Hi. I'm 5 weeks into TSM. Went to c an addiction doc last Monday. He said he's had great results with Topamax. He wants me to continue with TSM (50mg Nal 1hr before drinking) and to start taking Topamax daily. Started taking 25mg yesterday, before bed for 5 nights then up dose to 50mg.
Any experience w/ topamax? TSM and topamax?
Thanks

Terez - I responded on your other post - I do not understand the way the doc is saying for you to use the Topa - you need to titrate up re the proper way for the Topa to work for you regarding Alcohol ..... and yes I did quit AL for 8 months using Topa - but the SE's made me quit it. Please feel free to PM me .....

Hugs, Maggie

I stopped Topamax after 3 days at 25mg.
SE awful, spacey, forgetful, tired, uninterested in anything … booze, food, my garden, life.
told these "transient effects" would pass but I just wanted my brain back.
into week six on TSM. have good days and bad but am seeing a few af days creep back into my life which is huge.

Terez,

Sorry to hear about the SEs you experienced with the Topa. Maggie mentioned something about titrating properly... is it possible there is another way you could dose it so the SEs aren't so bad? Just a thought...

And congrats on the AF days! The only AF days I've had in the past couple of years were driven by either a binge where I behaved badly and would stop drinking for a day or two OR if I have had to stay sober in case I needed to drive my kids somewhere. I'm really looking forward to the day that I can go, "Meh... I don't want to drink ANYTHING today." Your post is inspiration that that day will come for me at some point...

Minniemom - Terez does not need the Topamax in my opinion ! TSM and Topa are two different things - one either needs to do one or the other and to me his addiction doc does not understand the way these things work ! The Topa is good - BUT one needs to take it for ever for it to continue working ! I am glad that he stopped it - if he had continued and it had worked, then as soon as he stopped taking it, the ADE would kick in and he would be back where he began! Like me ! When I stopped taking Topa - I thought I could have just one ... yeh right !

Terez - great on the AF days - SO happy to hear about those for you ....

Hugs, Maggie x

MinneMom - I did think about going down to 12.5mg dose till "transient effects" subsided, but Dr. Sinclair had a method, it worked. i'm gonna stick with the program. Don't like docs pushing more drugs on me when i haven't asked for them and when they make me feel awful telling me "it's normal, the SE will pass." One step at a time. Bad behaviour never stopped me from drinking the next day. hats off to you.

Maggie - your Topa experience helped me make that decision for myself. thank you for sharing.

Thanks Ladies.

Terez - please check out the post that you replied to on my thread ....

Hugs, Maggie x