~* HeAdAcHeS*~ - Chelmsford,MA

Hi there -

Let me begin by saying I feel your pain. Chronic headaches are no fun at all, and unfortunately, the hormone changes going on from having your child is the likely culprit. I have had chronic migraines for almost 10 years now and have been on topamax 2 different times. The first time I was on it, I was up to 200mg a day. Unfortunately, it didn't touch my headaches (though at that point, this was like the 10th med I was on and nothing worked). It did however help significantly with weight loss. I think I lost 15-20lbs while I was on it for 6 months. A couple years later, I went to a migraine specialist who wanted to put me back on the drug, even though I hadn't noticed a huge difference. I slowly worked my way up to 300mg a day over a month and a half, and that seemed to do the trick. I still did have screaming migraines, and had headaches that were not migraines one or two times a week, but compared to the daily agony I was going through, it was wonderful. The second time I was on it was after I had my son, and it did help take off some more of the baby weight. One of the side effects that is extremely common is tingling in your hands and feet. This, for me anyway, occurred more frequently when I was increasing or decreasing the dosage. At one point I had tingling in my head, which felt very strange, but that only happened once. If you have nausea on this, try taking your morning pill with toast or crackers and your evening pill with a small snack as well. This should go away once your body adjusts to the medication. Also, only increase or decrease your dosage as your doctor suggests. The second time I was on it, since I'd already tolerated 200mg a day no problem, my doctor had me start out at 100mg, then 150, 200, and then up to 300mg. Since I hadn't started at a lower dose, I noticed more of the tingling the second time around. Also, when you are coming off of it, don't be surprised if your body isn't thrilled with that. As soon as I came off the 2nd time because my husband and I were TTC, I had more screaming migraines than I can remember. It was awful. But overall, it is a good medication for both chronic headaches, migraines, and weight loss. It is the only preventative drug that I have found that makes any sort of dent in my headaches. I hope it works out for you as well as it did for me. And if not, I can suggest several other medications that are commonly used and any side effects that I experienced during my "lab rat" years trying to find something that worked! Good luck!

I have headaches too and tried seeing a neurologist for different meds. I hallucinated on Topamax which was so strange. I have found that managing stress, eating better and trying to get some exercise has been all that has helped. Avoiding chocolate, caffeine and alcohol helps too. Drinking more water & staying regular helps. Try seeing a nutritionist for more tips! Watch out for rebound headaches with Advil or Aleve.

Hey K., my sister takes Topamax for her migraines. I think it works pretty well for her, although she has always had a weight problem, and the topamax has not made her lose any. But everyone is different. Hopefully it will work well for you.

Hi K.,

I work in Neurology at a Boston hospital and the doctor I work for does prescribe Topamax to some of his pt's. So, I do know that it works but some people do experience side effects (like nausea). If it continues, contact your PCP.

Ok... have you tried a chiropractor? A lot of changes happen to our body's when you are pregnant and after we give birth. A chiropractor was the one who rid me of my headaches when I was a teen. I had all the tests done... CT etc. I guess a simple adjustment did the trick. I still go frequently and I notice that if I don't go for a while that my headaches return!