Topamax (Topiramte) for Bipolar: Florida settles with maker of Topamax

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Topamax (Topiramte) for Bipolar: Florida settles with maker of Topamax

by Sarah from Bipolar-Lives
(FL, US)

The maker of Topamax (an anti-convulsant medication drug used to treat epilepsy) will pay Florida $3 million to settle allegations it marketed the drug for other conditions, including bipolar disorder. The settlement arose out of allegations that the manufacturers of Topamax marketed the drug for uses (such as treating bipolar disorder) not approved by the FDA.
FROM Wikipedia:
"Psychiatrists have used topiramate to treat bipolar disorder, and often use topiramate to augment psychotrophics or counteract weight gain associated with numerous antidepressants. However, a 2006 Cochrane review concluded that there is insufficient evidence on which to base any recommendations regarding the use of topiramate in any phase of bipolar illness. On May 21, 2010, Ortho-McNeil plead guilty and was fined US$6.14 million by the FDA for promoting Topamax to treat psychiatric disorders, without applying for any approval and there was no data from any well-controlled clinical trial to demonstrate that Topamax was safe and effective to treat any psychiatric conditions."

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Topamax (Topiramte) for Bipolar: Florida settles with maker of Topamax

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Feb 18, 2012
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Dopamax More Like
by: Anonymous

I had my doctor suggest Topamax to help with my bipolar II. (No noticeable mania, just cyclical depressions)

I was given 25mg pills, and told to increase my dose each week by a pill until I was at 75mg. So I was at a low max dosage.

Week 1: No effect that I could notice.

Week 2: (50mg) I started getting headaches, I started feeling pressure behind my right eye but I kept going.

Week 3: The headaches went from every 2-3 days to every day or two. The pressure behind my eye remained the same.

I became stupid. It's the only way to describe it. It's like I was taking dumb pills, and they were impairing my cognitive functions. I would be having a conversation and I'd have to stop because I'd lose a word I was looking for. I'd have the image in my head but it's like I couldn't access the speech part of my brain to get the name. So then I'd try to explain the word I was looking for but I wouldn't be able to explain it either. It was VERY frustrating. I later did some Google searches and there are whole threads of people having the same reaction - hence calling it "Dopamax".

Then the worst side effect... on day 5 I was awoken by a wet sensation. I'd wet myself. And then I clued in that it also happened twice previous, but to much lesser extents - I just hadn't got my brain working. So I went to my doctor and weaned myself off Topamax.

Feb 24, 2011
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Topomax is Complex - a Mixed Blessing?
by: EAC

In the 90's, before I was diagnosed with bipolar 1, I was given lower doses of Topomax to try to manage migraines. It was not very effective. However, after I experienced a severe manic episode and was diagnosed with biploar 1 in the hospital, I was given large doses of Topomax--400 mg. While I don't think it was very effective for bipolar disorder, I lost tremendous amounts of weight and my migraines all but disappeared. However, I don't recommend it for either disorder because of the weight loss, which made me look sickly, and because I eventually found other, non-drug oriented ways to manage my migraines more effctively.

Dec 29, 2010
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PA also gets settlement re Topamax use for bipolar
by: Anonymous

Pennsylvania will receive $1 million of a nationwide $75 million settlement related to off-label marketing of migraine medication Topamax.The settlement resolves allegations that the company marketed the drug for psychiatric conditions beyond those approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The off-label conditions the drug was prescribed for included bipolar disorder and drug addiction.

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Topamax (Topiramte) for Bipolar: Florida settles with maker of Topamax

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Topamax (Topiramte) for Bipolar: Florida settles with maker of Topamax