Michelle McVadon
“Everybody has a burden to bear, and mine just happens to be migraines.”
Michelle runs a kung fu school in Seattle. She's also the school's head instructor. That makes her smart, physically fit, and tough. Even so, migraines were a big challenge.
“...when I have a migraine I can't bend over to do the stretches, so I'm holding myself apart.”
Michelle is the kind of teacher who wants to participate physically in her class. She prides herself on working as hard as her students. So when a migraine makes that impossible, it hits her where she lives.
“I told my doctor... that I basically arranged my life in order not to get a migraine.”
Michelle has become very good at planning out how to avoid migraines. She arranges her work schedule so she's only working part time, and insists on getting 9 hours of sleep every night. The trouble is, nothing really works — she gets migraines regardless.
“If the frequency of my migraines goes down, my life would be so much more productive — my life would change dramatically, I would get so much more done.”
Michelle has taken a lot of medications over the years. For more on the variety of migraine treatment options, click here. At first, her migraines responded – somewhat – to over-the-counter pain relievers, but over time she grew to rely on prescription drugs that didn't always work. She was only treating her migraines one at a time, and doing nothing about helping to reduce their frequency.
“I always read about the pros and cons of the drugs that I'm about to take and I decided to try TOPAMAX.”
Her doctor had been trying for some time to convince her to go for a daily preventive approach, and suggested TOPAMAX, a drug she can take every day to help reduce the frequency of her migraines. 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.
“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.
“I feel hopeful about being able to reduce the frequency of my migraines.”
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. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a fever or decreased sweating.
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
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