothiazide Microzide is a diuretic medication used to treat high blood pressure.

Taking Topamax with hydrochlorothiazide may increase the level of Topamax in your blood. However, your doctor may prescribe a lower dose of Topamax if you need to take hydrochlorothiazide as well. Pioglitazone Actos is a medication for type 2 diabetes. Taking Topamax with pioglitazone may decrease the level of pioglitazone in your blood. However, if you need to take pioglitazone with Topamax, your doctor may monitor your blood sugar more often.

This is to check that pioglitazone is still working you. Lithium Lithobid is a medication used for certain psychiatric illnesses, such as bipolar disorder and severe depression. Taking high doses of Topamax with lithium may increase the level of lithium in your blood. This could raise your risk for lithium side effects. These include slurred speech, memory problems, kidney failure , and muscle tremors or twitches.

A high lithium level can be serious. If you need to take Topamax with lithium, your doctor may order more frequent blood tests than usual. These tests will check your lithium level. Your doctor may need to adjust the doses of your medications as needed. Taking Topamax with amitriptyline can increase the level of amitriptyline in your blood. This could raise your risk for amitriptyline side effects. These side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, irregular heartbeats , and seizures.

If you need to take Topamax with amitriptyline, tell your doctor if you have any new side effects. Also, be sure to tell them if any side effects become more severe or occur more often. Your doctor may adjust the doses of your medications as needed. However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Topamax. A ketogenic diet is low in carbohydrates and protein , and high in fat.

This is a high level of acid in your blood. If not treated, metabolic acidosis can raise your risk for kidney stones and weakening of your bones.

Avoid taking this medicine in the evening to prevent trouble sleeping. Carefully follow your doctor's instructions for a reduced-calorie diet plan and regular exercise. Talk with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Your doctor should tell you to stop taking this medicine if you do not lose a certain amount of weight within the first 12 weeks of treatment.

It is important that you drink extra water every day while you take this medicine to help prevent kidney stones. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients.

Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine.

If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.

Do not double doses. Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Background: Obesity has been associated with several co-morbidities such as diabetes and increased mortality. Materials and Methods: This was a week randomized clinical trial study of 69 subjects during Conclusion: Topiramate induced weight loss and improved glycemic control in obese, diabetic patients.

Keywords: Obesity, topiramate, type 2 diabetes. Open in a separate window. Ethics Before including any individual in our study, all subjects signed a consent form stating that they willing to participate in our study. Efficacy end points The primary efficacy end point was the percent change in BMI at the end of the study. Assesments Weight, height and blood pressure measurements for each patient were taken according to the appropriate scales Richter Inc. RESULT Baseline characteristics At the end of the study, 69 patients 21 male and 48 female were assessed as intention to treat ITT population; 39 in the topiramate group and 30 in the placebo group.

Figure 1. Figure 2. Other diabetes markers Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and hemoglobin A1C HgA1C levels were evaluated in all patients. Table 2 Blood pressure and hemoglobin A1C in ITT subjects, a comparison between drug and placebo groups; bolded P values are significant. Table 3 Lipid profile in ITT subjects, a comparison between drug and placebo groups. Global prevalence and trends of overweight and obesity among preschool children.

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