# Topamax half life



## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

After being overdosed on Topamax for migraines by a Dr who probably should not be in medicine; he doubled the dose to 400 mg when I had sides that warranted getting me off. He said they were other issues, not the Topamax. That was probably a financial decision, not a medical one by him. I thought I have permanent damage from it, but yesterday I discovered Topamax has a *half life of 11 years.* That explains why it took me 3 years to recover my ability to type, 4 years before I could write a business letter or email without my wife proof reading it and 7 years before I could do multiple jobs under pressure successfully.

It has been used as an osteoporosis preventive in women. It caused their jaws to disintegrate and femurs to snap according to the lawyer pursuing Merck. Unfortunately, none of the drug pushers will divulge this info. Wish I had googled the sides and class actions when it was prescribed. ;-( I do now!! Topamax seems to be being prescribed for everything that ails anyone just like the snake oil claims of the 19th century.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

*yesterday I discovered Topamax has a half life of 11 years. That explains why it took me 3 years to recover my ability to type, 4 years before I could write a business letter or email without my wife proof reading it and 7 years before I could do multiple jobs under pressure successfully.*

it all adds up to 14 years bob

you have been in the clear for 3 years now

*glad you made it*

enjoy from here


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Not exactly *patron*, that just means he has HALF of it left in his system. In another 11 years he will have half of that or just 1/4 of it.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Those are just bench marks along the way, not the total time off. I fired the drs and quit in Dec 2004. If I live to be 100, I may be able to type without messing up 10 - 15% of the words ;-((

I feel us survivors have a duty to warn the unsuspecting that still trust doctors without hesitation. The only dr in WA I have talked to that will even admit to my side affects is my dentist! There seems to be an impentratible Great White Wall to protect the incompetents among them. I do not do that for electricians committing arson instead of doing electrical work.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

good point *mike*

we can only take life as it presents itself
then change what we can


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## baller (Nov 14, 2008)

yes, now we just have to deal with the endless barrage of radioactive isotopes! yayy for the x-men era! NOT, such a Fail for humanity, by the greed of few…i don't know hardly Anyone intelligent/informed in my generation (young adults) Planning families/to have kids in the future…we are quickly descending into something like that of Idiocrisy (a movie), where the informed/intelligent feel they canNot Morally bring another life into this world of indentured servitude/sadistic slavery…Maybe, if we together start to turn things around, but for older generations, unless we all work on this together you Will Not see a generation better off than the previous, and many family trees will Die off…i don't care what anyone thinks about Me for saying this, if i got you to think at all about something other than sports/idols than i consider my efforts at least a part-success…

p.s. do you guys look into fukishima still (or even the gulf)? cuz they don't say ******************** on MSM, there is no real news on cable anymore, only the net…so you get it mixed in with all the other crazy half-hear-say bs, which always makes it easy to discredit to the masses thru their monolithic media manipulation machines…


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

*Topa*, I'm sorry about all of the trouble that you have and are going through because of that drug. I don't understand the health care system - it's cost go up faster than nearly every other industry there is. I know part of it has to be greed. I don't know whether your doctor did or not, however, many a doctor makes a profit when he recommends medications and this clearly should be seen and recognized as a conflict of interest but clearly it's not. I'm glad that you have improved and I'm sure that it has been a hard fight. God bless.


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## GaryC (Dec 31, 2008)

what the…


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## xwingace (Apr 25, 2011)

My doc wanted to load me up with cholesterol drugs, and he looked at me like I was from another planet when I told him I wouldn't take them. Got it under control with diet mainly. I don't understand why so many doctors think giving you poison will make you healthier.


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## russ960 (Dec 22, 2009)

Thank you for sharing your story. I've wondered what your name meant. I wish you the best in your recovery.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I'm not saying anything.

Thinking too clearly? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20678718

Need to drop a few pounds? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21438989

Don't have enough problems with your schizophrenia meds? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21105286

Perfect eyesight bothering you? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18604026

Need to liven things up at home? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18538008

Want to feel bugs crawling under your skin but too chicken for PCP? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18313929

Friends say you talk too much? Topiramate!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184290

I could go on…but like I said…I'm not saying anything.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

I'm not saying anything


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## lilredweldingrod (Nov 23, 2009)

Al, I love your Great White Wall!!! he he he


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*Chris * I agree with you 100%. WE all have a civic responsibility to share the information we discover the hard way since the [email protected][email protected]$ are willing to sacrifice people's lives to make an almighty dollar.

The published info I found said they knew there were severe psychotic reactions in 1% of patients in 1995. There is no excuse for what I went through or put my family and associates through. If my daughter can diagnose the problem in a couple of days after getting the names of my migraine meds from my wife, those [email protected][email protected]$ are either liars or incompetent; either way, they need to be out of medical practice.

The idiot who was going to fix me wanted me on massive doses of Seroquel sitting a corner for the rest of my life staring out a window. My wife flipped her lid and that was the end of those drs treating me. I have nearly solved the migranies by myself since then through research and careful observation and record keeping.

I dd take Seroquerl for migraines for a few months, small dose. When I saw a general practitioner for physical about 6 months later, she diagnosed my with diabetes. Guess what causes diabetes?? Seroquel!! I got off in time, fortunately I don't have diabetes, just not normal anymore.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

wow, Al, you certainly get paid a lot better than I do, I should start pushing topamax…I especially like the giant diamond


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## ArlinEastman (May 22, 2011)

I am so glad you are getting better. I was taking so many meds by the Military and VA that I was in a stouper for about 1 year and still do not have a clue what happened during that year. Just a faint memory.

Arlin


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

I also smile by the thought of you getting better.
Even I am a bit jealous… I can't do multiple jobs under pressure, and for sure not successfully…
I do say; the should be ashamed of them selfs.
Best thoughts,
Mads


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## Howie (May 25, 2010)

When they put a commercial on TV and list all the side effects,I wonder why anyone would take that particular med at all.

My Dad is 94 his sister was 97 and a brother 96, all grew up in the coal fields of WVa eating all the things that are bad for you. My Dad takes one little thyroid pill and NO blood pressure meds. Bottom line I think most people could throw away half of the crap a doctor prescribes and get along better.
I had a doctor put me on ACTOS. Promptly got a yeast infection. (yes men get them too and very painful) he said use Monostat 7 okay, cleared it up. One month later another yeast infection cleared that up, another month got it again(try explaining this to your wife!!!) I finally got on the net and one of the side effects of Actos is yeast infections. I quit taking the damn stuff and changed doctors(and meds) no more problems.
Like Topa said, google any meds a doctor proscribes . The answers you see may or may not be what you see advertised not to mention some the doctor doesn't have a clue about.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Not at all to take away from your experience Topa, but all this talk about side effects reminded me of a Steve Martin rant:
Side Effects
By Steve Martin

DOSAGE: take two tablets every six hours for joint pain.

SIDE EFFECTS: This drug may cause joint pain, nausea, head-ache, or shortness of breath. You may also experience muscle aches, rapid heartbeat, and ringing in the ears. If you feel faint, call your doctor. Do not consume alcohol while taking this pill; likewise, avoid red meat, shellfish, and vegetables. O.K. foods: flounder. Under no circumstances eat yak. Men can expect painful urination while sitting, especially if the penis is caught between the toilet seat and the bowl. Projectile vomiting is common in thirty per cent of users-sorry, fifty per cent. If you undergo disorienting nausea accompanied by migraine and raspy breathing, double the dosage. Leg cramps are to be expected; one knee-buckler per day is normal. Bowel movements may become frequent-in fact, every ten minutes. If bowel movements become greater than twelve per hour, consult your doctor, or any doctor, or just anyone who will speak to you. You may find yourself becoming lost or vague; this would be a good time to write a screenplay. Do not pilot a plane, unless you are among the ten per cent of users who experience "spontaneous test-pilot knowledge." If your hair begins to smell like burning tires, move away from any buildings or populated areas, and apply tincture of iodine to the head until you no longer hear what could be taken for a "countdown." May cause stigmata in Mexicans. If a fungus starts to grow between your eyebrows, call the Guinness Book of World Records. May induce a tendency to compulsively repeat the phrase "no can do." This drug may cause visions of the Virgin Mary to appear in treetops. If this happens, open a souvenir shop. There may be an overwhelming impulse to shout out during a Catholic Mass, "I'm gonna w*p you wid da ugly stick!" You may feel a powerful sense of impending doom; this is because you are about to die. Men may experience impotence, but only during intercourse. Otherwise, a powerful erection will accompany your daily "walking-around time." Do not take this product if you are uneasy with lockjaw. Do not be near a ringing telephone that works at 900 MHz or you will be very dead, very fast. We are assuming you have had chicken pox. You also may experience a growing dissatisfaction with life along with a deep sense of melancholy-join the club! Do not be concerned if you arouse a few ticks from a Geiger counter. You might want to get a one-month trial subscription to Extreme Fighting. The hook shape of the pill will often cause it to become caught in the larynx. To remove, jam a finger down your throat while a friend holds your nose to prevent the pill from lodging in a nasal passage. Then throw yourself stomach first on the back portion of a chair. The expulsion of air should eject the pill out of the mouth, unless it goes into a sinus cavity, or the brain. WARNING: This drug may shorten your intestines by twenty-one feet. Has been known to cause birth defects in the user retroactively. Passing in front of TV may cause the screen to moiré. Women often feel a loss of libido, including a whole octave lowering of the voice, an increase in ankle hair, and perhaps the lowering of a testicle. If this happens, women should write a detailed description of their last three sexual encounters and mail it to me, Bob, Trailer Six, Fancyland Trailer Park, Encino, CA. Or E-mail me at hot-guy.com. Discontinue use immediately if you feel that your teeth are receiving radio broadcasts. You may experience "lumpy back" syndrome, but we are actively seeking a cure. Bloated fingertips on the heart-side hand are common. When finished with the dosage, be sure to allow plenty of "quiet time" in order to retrain the eye to move off stationary objects. Flotation devices at sea will become pointless, as the user of this drug will develop a stone-like body density; therefore, if thrown overboard, contact your doctor. (This product may contain one or more of the following: bungee cord, plankton, rubber, crack cocaine, pork bladders, aromatic oils, gunpowder, corn husk, glue, bee pollen, dung, English muffin, poached eggs, ham, Hollandaise sauce, crushed saxophone reeds.) Sensations of levitation are illusory, as is the sensation of having a "phantom" third arm. Users may experience certain inversions of language. Acceptable: "Hi, are how you?" Unacceptable: "The rain in Sprain slays blainly on the phsssst." Twenty minutes after taking the pills, you will feel an insatiable craving to take another dose. AVOID THIS WITH ALL YOUR POWER. It is advisable to have a friend handcuff you to a large kitchen appliance, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT WILL NOT FIT THROUGH THE DOORWAY TO WHERE THE PILLS ARE. You should also be out of reach of any weapon-like utensil with which you could threaten friends or family, who should also be briefed to not give you the pills, no matter how much you sweet-talk them.


From The New Yorker, April 13, 1998.


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

The sad thing is that Steve Martin is not that far off.

I just took a look at the side effects of Penicillin. Here are just a few:

urinating less than usual or not at all
seizure (black-out or convulsions)
swollen, black, or "hairy" tongue
fear of death
pounding in the chest

It is very difficult to measure the risk of taking a drug, especially when you are desperate for relief. Perhaps there could be some probabilities given for the side effects.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

I will try to keep this short! haha

First let me say i am truly sorry that you had to learn the hard way!! It truly is criminal what the medical field/healthcare system is doing to our citizens!! Now before you get the wrong idea about what I'm saying, I think MD's are GREAT people (most of them). I dont believe any medical doctor goes through all of that schooling without the desire to truly help people. They save lives, and make miracles happen every day, and their is definitely a place for them in healthcare! Unfortunately it is not the MD's that are flawed, its the bigwigs of the Pharmaceutical companies and other people that make decisions about our medical system…and also run this country. Its gotten to the point these days that if you aren't going in for surgery or certain tests, you might as well go to a pharmacist….they know more about drugs than MD's….and MD's are just gonna give you drugs anyways!! Now of course I can't blame the individual MD's. They are doing what they were taught, and what they believe is correct. Unfortunately the whole system is fundamentally flawed, and doesnt work. This isnt debatable. We spend more money on healthcare than ANYONE in the entire world - you'd think we should be the healthiest..it would make sense that we should be the healthiest…..but we arent…we are ranked like 50th (or something like that). We also spend more money and take more drugs as a society than any other country - if drugs bring health - we should have health coming out of our ears! Now we are being bullied into drugging out kids only moments after they are born!! Like kids are born with drug deficiencies or something!!! ABSOLUTELY unacceptable.

I feel bad for MD's because they are put in such a horrible situation. They go through all this schooling (mostly learning diagnosis, and drug therapy….NOT about health), the pharmaceutical companies have their hands in almost everything these days - including curriculum for the medical students - so of course its all about drugs drugs drugs, they are being taught a fundamentally flawed health paradigm. They then get out of school and need to pay off their 300K of school debt. Unfortunately that means they need to keep a job, which means following the rules. Even if an MD doesnt believe in tossing pills around, he/she has to…...otherwise they get fired or lose their licenses, and they have no way to pay off their debt The HMO's and insurance companies are not in cahoots, so that limits the doctor's choices even farther! Its really horrible. Like i said, i feel sorry for most MD's….MOST of them truly want to help…..they literally just CAN'T. No drug will EVER make you healthy. They will only mask your body's screams for help!

Then you have people telling us its all in our genes, that we are predisposed to these chronic conditions!! absolute bull. The medical field has brainwashed people into thinking that our bodies are weak, and can't heal itself, so we MUST use drugs and surgery to "fix" us.

Ok i'll stop now. I could go on forever. I'm sure there is at least one person in here that will disagree with everything I have said, because i'm misguided or something like that! Well that person is an idiot, so i dont care! haha. I know one thing is for certain…we (as a society) need to start taking responsibility of our own health, get educated and be proactive in maintaining a healthy lifestyle! Eat well, move well, think well! Stop waiting for that magical bullet to save everyone's ailments - its never coming. Believe in the power of the body's innate intelligence!!!

Topamaxsurvivor - my heart truly goes out to you and your family! I'm glad you are getting better! And I hope everything continues to get better for you!!


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

....oh speaking of side effects of pills. thought this was funny/scary because it just came on right after writing that last post - a comercial for *asthma medicine* came on the television; It was asthma medicine for children. One of the possible side effects was *sudden Death* - i kid you not. I'm really sorry, but you seriously want me to put my child on medication that could literally cause sudden death????


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

Remember that there are side effects in everything you put in your body whether it be the common asprin or carrot juice….It will change something in you. some are just a whole lot rougher on us than other things.


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

This is true Grandpa. However carrot juice (at least organic) contains nutrients…..not toxins, so the "side effects" are much different - unless reaching toxic levels. EVERY drug is a toxin to your body however. I dont care if it saves your life - which many of them can do - its still a toxin. Drugs are not physiologically compatible with humans, and they aren't meant to be - drugs should ALWAYS be a last resort. Unfortunately we trust that our doctors are doing what is right for our health, and they tell us the complete opposite.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Thanks to all for your well wishes and kind thoughts. I am very blessed and fortunate to be strong enough to win this battle. I am doing very well considering what I have had to overcome while dealing with migraines on my own.

*dakremer* so they have it tough, who doesn't these days? Does that justify incompetence? Just because I have to compete with some clown that the courts let off without paying any of his bills while using unqualified helpers while I pay my bills and union wages and benefits, does that justify cutting corners doing shoddy work burning down some one's house and possibly killing them?

If my daughter can diagnose the Topamax issues, there is no excuse for the professionals to not know and to continue to deny it has such terrible side effects.

I was told by the prescribe there might be cold and tingling in my extremities and I might lose some weight. I did, 15% of my body weight in less than 6 months. I had the tingling and coldness too. There was no mention of the cognitive issues all the nurses know about and nickname the drug "Dopamax." No mention of the confusion or other issues. Just denial ;-((


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## dakremer (Dec 8, 2009)

oh…I agree Topamax…..i'm not saying they arent to blame as well!! Unfortunately many of the doctors actually believe they are doing the best thing for you. Its sad, because its so obviously not working. you know, we look to medical doctors to be these great minds. We put our trust in them to make us healthy. The entire healthcare system is completely corrupt. its not even healthcare…its disease-care. there's no money in healthy people. They've got a perfect system. They dont teach you how to be healthy….so then you get sick…they give you a pill that they say will make you better….when in reality it'll just make you more sick…and so then you go back for that NEW sickness…only to get another pill… Yeah you get the point….and they make more and more money off you each time. It is disgusting. 40 years down the road, our kids are going to look back and be absolutely horrified at what we are doing to ourselves NOW. That is if it has changed by then, and we are not all dead. 1st thing we need to do is get people on a healthy lifestyle….second thing we need to do - get the F'ing pharmaceutical companies out of most aspects of our healthcare system. They literally control everything


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

There was a retired couple stuck in a snow drift last winter about Christmas time. They were without food or their BP and other meds for about a week. Their son-in-law is a paramedic. When they were found, he was the first to check them out. He said their BP and other readings were the best they have been in years. So much for Drs care ;-))

I do not think that clown that OD me cares about his patients at all due to comments he has made over a couple of years I saw him. I believe it is purely a financial money generating operation.

My GP cares about her patients, but she still denies Topamax has nasty sides. I understand, she is up against the Great White Wall. If she busks the system, she is out. Probably never get a dr job again.

The guy that wanted to put me on massive doses of Seroquel to sit by a window staring at teh stars for the rest of my life is very smart, but lazy. He was smart enough to get the credentials and that is the end for him. His ego says he knows it all and will not listen to the patient nor will he ever look at any new info that comes out about the drugs he uses. The worst part is he testifies as an expert witness. How many peoples lives has this idiot destroyed in medical practice and in court? He violated nearly every standard his medical profession has established in my case.


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## lanwater (May 14, 2010)

Sorry for all your troubles Bob.

Now I know where your screen name come from…


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

Never knew what topamax survivor meant until today, now I know.

well hopefully all that is behind you so you can enjoy life today.


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## lysdexic (Mar 21, 2011)

The listed side effects are MANY. However, I've never come across a medication that has a half-life of 11 years. All the resources that I came across including the FDA and the PDR ( physician desk reference) list the half-life of topiramate (topamax) as 19-23 HOURS.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

The attorney Mike Papantonio interviewed Sunday on Ring of Fire Radio who is going after Merck for hiding the studies showing long term use destroys bones in primarily women said the half life is 11 years. They were giving it to women to prevent osteoporosis and it is destroying their jaw bones and femurs. At least those are the weak points where it shows up first. I was told it would be out of my system in 2 weeks. I thought I had permanent damage from Topamax, but I continue to improve 7 years later. I may be living proof of the half life. I used to be a fairly good at typing. I am now looking forward to the day when I do not scramble 10 to 15% of the words every time I type something. Thank God for spell checker ;-)) Once in a while I still type a word like "full". It is likely to come out in any combination of those letters, maybe "luuf" or uffl", maybe "luff". For the first 3 years, there were so many of those, I couldn't even figure out what I was trying to type sometimes! Sometimes the tails on letters go the wrong way; instead of "bob" it will be "pop". I do not have it any more, but when I used to try to write a word, I would get the 2nd or 3rd letter first when i started to write. That crap is some nasty stuff. It is hard to believe those [email protected][email protected]$ all deny the sides in unison! ;-(( My sentence structure is pretty good now, but for 3 years or so after I quit taking Topamax, it didn't make much sense a lot of the time ;-((


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

BTW, the PDR has been toned way down since the one my mother had in her library from 2002 or 2003. Big pharma must be paying them off too. Health Central has a good migraine site with a lot of good info, but you dare not talk much about side effects!! They do not tolerate it.


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

I have long stories about my former heart doctor and the meds he constantly perscribed for me (email me if you are interested in hearing them). Safice it to say today I only take 1 aspren a day and I feel wonderful.
MIKE


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## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

Medical drugs and doctors will kill you if you let them.

At one time, between my physical health problem and my depression (that stemmed from the physical health problem), doctors had me on a routine three times a day of taking ten pills. Yes, you read that right. Three times a day, I took ten pills, equaling out to thirty pills a day I was taking. At the time I was under the thinking that doctors knew best. 
I was always having problems. 
I was bound to a wheelchair. 
My blood pressure was through the roof. 
My cholesterol was high as a Georgia pine. 
Diabetes was killing me. 
I had two heart attacks. 
The depression, instead of getting better, had put me in the mental ward under suicide watch twice. 
Fluid had built up so much in my body that I was twice my normal size. I was wearing XXXXL shirts and jogging pant, since I could no longer get jeans to fit.
I was a mess.
I was like a zombie. I would fall asleep in the middle of a sentence while talking to you. Keep in mind I mean in the middle of MY sentence. I would actually fall asleep while talking.

Because of the fluid pills, I had to keep an eye on my potassium levels. I had to go in several times and get my potassium pills increased. This was usually indicated when I started cramping real bad in my abdomin. This is what I thought was going on when I went to the doctor one day. This is not what he told me though. Instead, I was told that my muscles had just deteriorated to the point of cramping from simply moving around. It wasn't actually cramping, but rather muscle pain from moving around my massive size. Towards the end of that doctor's visit, the doctor looked me straight in the eye and told me I was dying and there was nothing anyone could do.
What could I do? 
I went home, crawled into bed and decided I would lay there and die. I laid there for two days. I woke up sometimes during that third day with a "to hell with this" attitude.
I started moving around and getting as much excercise as my body would allow. I got out of the wheelchair on a walker and started shuffling my one good leg around as much as I could. All this was against doctors orders. Since the doctor had told me I was dying though, what did I have to lose?
The next thing I done I think was one of the biggest keys to my recovery. I systematically took myself off of any medication I thought was unnecessary. 
Now this list I'm going to give didn't happen overnight, but these are some of the things I slowly changed.
Diabetes drugs. Gone. I started eating right.
Blood pressure pills. Gone. I slowly relaized that eating right took care of this one too.
Three different depression medications. Gone. I found a hobby.
Fluid pills. Gone. Excercise started to quickly drop the fluid retention.
Potassium pills. Gone. Didn't need them without fluid pills. Ate bananas until the fluid pills were completely gone.
Cholesterol pills. Gone. I got off that southern fried diet I had been on for years.

I won't get into what I take now and for what. That's a whole other topic. I will say that what I take is only taken as needed. 
The whole takeaway from this is that I have made a complete turnaround since I stopped listening to doctors. I can't sit here and lie to you and tell you I am the picture of health. I am a lot better though. I have come to a realization that doctors are PRACTICING medicine. They have yet to perfect it. Above that, they think drugs are the answer to everything. 
To make matters worse, go sit in any doctors office in America and watch for a while. Those suits you see paradeing in and out of the doctor's office ahead of patients? Those are drug company reps pushing even more drugs on the doctors to distribute.

I am truly sorry for what has happened to you Topomax. Thank you for telling us about your drug though. It is a story I have heard so many time too. Same story, different drug. 
There is a saying I have that people take as a joke, but I'm not joking. I am serious as a heart attack. There are crack heads walking this earth that have less dangerous substances in their system than some of us who are taking nothing but prescription medications. While I think most doctors have good intentions, drugs are killing so many people.

You and I are lucky. Now for a worse version of this same story. Same story, diferent drugs.

Another man I know very well was taking a lot of prescrition drugs. No matter how hard I tried though, I could not get him to see the light. He kept taking them. Not only that, everytime the doctors decided to put him on another drug, it just added to the number of drugs he took on a daily basis.
He used to call me three or four times a day. He was messed up so bad on these drugs that each time I had to listen to the same things he'd told me on his previous calls because he wouldn't ven remember talking to me. 
He called me the evening of October 14, 2010. He said he felt better than he had in years. He was sitting on his back porch watching the birds and calling friends and family. The last thing he told me that evening was that he was going in to take his medicines and go to bed.
I said to him, "Daddy, if you don't get off all that medicine, it is going to kill you." 
That was the last thing I ever said to him. I got the call early in the morning on October 15, 2010. My father was dead.
They said it was natural causes. The man was fifty five years old. Those drugs killed him.

*NOTE*
Before I get all the sympathy responses, I wanted to note that my father and I were not close in no sense of the word. We put up with each other. That was it. The only reason I bring him up in this post is to drive home the point of what prescription drugs can do to you. However, he is but one on the long list of tragedies that are the deaths that occur each and every year on people who listen to well meaning doctors.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Some MDs also have PhDs and MPHs that better allow them to address public health issues. Not all MDs have lost the connection of health to medicine. My biggest beef is with narcotic pain meds. Some people need oxymorphone. These people generally have crippling bone pain due to metastatic disease. A guy with low back pain does not need to be managed with these medications. Narcotic pain meds, particularly oxymorphone, will be the scourge of the next 20 years. A plague. You heard it first here on Lumberjocks. Mark your calendars.


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## robbinscabin (Nov 6, 2008)

I've often wondered about your nickname…Especially after my daughter was put on Topamax. I almost dread telling anyone that I allow my daughter (14 yrs old) to be on a med that has such a controversial history…but I had little other choice. To fight her non stop daily Absense and Partial seizures (Thank God, there are very few convulsive seizures) to date we have tried: Phenobarbital, Depakote, Depakote ER, Keppra, Keppra Oral Solution, Keppra XR, Tegretol, Lorazapam, Lamictal, Topamax, and Zonegran. And next week she starts Neurontin. She has tried all of these medications alone, in conjunction with each other, and sometimes as many as 4 of these medications at a time. At one time she was taking 4 anti seizure medications in the AM and 3 in the PM. She has been in the hospital twice for sudden "toxicity" issues. For those who don't know "Toxicity" is code for unexplained overdose when the medicine was given exactly as prescribed. She has been hospitalized twice for 5 day EEGs. I spend hours/days researching every new med she is put on and IMHO…they're all scary as hell! I have seen the side effects on my daughter first hand and have had some of her meds removed because the side effects were worse than her constant seizures. We are once again headed to the hospital within the next few months for another week of testing. This time we are going to a Epilepsy Cilinic in Rochester NY. Our newest Neuro is fantastic, however during our last appt. he flat out told me that the chances of him finding a good treatment for my daughter are less than 5% and that she is in the highest likelihood for SUDEP (sudden unexplained death from Epilepsy). The fear of these medication is staggering…but the fear of losing my child to SUDEP because I didn't try the medications is to much to even imagine.

The one thing I have learned through my 4 years of this constant battle…Be prepared to constantly battle. No doctor know my daughter better than I do. No doctor has to live with the awful side effects more than I do. No doctor makes decisions about my daughter's life…I do. They are there to offer me their opinions and recommendations. I feel it's my job to be my daughter's advocate and that requires that I value my knowledge of my child as much as I value the doctor's opinion.

Thank you for sharing your story with us…because the people who need the information are listening.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I feel bad for all of you with similar horror stories. I have done enough googling to come to believe everyone has at least some negative sides form this med. I am sure it does some good for some, but there are many horror stories.

If doctors are responsible, they should be aware of the down side and monitor their patients, not deny, deny, deny. If they can get through med school, they have a brain they could and should be using! My mother is a retired RN. She is appauled at what he have for Dr's today vs the ones she worked with during her career.

I did not post this looking for sympathy. Be very careful if you or a loved on is prescribed Topamax. Research the downside. Anything strong enough to help is strong enough to do serious damage too.

I had a PM abut the half life statement. I am not a scientist, but my experience certainly gives credibility to that statement from my perspective. My source is Ring of Fire Radio. It was broadcast on AM 1090 in Seattle last Sunday, August 14, 2011. I don't know if you can hear it on the web or not, but it was in the last half of the show.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*cr1* A friend who is an atty told me I had a malpractice case if there ever was one. He does not do it thought. I talked to about 50 attys. They all said the same thing. Justice starts at $400,000 and they are not interested taking on a contingency basis. They told me I am still alive, I am recovering and to get on with my life. I was not willing to risk another $400K on top of the $250k I figured he cost us out of pocket plus messing my career and productive life for 3 years.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

The way i got worse and worse until I was literally disabled after 6 months of 400 mg of Topamax, the the long slow recovery over the last 7 years, I do not know if they are right about an 11 year half life, but my experience leads me to believe there was a build up and very slow drawn out dissipation. When I quit taking it, it took about a month before I began to see any real positive changes. I find it very hard to believe it has a half life of less than a day.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

*Topa*:

One of the things that the anesthesiologists told me, after Neurontin caused ME horrible problems, is that many medications can suppress the immune system (anticonvulsants-Neurontin is one-are known to suppress immune response), and allow some sort of virus to take hold.

Whether the half-life of Topamax is a day or a decade … it might have made you sick, causing something to take hold, in your body-something that hasn't gone away, yet.

Sadly.

I wish you health…..


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

part of the problem that I run into daily as an ER doc is that we live in a culture where everyone wants a quick fix; some sort of magic pill that will take away their symptoms. That is combined with a sense of entitlement, and sometimes overt threats that if I don't give them what they want, my medical license is on the line. As well, to a certain extent, the Western culture seems to want to deny as much as possible the (sometimes) inevitability of illness and the certainty of death. I wish that medicine had an answer for every type of ailment, but it doesn't, and often patients demanding this is what leads to them being on risky or inappropriate medication. The knife cuts both ways; many docs are pill pushers, I've known many, worked with many, and at times been one myself, sometimes from laziness, patient demands, or my own difficulty in telling someone that there is little that I can do to help them, it is way easier to give false hope than none at all. 
The reality is that we all get sick, sometimes seriously, sometimes there are good, well proven medications to help, and sometimes there aren't. Sometimes even these "good" meds make a person sicker. An honest acceptance and discussion of these facts by both doctors and their patients would go a long way.


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Oh, *Rob* ... you are SO right.

It's a vicious circle, but … my wife-9yrs ER RN, now a family medicine NP-has HUGE trouble talking people OUT of "a pill-" commonly (of course), antibiotics for the common cold.

Breaking cycles like these … isn't easy.

Aren't we also one of only two countries in the world that still allows pharma ads, to the general public ?

LOL ! A Nexium ad just came on in the background, as I was typing !

It's SO expensive and difficult (which, IMHO, isn't inherently a bad thing) to get a drug approved that they DO want to sell it to as MANY people as possible. This can lead to the dreaded 'off-label' issues that Topa, I, and others have experienced, AND … to making people aware that restless legs and toenail fungus are plagues that demand immediate-and potentially dangerous-treatments.

No disrespect to people with RLS or toenail fungus intended ;-)


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

^I like what Rob said. Of course, he'll get sued for undertreating pain; or get sued for overtreating it. It's a tough position we've put Rob in. I think most doctors have issue with how the pharmaceutical companies are run. Ask Rob if he likes direct TV marketing of drugs (as in, "the TV told me to ask you about Topiramate"). Ask him if he likes being labeled as a "health care provider" instead of a doctor. I mean, we basically let anyone write a script these days. The whole mess is pretty disgusting.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

'choo gotta problem, Neil?


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

DIGGER, THE DERMATOPHYTE !!!!!!

He IS my hero.

Used to be LeBron, but ….. ;-)


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

It did not make me sick, it destroyed my thought processes and any sign of rational behavior.

I experienced weekly unbearable migraine pain for 9 years was before I allowed them to try these meds. The last 4 of those years it was daily and nearly constant migraines. One of our acquaintances told us that you just cannot live in constant pain when his wife had a few issues with knee surgery for a couple of months ;-)) ;-)) ;-)) Oh yeah ;-))

DR. Sheena Aroura, on of the leading migraine researchers told me my diaries were more complete and extensive than she had ever seen in more than 5,000 research patients. I should have never trust the Drs and just continued with my research program. I have them down to a very slight start for a few minutes a couple time a week now. One the the biggest issues is the safety equipment required on most construction sites is a big trigger. I have made new discoveries about that and the extent of its impact this last spring.


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## robbinscabin (Nov 6, 2008)

Rob~Thanks for your frank assessment of doctor's thought processes.

~ My daughter's Neuro tells me on a regular basis that occassionally he's the hero but more often than not he's the jerk not doing enough. I tell him just as often that I've given up on a magic pill cure for my daughter. I've given up on being seizure free but still hope for a happy balance between her seizures and a life without major side effects. There are still good doctors who don't "push pills" but they are hard to find. There is NOT A SINGLE PILL IN THE WORLD THAT HAS NO SIDE EFFECTS! Once "we" (patients) know this and understand this hopefully "We" will be much better informed consumers of these meds.


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

Neil, I hear you. Your wife doesn't have an easy job, plus I'm sure she gets a lot of snobbery from people wanting to see a "real" doctor. Antibiotics and pain meds are the two biggest things that people demand. 
Al, life is a bit less litigious in Canada, but my wife (who is also an ER doc) has already had an "official" complaint by a patient who she didn't give narcotics to for tooth pain…also have had people in wanting meds for sunburn pain…the people that come in having heard stuff or read stuff on the internet are frustrating, occasionally humorous, like the 80y man who came into clinic demanding a Pap smear because he heard about it on TV…
Topa, I don't know much about topamax, I've certainly never prescribed it, it's not generally a drug I'd think about using for migraines, any drugs like it in the "anti-seizure" class are notorious for their horrible side effects, I'm really sorry your docs didn't pay attention to what sounds like classic side effects for it. 
Robbinscabin: It sounds like a really difficult situation you're in with your daughter. I've known a few people that have had a really hard time finding an anti seizure med that works for them. You seem to have a realistic view of things, but I can only imagine that of course, you'd want to try absolutely everything possible to help your daughter.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I'm am just thankful that my kids did not inherit this form me. They are supposed to be hereditary. I sort of wonder why because none of my family have them except my sister who can't eat yellow cheese or dark chocolate. What an easy cure she has ;-))


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Rob, I reread you posts. They use everything under the sun for migraine from anti-seizure to beta blockers and everything in between. They have no idea how they work or why. There are a lot of newer drugs that nip it in the bud so to speak, but they don't do much for me. Maybe a couple hours relief out of days of unbearable pain. They have lots of down side too. they are changing the blood flow through out your body. The drs do not want to discuss what I read in the manufacturer's data and studies.

It is really too bad the drs do not admit Topamax has a down side. They have to do that before there can be a discussion as you say. To just deny it is the Topamax even though I was just fine for 54 years before I took it is BS!! Then, continue deny when I start to improve after I get off. In WA, there is definitely a Great White Wall between the patients and drs. No dr ever admits another is incompetent or even made a bad decision.

I wonder what kind of laws you have that allow you to be sued for under treating or over treating minor pain? It sure would not happen here!


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

The worst time in my life was the period on antidepressive medicine, I never knew my self, never could really feel anything - but before I took it I was depressed and looked at trees not for the beauty but for hanging from… Before my neck operation I took so much medicine that I had open wounds in my stomac and belly and still had to take it to be able to move out of the bed.
Now I still have plenty of pain, but I took a dissision only to eat medicine whan I can't take it anymore, or muscle realeasers when I am so tense I cant sleep.
It has given me back a life, a life with pain, put a life where I can think, I can be a part of the life arround me, and I can feel who I am.
What do I want to say with this? 
Just that I think we have a tendency to belive in the medicine, and that we have a tendency not to listen to the signals of our body.
When we get a stress released depression we need peace, not pills, we need support.
When we have pain we need to lay down and relax and take in the pain so our body and mind get a chance to react.
I am the first to say it is not always possible, and so take the needed medicine, but always think, and always question not only the medicine, but also the way you live.
I'm retired now at the age of 43 but I am happy even I had to give up my dream job as a architect, I'm happy to be able to have a life where I am there, where I feel my self also when it hurts.
Best thoughts Bob,
Mads


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

Bob, thanks for leading me to this post on how you got your screen name. It was very enlightening. I really feel for all those above who have had to resort to the drugs to seek relief. I think the drug companies have many dangerous drugs on the market and take chances with people- like using them for guinea pigs- over the long term.But Doctors should be aware of all the side effects when they prescribe them- especially when so much has been published like in the case of Topomax. I looked it up and it said it was for epileptic seizures.

Luckily I only have high cholesterol. My doctor put me on Lipitor and after a little while my legs felt like there were 90 years old and hurt all the time. I did a test of running with out Lipitor to see if that was the cause. In 8 days the pain would go away. Then I took it and in about 12 days it was back. I told the doc that I refused to take it and my cholesterol went to 230 so he had me try Simvastatin and the cholesterol went to 200. Then he said the new standard is to have it at 180. I got to thinking about it and figured it was just a way to sell me more drugs and I dropped it altogether and went on the oatmeal everyday prescription (mine). I have gotten to the point where I don't want to take any foreign drugs in my body and look for a natural substance that had the ingredients in it to treat what I have. I think the Indians of years ago were very smart in this field and a lot of that should be researched and brought to light for ailments.

I get so tired so watching commercial TV. 7 minutes of show, 8 minutes of commercials and most of them are drug commercials. You'd think we had an epidemic of droopy wienie in this country with all the Viagra type commercials on TV. It is THE TAIL WAGGING THE DOG and the drug companies know it works. People diagnose what the have, match it to the commercial and go shopping for the drug at the doctor's office. It should be the doctor picking what you need and it might be a holistic product. I wish we had a ban on drug commercials in this country. They are supposed to be treatment items and not market products…. but that will never happen because money is what makes the laws and buys out better judgement by our legislators.

My wife has what is called fibromialgia. Her legs jump at night and her feet burn. She has two daily pill containers for the 10-12 pills she is taking each day. She drinks a case of Diet Coke a week and it contains Aspartame. I looked up articles on it and there are studies that show that aspartame cause fibromialgia but she won't even look at them because she feels coke is perfectly safe. It also said that aspartame tricks the sensors in the brain that the body needs more sugar than it does and causes one to become obese. I think she is overdosing on aspartame. Anyone have any input on that??


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## baller (Nov 14, 2008)

jim, I feel you on the aspartame issue…i've tried numerous times to get my parents to switch (dad is diabetic/everything else and mom has weird things popping up she can't figure out it seems, just goes into the doc every week or two, more drugs and bull********************)...try to explain to em if ur so health-conscious, why would you want to digest an ALUMINUM MANUFACTURING BY-PRODUCT? esp one that took 3 shady attempts to "pass" thru FDA, and ESP when you look at the man who made it happen….RUMSFIELD, that devil in disguise! it's so ********************in insane these days! the world is so upside down, everyone's cognitive dissonance is so overpowering you couldn't even tell them they're about to drive over the cliff…they'd say shut up, stop bursting my bubble…but yeah, now cuz sugar and calories are so evil (which manu'd sugar is, i've switched to sugar cane wherever i can) u cannot find a piece of gum/candy without it! even in KIDS vitamins….the world needs to wake up, stop trusting these industrial complexes…trust yourself, and eventually learn to trust thy neighbor….only way we're going to get back to a live-able society….cuz right now we are caught in the thick of a Murder-Based Society….think i'm exaggerating? THINK about it…don't pay taxes, men in costumes come take you away, resist strongly enough, they KILL you….drive too fast, men in costumes chase you down, don't slow to their liking, they KILL you….don't want to abide by a ridiculous new law, too bad, don't resist it or men in costumes will KILL you…..PLEASE, please, unless everyone wants to see uk riots x a million here, we Need to be proactive in recognizing/addressing the Real problems before we can create solutions…the problem isn't gaddafi or mubarek or any other foreign dictator, the problem is US, for we are being used like PAWNS in an endless circle of infighting in order to achieve Full Spectrum Dominance….divide and conquer, balkanization, learn what these things are and how they're used today! WE are THEIR weapons in this infowar, don't be a TOOL!

also jim, i know this will sound crazy, but really start looking into Chemtrails and what elements they usually contain, so that way you can arm yourself with ways to purge all these poisons! aluminum oxide, barium, strontium…this is the typical cornucopia of chemical goodness they feed us with…there is no Question in my mind why you've seen wildfires go thru the roof this year, esp in texas right now!


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## bubbyboy (Jan 10, 2011)

Topamax, I would like to start off by thanking you for this interesting post. I just stumbled onto it and have read every post, only thing I can say is WOW! I am a 55 year old male who takes the following meds every day. By the way I usually feel like crap everyday to, but have been told by several DR'S that I need these drugs to live some sort of normal life. I have been thinking for the last couple of months that maybe what I need to do is just stop taking them completely and then I would feel better. Your post has got me to seriously thinking about this more than ever. I probraby, like most people here am naive to the real education of my doctors as I have only been a wood worker my whole life and figure the Doc's are smarter than me but after reading this post maybe not. I have had 6 back surgeries hardware in, hardware out full fusion, 2 shoulder surgeries 1 knee surgery now facing another one. MRI scheduled tommorow for a brain scan because of sudden onset hearing loss in one ear, now I am wondering if it has anything to do with these drugs. There seem to be a lot of really smart people here who could maybe advise if they have ever had experience with any of these drugs. I take all of these on a daily basis and it sucks to say the least, but according to the DR'S I feel like I have no choice.
Vicodin
Omerprazole
Lovastatin
Soma
Diclofenac Sodium
Prednisone
Valium
Dilaudid
Neurotin
These drugs supposedly keep me out of more severe pain according to docs to help me function. They had me on a morphine pump but when I kept seeing bugs crawling everywhere I stopped that crap.
Anyway I am glad you are feeling better Topamax and hope you continue to improve and thanks again for posting.


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## baller (Nov 14, 2008)

WOW, u take vicodins somas AND valiums, all in the same day? i swear to god, they are turning society into zombies…whatever Will and Consciousness you have left should be considered miraculous…i saw firsthand the pill epidemic blow up on colleges, as i was in it…even the Junkies i came across wouldn't take that large a variety of chemical concoctions…i'm sorry to tell you you've been lied to so devilishly, and everyone for that matter, in order for another man to gain off your life's labor, and in effect turn you into His junkie (big Pharma, or big brother, if u look at the larger picture)...this is the first step for all of us though, we must get past the denial…only then can we accept the fact of where we are and how we got here, and start to figure out what we have to do to get where we want to be…for me and many others, i see a trend of people trying to revert back to a simpler lifestyle, one most of us have no idea about today….growing your own food, doing as many things as possible yourself (which most of us here are already about i'd say), consuming less, using dollars less, being more led by intuition rather than outside influences, just to name some things off the top of my head…the only constant is change, and faster than ever now, and that's why i believe it's more important than ever to be conscious, of Everything u can..at some points it might cause paranoia, but at this point i'd say someone would have to be just about brain dead to Not question the safety/efficacy/reasoning we are given for just about everything…food air water medicine machines etc etc


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*buddyboy* Good luck. My motivation for telling what they did to me is to get people investigating what their drs are telling them and putting them on. My dentist and an oncologist I saw are the only 2 drs that have ever admitted there can be serious a down side to these chemicals.

Virginia Mason Clinic filed for a restraining order to keep me away from their clinic at the worst of my reaction. They ask what meds I took every time I saw one of their drs. Those records show i told them truthfully. Actually I carried a list in my pocket because my memory was so bad I didn't know. Their own records say I got progressively worse over a 6 month period. Never once did anyone mention the potential side effects of Topamax that were known at least 10 years befreo I was overdosed. They did not advise the dr they sent me to that put me on Topamax. They all wanted me to see a psychologist rather than admit it was the Topamax. That seems to be a money extraction machine with medicine secondary and as an excuse to bill insurance companies.

I will say the drs who fixed my knees, shoulder and removed a tumor did a marvelous job and I have very grateful for their competence and skills. It is the chemical prescribing drs I take issue with. I don't want anyone to get teh idea I am anti-modern medicine ;-)

It has been 7 years since I took myself off. I am still scrambling 10% - 15% of the words I type and messing up some sentence structure at times. I wish you well and hope you get it all sorted out.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

*Jim* You are welcome. Oats are a good absorber of cholesterol. The guy I take my first aid card certifications from is a very experienced medic. He told us there had never been a study that showed any relationship between cholesterol and heart problems. They discovered it and a way to mine money from the people.

He also said when the scare about aspirin causing problems with kids when they have a fever slowed sales. One of the big makers started pushing a small dose for blood thinning and preventive heart attacks. They said it enough times the Dr's all started telling people to do it. I was told, but it causes stomach issues so I don't take it. I have been a guinea pig in migraine studies. aspirin research was one of them. It showed it would be beneficial to me, but with the other issues that are worse than the minor benefit, I don't take it for that either.

My wife has acid reflux. The drs advised her to take aspirin like they do everyone in their 50s. It made it a lot worse. I told her to quit taking it and she got better. The dr ask her if she wanted to get a heart attack? No history of heart problems in her family, just one size fits all advice and prescription. They couldn't help her with the acid reflux. I made a slight incline for the head of the bed and she rarely has it now. Sorry, big pharma, but you lost that sale ;-))


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

My daughter works at a local hospital. She told us about a guy who's system would not pass Aspartame through like it goes through most people. They removed a ball of it from his stomach that was about 6 inches in diameter!

I read somewhere the other day that Aspartame tricking the receptors actually causes weight gain. I can't remember the details even though it has only been a few days. I'm getting old enough to have a few memory issues, so I'm not sure it that is natural or a remnant of Topamax poisoning when I couldn't remember things long enough to get them written down ;-((


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## greasemonkeyredneck (Aug 14, 2010)

I've ben following this thread faithfully.
While I feel bad for each and every one of you who have these horrible stories to tell, it also make me feel better that I'm not alone. For so long it got me down that I felt I wa the only one in the world who'd went through the hell I've been through. While all of our stories aren't exact, they are so similar that it should scare the hell out of most people when their doctors put them on anything. My best suggestion is research. 
The interent is a wonderful thing. It has never failed. Every time the doctors try to give me something new, a simple google search turns up side effect, long term adverse reactions, and horror stories that you would never guess simply by reading the literature that you get from the pharmacy when you go to fill your prescription.
I have my pill usage under control now. Well, I have it as under control as I can. However, I still worry sometimes about the damage I'm doing to my liver with some of the pain killers I'm on because liver damage from long term usage is a major side effect of the pain killer I'm on and the muscle relaxer. I only use these as needed though. I will hold out in pain as long as I can before taking them.
Of course the doctors tell me different. According to them, I'm supposed to take the pain killer and muscle relaxer thre times daily every day no matter how I feel. In my opinion, that is just plain nuts. Why would I take narcotics when I'm having a good day?
Drugs aren't the only problem though. Other medical procedures are also on the doctor's selling lists. 
My main doctor and my back specialist are both now trying their best to get me to let them operate on me again. Their latest spin on it is that if I don't have the surgery, then one day I may be paralized again. "May" is the word to pay attention to here.
I spent two and a half years in a wheel chair. They didn't want to operate at that time. Why?
Now I do walk. I have to use a cane or my leg brace, but I do walk on most days. 
Do I have pain? Yes. The pain goes from tolerable on my good days to torure on my bad days. There are days that I have to slide from my bed to my wheel chair and that's as far as I can get. However, it is much better than being confined to a chair permenantly. 
So why am I worried about wheelchair confinement? I'm worried about it because the doctors only can tell me there's a fifty percent chance that if I have ths surgery that I'll ver walk again. I don't like those odds. So in the end, I've decided that as long as I'm walking most days, there is no way I'm considering surgery, no matter how bad the pain gets.
So my point is, that if you're not careful, it's a lot more than just the drugs the doctors will try to shovel on you. I have known some real good doctors. Over all though, I think the medical community is almost as bad as the political scene. As a whole, they will shovel so much crap down your throat that is isn't even funny. They don't care about nothing but the profits. Any relevant information that will keep you from adding to that profit they try to sweep under the rug. 
So where is the answer?
Personal education?
Yes, but that can only get you so far.
Refusal to take any kind of medicine?
That doesn't work. Some are necessary. And besides, there are chemicals and drugs in your food and water supplies as well.
Ban drug manufactorers from testing their own drugs?
It's a start. People argue this one saying that the FDA does their own independant testing. Yea right. I don't trust the government agancies to honestly test this stuff no more than I do the drug companies.
Find a doctor you can trust and listen to them?
No. I thought I could trust my doctor at one time. Once again, they are like politicians. Just because you find a good one doesn't mean they'll stay good. They have drug reps constantly beating down their doors like common street level drug pusher trying to get them to sell more drugs so they can give them kickbacks. You think kickbacks don't happen? I've talked honestly with a couple of doctors. It may shock some of you the amount of dinners, vacations, tee times, and such doctors get that is paid for by drug companies. No they cannot legally pay them cash to push one drug over another. They can take them on these "business outings" though to try to sway their decision.

In the end, I want to say one more thing.
Thank you Topomaxsurvivor for bringing up this topic.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

It really pains me to read these comments. Really does. I hope you can find an orthopedic or physical medicine and rehab doctor who has a good relationship with a qualifed physical therapist. This is a very complicated problem and I could go off on a rant/tangent but suffice it to say that there is a right group and a wrong group in my opinion. The wrong group provides a cursory workup, enough imaging to justify narcotic administration, then just follows like a pain clinic would. The right group is a caring orthopedist or physical medicine and rehab (PM&R) doc who's paired with a trusted physician's assistant (PA) and/or physical therapist (PT). There needs to be a team approach and you need to find a good team. There's amazing stuff going on in rehabilitation medicine and geriatrics but you'd never know it because everyone's dropping dead from narcotics. I'm nauseous just writing this. There are bad doctors out there, greedy bastards, no doubt about it. But they're pretty easy to spot. Pretty easy to avoid.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Al, I have come to realize doctors are just like electricians. The majority are very capable of simple tasks under supervision. There are few who end up with one year's experience 20 times at the end of 20 years. There are a very few who are bale to handle anything that is thrown at them.

It is too bad, we, the public, do not have sufficient knowledge to know who is who before tragedy strikes. I am very fortunate to have survived Topamax for a number of reasons.


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

My wife got on diet sodas many years ago. She drank several a day. In time she reached the point of itching when she went to bed. Probably itched other times but didn't notice it until bed time. She was reading the side effects of the aspertame one day and itching skin is one of them. She said this will be an easy test. She got off the sodas and in a couple of days she stopped itching. She didn't drink them for years. She now drinks them in moderation. Wish some of you guys could have such and easy cure.


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## usnret (Jul 14, 2011)

Read the warning on depression medications and it states may cuase person to become suicidal. My thought is my life sucks right now but if I take these pills I will kill my self. Medication really helps and doctors know it all.
Doctors and lawyers run this country and neither one can ever master his trade. Lawyers and Doctors always "practice", yet an electrician or a mechanic becomes a "master". So why does legal advice and medical advice cost so much when they are really amateurs?


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Most migraine meds list head ache as a side effect ;-)) Then the dr says not to drink anything with caffeine, but caffeine is a primary ingredient of the med;-)) go figure!

On a more serious note. I have noticed that later editions of the Physician's Desk Reference, aka PDR, the bible of meds and sides, have dumbed down the listing for Topamax. i really have to wonder about that? The 2003 edition my mother had had a lot more info that the later ones do now ;-(( With all the law suits about bone loss, you would think they would be adding to the list and increasing the warnings.


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## baller (Nov 14, 2008)

usnret hit a big nail on the head…we are dominated by "lawyer speech" and "double speak", a key to understanding why things are the way they are also is word entomology…also, the common main ingredient in anti-deps is FLUORIDE…which is the most reactive element, and one of the smallest, so when it meets those aluminum oxide atoms from the aforementioned chemtrails in ur brain u get some nice fireworks! but not so pretty, you can see videos of this stuff on youtube nowadays…but wait, isn't ingesting all this fluoride supposed to keep our bones strong as an added bonus, why they put it in all the water? NOTT, quite the opposite, as USUAL….we are living in times of great deception…the only thing that will give discernment is knowledge along with intuition…."my children die for lack of knowledge"


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