I take topamax and have some questions

[Buddha_Ful]

For all those who take Topamax.......I could use some advice?
I have been on this medicine for a little over a month. I am still having headaches so I went ahead and upped my dose to 50 mg. I started on 25 and stayed I was suppose to move up to 50 after 7 days but I stopped having migraines so my pcp told me to stay there. well my migraines started back again so I upped my own dose and I am still having some headaches, not migraines but headaches. My doc. is not very helpful (she is my pcp and not the one who prescribed the topamax, my neurologist is, but she retired last month) and I now have no insurance and don't know what to do. It is going back to taking over my life, my migraines can get so bad that I cannot get off the bed and do anything! They can last for weeks also. So is anyone else taking topamax? Also I heard there are some foods you need to avoid eating to help keep your migraines away, what are they, can you PLEASE list them for me or Email them to me, I am miserable and don't know what to do and do not want to up the dose anymore right now. Thanks you guys, I know you try to help as much as you can!

[gridget951]

Considering the problems that you are having w/ Topamax actually working for you consistently, and considering how incredibly *expensive* this drug is, my suggestion is to go to a local low-cost clinic or to switch to another PCP or go back to the one that you have and explain the severity of your pain situation and how debilitating it is in your life, and also your financial problems and ask for a medication that is available in a generic prescription form that is frequently prescribed for your condition and is proven to work time and again. Also, Topamax is typically increased until a theraputic dose is achieved, and this is typically 200-500 milligrams. 25-50 mg is awfully low. And why are you relying on your PCP to regulate the medication that your neurologist prescribed (even if she is retired, she is the one who prescribed and therefore gave you prescription instructions *not* your PCP. I assume there is a reason you needed a specialist (which is what a neurologist is) and that it had something to do with your PCP being unable to provide you effective treatment. Plus, Topamax is *not* an on-demand analgesic, it is thought to be a prophylactic or preventative medication, and so even if you are on Topamax for migraines, you should still have something to treat an acute case. Red wine, cheese, smoked fish, smoked anything, anything w/ MSG, anything like bacon or sausage, chocolate (even though you may crave this around the time of a headache), nuts, avocado, banana, citrus, anything dairy, anything w/ vinegar, such as things pickled, and anything fermented (obviously red wine but all alcohol in general). why not try generic floricet (buitbal w/ apap) which is a barbituate but is commonly prescribed for your type of headache and pursue getting your medical record from this retired neurologist while you look for another doctor that can treat you w/ a preventative that is less expensive than topamax & specific to your headache type. there are different types of migraine headaches, and tricyclics may work every well for you & are cheap (like elavil/amtriptyline) but they are contraindicated for other migraines, so you need to find out what your neurologist diagnosed you specifically with in the migraine family. good luck!