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Laura Saunders

“Less time spent with migraines means more time spent with my son.”


Running a business is hard enough without migraines, but Laura runs her own printing business, and the smell of the ink is a migraine trigger for her.

“I can remember being up all night with a severe migraine but I had to meet my business partner out at a plant at 7 in the morning and I was there even with the headache because I just had to.”

Being a single mom is hard enough without migraines, but Laura has a 6-year-old boy who would hit golf balls all day if he could.

“I think as a single parent it is more difficult to deal with migraines because there's no one in the house with you if you have a migraine to take care of the child.”

Laura is both the daughter and the granddaughter of migraine sufferers, so she was familiar with the problem, though that didn't make the migraines any easier. She couldn't plan out-of-town trips, she couldn't focus on day-to-day activities, and she found she was thinking about her migraines, not just when she had them, but between attacks as well.

“I couldn't leave home without a whole medicine chest worth of medications.”

She tried triptans, she tried every over-the-counter medicine she could find. Nothing could stop the migraines. She realized that migraines were always on her mind, whether she had one or not. Clearly, just treating them one at a time was not working.

“I did not want to just treat them when I got them, I was done with that.”

Recently, Laura told her doctor it was unacceptable that she was living so much of her life around her migraines. She didn't want to just treat them any more, she wanted to try and help decrease their frequency. That's when her doctor suggested she try TOPAMAX.

“Once I started taking TOPAMAX I noticed that I was really tired and not very hungry.”

TOPAMAX can cause side effects but most side effects are mild to moderate. In clinical studies, most patients did not stop taking TOPAMAX due to adverse events. You should talk to your HCP/doctor about any side effects.

“I'm feeling really good about it, I'm very optimistic about it and I think it's going to do me some good. I'm going to keep taking it.”

By sticking with TOPAMAX, Laura is doing what she can to help take control of her migraines. If her story sounds anything like yours, why not talk to your doctor about TOPAMAX?

Attention TOPAMAX Patients and Medical Professionals
Dispensing errors have been reported between TOPAMAX® (topiramate) tablets and TOPROL-XL® (metoprolol succinate) extended-release tablets.

Please be sure to check your tablets to ensure you are taking the right medicine.

*TOPROL-XL is a registered trademark of the AstraZeneca group of companies.

TOPAMAX® is approved for migraine prevention in adults only.
TOPAMAX® is not used to stop a migraine after it starts.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Warnings and Precautions

TOPAMAX® may cause eye problems. Serious eye problems include: sudden decrease in vision with or without eye pain and redness; blockage of fluid in the eye causing increased pressure in the eye (secondary angle closure glaucoma). These eye problems can lead to permanent loss of vision if not treated. You should call your healthcare professional right away if you have any new eye symptoms.

TOPAMAX® may cause decreased sweating and increased body temperature (fever). People, especially children, should be watched for signs of decreased sweating and fever, especially in hot temperatures. Some people may need to be hospitalized for this condition.

TOPAMAX® can increase the level of acid in your blood (metabolic acidosis). If left untreated, metabolic acidosis can cause brittle or soft bones (osteoporosis, osteomalacia, osteopenia), kidney stones, can slow the rate of growth in children, and may possibly harm your baby if you are pregnant. Metabolic acidosis can happen with or without symptoms. Sometimes people with metabolic acidosis will: feel tired, not feel hungry (loss of appetite), feel changes in heartbeat, or have trouble thinking clearly. Your healthcare provider should do a blood test to measure the level of acid in your blood before and during your treatment with TOPAMAX®. If you are pregnant, you should talk to your healthcare provider about whether you have metabolic acidosis.

Like other antiepileptic drugs, TOPAMAX® may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Pay attention to any changes and call your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying, attempts to commit suicide, new or worse depression, new or worse anxiety, feeling agitated or restless, panic attacks, trouble sleeping (insomnia), new or worse irritability, acting aggressive, being angry or violent, acting on dangerous impulses, an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania), or other unusual changes in behavior or mood.

TOPAMAX® may affect how you think, and cause confusion, problems with concentration, attention, memory, or speech, depression or mood problems, tiredness, and sleepiness.
Do not stop taking TOPAMAX® without first talking to your doctor. Stopping TOPAMAX® suddenly can cause serious problems.

If you take TOPAMAX® during pregnancy, your baby has a higher risk for birth defects called cleft lip and cleft palate. These defects can begin early in pregnancy, even before you know you are pregnant. There may be other medicines to treat your condition that have a lower chance of birth defects. All women of childbearing age should talk to their healthcare providers about using other possible treatments instead of TOPAMAX®. If the decision is made to use TOPAMAX®, you should use effective birth control (contraception) unless you are planning to become pregnant. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking TOPAMAX®. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will continue to take TOPAMAX® while you are pregnant. Metabolic acidosis may have harmful effects on your baby. Talk to your healthcare provider if TOPAMAX® has caused metabolic acidosis during your pregnancy. If you become pregnant while taking TOPAMAX®, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy.

TOPAMAX® may cause high blood ammonia levels. High ammonia in the blood can affect your mental activities, slow your alertness, make you feel tired, or cause vomiting.

Taking TOPAMAX® when you are also taking valproic acid can cause a drop in body temperature (hypothermia) to less than 95ºF, feeling tired, confusion, or coma.

Adverse Reactions

The most common side effects of TOPAMAX® include: tingling in arms and legs, loss of appetite, nausea, taste change, diarrhea, weight loss, nervousness, and upper respiratory tract infection.

Tell your doctor about other medications that you are taking. Report any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects of TOPAMAX®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Please see full US Prescribing Information and Medication Guide.

March 4, 2011 - FDA Drug Safety Communication: TOPAMAX® (topiramate) use during pregnancy can cause fetal harm, including an increased risk for cleft lip and/or cleft palate. For information from the company click here. The FDA announcement can be found at www.fda.gov.
TOPAMAX