OT Topamax?

I did do a search but I wanted to hear other people's experience with Topamax.  My pain doctor just prescribed it for my head and neck pain.  I'm a little concerned about memory loss, which I heard is a common side effect.  I am wondering if the doctor even listened to me.  I was just finished telling her that I was concerned about how bad my memory has gotten lately and she goes and prescribes a medication known for having that side effect.
My other concern is that I don't think what I have is migraines.  I really think it has to do with the mild degenerative disk disease and bulging disk that they say shouldn't cause problems but seem to for me, anyway.  The pain started when I was exercising and got worse when I went back to it.
Anyway, I am going to PT next week and having a sleep study again and then she will send me to someone to see about Botox injections and a nerve block.  The Botox isn't for wrinkles unfortunately but it's supposed to help the pain.  Anyone have experience with those things, too?

 I was on Topamax for 6 months and then I had to stop using it.  I felt like I was in a continuous haze, like constantly drunk.  I couldn't remember a conversation I had with my wife, etc.  

I forget the medication my doctor put me on for Migraines after that, but it was reactive instead of preventatory (such as Topamax).

My migraines eventually got reclassified as stress cluster headaches.

 I've had experience with Topamax.  Side-effects vary from person to person of course, but I did notice quite a bit of mental fuzziness.  It did get better after I was on it for awhile, however when doses are increased it gets worse again.  I constantly felt like I was in a fog.  I would stumble over words, have slurred speech, etc. to the point of other people noticing and commenting about it.  Eventually I had to get off of it because the mental fog wasn't worth it for me.  Another thing to consider is that Topomax has a side-effect of weight loss, often significant weight loss.  My doctor said the majority of his patients averaged at least 30-40 pound weight loss but he had a handful of patients who lost more than 100 pounds.  It can also be prescribed for weight loss alone as it is generally quite effective.  Just something to consider.  :)  If you feel your doctor isn't listening to you about your concerns, perhaps a second opinion would be a good idea?  I know I wouldn't be comfortable trusting a doctor's opinion if he wasn't going to give weight to what my concerns were.  Just my input.    

I was on Topamax for Pseudotumor Cerebri for about two years-off and on (about 6 months at a go). I was constantly feeling like I was drunk or high. It got so bad that my job asked me to submit to a drug test to prove it was the side effect of my medication and not illicit drugs!!!

Eventually, my doctor put me on a huge daily dose of Diamox instead of the Topamax, and I stayed on that until after my surgery. Now, I am not on any medication at all other than my vitamins and supplements for GBP.

Geez, this is scary.  I already have issues with remembering things and I certainly don't want to lose any more weight.  I'm beginning to wonder if this doctor knows what she is doing.  I just figured she knew that the side effects were very rare and I didn't need to worry about that.  She also talked about how it could make depression and anxiety worse and cause suicidal thoughts.  She knows I have depression and anxiety.  I just figured I would try it and at the first sign of a serious side effect I would go off it.

I don't have personal experience with Topamax but I have worked for a neurologist for 12 years so here's what I know about it.

Most of the time it works great. It is definitely the "go to" drug of choice for migraine prevention. As far as side effects, most people who tough it out for the first few months notice that the side effects decrease or go away. I think that other than some cognitive haziness (hence the nickname "Dopamax"), the biggest reason I saw people requesting to stop it was for numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes or for change in taste. If you have any history of problems with eye pressure, such as glaucoma then do not take it. Also, if you have a history of kidney stones, I wouldn't take it.

Anecdotally, my brother took it for migraines. He did notice a change in his perception of taste--could not drink soda while on it. He also had numbness and tingling in his fingers. He had some mental fuzziness, but not significantly so. However, he did develop acute onset glaucoma, which may or may not have been related to the Topamax. It did significantly decrease his migraines, but he had to stop it after the glaucoma diagnosis. Oh, and he is close to 400 lbs. and did not notice any weight loss while on it, although I have seen patients who did lose a decent amount of weight. The only ones who lost too much were already pretty thin to begin with.

So, that's what I know about Topamax! Also, I think you should see a neurologist to confirm the diagnosis of migraines. Botox can be very helpful for that, and probably the neck pain too, as can the nerve block, but I'd feel better getting the diagnosis from a neurologist who specializes in that sort of thing rather than a pain doctor.

Good luck! Neck and head pain are a bear.

I did see a neurologist but she said she didn't need to treat me because my CT scan didn't show any brain issues and that is all she dealt with.  I also wanted to mention that even though my CT scan was normal it did show what appeared to be a  venous lake in my occipital region.  That concerned me because that is where the pain seems to be concentrated but she said that a venous lake wouldn't cause any problems.  I think I would have felt better if I had a MRI there to confirm it was a venous lake but she didn't think it was necessary.  She also said that because the venous lake was in my occipital bone that it wasn't her area because she just did the brain.  She mentioned that a few times but didn't suggest that I see any other kind of doctor.
If it is a problem with my disks what kind of doctor should I see?

Ummm, I think you need to see a better neurologist! But other than that, if it is a disk problem, then maybe a neurosurgeon, but they aren't going to see you if you haven't had an MRI first (usually). I think you need to demand a brain and cervical MRI. It's not unreasonable. And since they found something on the CT scan your insurance will likely approve the MRI for  further investigation.

I mean, it's not like migraines show up on MRI (not technically. There can be some scattered stuff that is attributed to migraines, but that's not generally diagnostic) and neurologists treat migraines all the time. Shoot, sometimes it seems like that's all they treat!!

And remember, even if your disk problem isn't surgical, there are other treatment options that may be available to the neurosurgeon that your pain doctor or whoever doesn't do. It'd be worth a shot. But you need that MRI.

Sorry, I thought I mentioned that I had a MRI, too.  It was just the cervical, not the brain, though.  My PCP thought they might do one of the brain to see the venous lake since that was only seen with the CT of the brain, but this doctor didn't think it was necessary.
I would love to see another neurologist but it was like pulling teeth to get the ok to even see this one.  I could go outside my usual health care providers but I did like that they all worked together and kept all the information in one spot.
I do have all the results of all these tests if that would help any but the bottom line was that they weren't the cause of my neck and head pain in spite of the fact that there is no other abnormalites.

I feel for you, sometimes there just are no clear answers. I think that if you are truly concerned about the effects of the Topamax that it might not be for you. It's a great med but there are other meds out there. I think the Botox and nerve block might be more beneficial for you. Zonegran and Depakote are similar to the Topamax, altho they come with their own set of side effects--but typically not the mental fog that I know you're most worried about. Depakote can cause weight gain.

A 2nd opinion from a neurosurgeon on the cervical MRI results might not be a bad idea, but sometimes chasing potential dead ends can be more frustrating than it's worth.

I feel like after giving all this advice that I should point out that I'm not a nurse. I have worked as a medical assistant for 12 years for a group of great neurologists and I've learneda great deal, but I've had no training. (This is my disclaimer statement!)

I seriously hope you get some help for your pain. Chronic pain is exhausting.