I have been on zyprexa and geodon, I hate it i want to die this weight gain is disgusting, I cant take topamax due to asthma....is there anything similiar? please help i cant take this crap any more, xoxo

I think ill im becoming anorexic due to the weighht gain the thought of food disgusts me, which is crazy coming from someone who used to love to eat though i was naturally a size 5 for last ten years and now i have to make myself swallow at the thought of food I look in the mirror and then cry ymyself to sleep instead of eating, i need help finding something that can reverse this weight gain

My husband started Topamax 5 months ago or so. So far so good from what I can tell but he does have his episodes every so often. He is taking it for Bipolar. The one great thing about it is that he has lost close to 85 lbs. He was 343 and is now down to 258 (he's 6'6). It has increase his confidence with his weight. I just wish the episodes would stop. He is also on Xanax 2x day, Seroquel and lithium. I hope that we can get him of a few of them and maybe just have 1 or 2 ofthem only. The only really other problem he is having is horrible dry month. He goes through so much to drink. I feel so bad but if this helps at all I'll be so greatful.

thanks to all for the great responses. I am not a Dr, but i would tell anyone who is "stable" on a different drug not to switch if they don't have to. Our goal here is to stabalize our erratic behavior. I am also bi-polar and tried abilify, risperdal, and something else which all made me too tired. I then tried Valproate which finally worked great at controling my mania. I take 50mg of Paxil which controls the depression. A neurologist suggested i try topamax as my hand tremors and i have the weight gain. But i am reluctant to fix something that is currently not broke !

I am bipolar and I have been taking topamax for about a year now. I am very small so I only need 50 mg, but it has worked wonders. Before this, I was medication-free after an awful cocktail of abilify, concerta and ambien. AWFUL. I gained a ton of weight; I still couldn't function during the day or sleep at night; I was still suicidal with racing thoughts.

Anyway, I know it doesn't work for everyone, but the topamax has made such a difference in my life. This is the first time I feel functional and "normal," as it were. The only side effects were weight loss (yay!) and a week or so of drowsiness after raising the dose. But I feel great now. I've stopped hallucinating. I've also stopped cycling...no more mania or depression.
I can function on the daily and I can sleep.

I read a lot of things that say topamax isn't effective in treating bipolar, but it's been incredibly effective for me so don't write it off as an option!

I have been on a baker's dozen of Bi-Polar meds and they all had there issues as you all know. Being that I don't like go through life as a shaking and twitching zoombie I usually would stop taking whichever med I was on eventually and enjoy the thrills and happiness (for me) that moderate mania brings... mmmm god it feels good just thinking about it... then when you get hit with the depression you start trying to save your life by taking any pill to bring you back up.

So it is for this reason my (our) quest for the right med began. I read so much good stuff about TOPAMAX initially but now after finally getting it for real I went deeper and researched more about what I am about to swallow and it feels like I'm in for a strange trip. I really enjoyed reading everyone's honest opinions because we so need that when we are fighting this "enigma wrapped in a riddle" that is are disorder.

So what's up with this TOPAMAX !!! ...I mean who wants all that crazy unpredictable "who knows what's gonna happen to me today" going on inside yourself when we already have this up and down mood disorder to deal with in the first place ... weight loss seems to be the only remotely decent side effect and even that sucks for alot of people because the enjoyment of food diminishes... who the heck wants that? Enjoying food is one of life's most important aspects ahhhh god help us... so with that said "does anybody want some extra TOPAMAX I know where to get some" ahahahha good god

My 16 yar old has only been on the topamax for 2 months and not seeing it help. My oldest took it for her migraines then it quit working for her she was on it for over 5 years.

wow thanks all, just went back on topamax and wanted to recap what it was like,; now i remember LOL , yup that is what made me stop, side effects sucked ecepted weight loss, but also i found helped with the "swings" hang in there if you are just starting it maybe a life saver.