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Suggest Treatment For Weight Loss And Slurred Speech
Posted on
Fri, 7 Oct 2016
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 7 Oct 2016
Answered on
Thu, 27 Oct 2016
Last reviewed on
Question : I am taking a lot of medications. About a month ago my psychiatrist put me on Topamax for weight loss. Since then my husband, sister, father, and now as of yesterday my boss, have noticed that my speech is slurred and slow and I do not seem like myself. I cannot go ANYWHERE without a bottle of water because my mouth is so dry. Also my hands and feet are tingly. My boss is making me take some time off while I figure this out (I am an RN). Does this make sense? Do you need to know my other meds too?
Brief Answer:
With all due respect to your psychiatrist's decision
Detailed Answer:
Good morning. Thank you for using this network to pose your question.
With all due respect to your psychiatrist you should know that TOPAMAX has no indication for weight loss and has only been anecdotally reported as working in patients. There are a number of potential side effects in patients which you are already experiencing which, in my opinion, make this a less than optimal choice to use for such a purpose.
Slurred speech, fatigue, neuropathy, and clouded thinking are all very common effects of this medication which is typically used as an adjunct to headache treatment as well as epilepsy (though truth be told...very few neurologists really use it for that purpose). I certainly do not use the medication in any of my patients for the purpose of weight loss though I've heard some refer to it in that way....I simply don't think the risks are worth taking.
To me your best course of action is to call your psychiatrist, report the symptoms, which are classic side effects for the Topamax and to get it stopped. Please consider alternative forms of weight loss along with your PMD or internist which are clearly supported by the FDA and are much more mainstream processes as opposed to using off label medications which really carry their own set of risks and potential detriments.
I am also somewhat concerned about the long list of medications you seem to be on at such a young age. You may wish to consider finding a physician willing to take the time to go through proper diagnostic testing (you may benefit for example, from having a neuropsychologist actually go through the rigor of testing you if you've never had that type of testing done....they can specifically look at the question of ADD as well) before making interventional decisions using drugs that are either excessive or improper...as in the case of Topamax.
If I've adequately answered your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel my answers/suggestions have helped? Again, many thanks for posing your questions and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.
This query has utilized a total of 15 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
With all due respect to your psychiatrist's decision
Detailed Answer:
Good morning. Thank you for using this network to pose your question.
With all due respect to your psychiatrist you should know that TOPAMAX has no indication for weight loss and has only been anecdotally reported as working in patients. There are a number of potential side effects in patients which you are already experiencing which, in my opinion, make this a less than optimal choice to use for such a purpose.
Slurred speech, fatigue, neuropathy, and clouded thinking are all very common effects of this medication which is typically used as an adjunct to headache treatment as well as epilepsy (though truth be told...very few neurologists really use it for that purpose). I certainly do not use the medication in any of my patients for the purpose of weight loss though I've heard some refer to it in that way....I simply don't think the risks are worth taking.
To me your best course of action is to call your psychiatrist, report the symptoms, which are classic side effects for the Topamax and to get it stopped. Please consider alternative forms of weight loss along with your PMD or internist which are clearly supported by the FDA and are much more mainstream processes as opposed to using off label medications which really carry their own set of risks and potential detriments.
I am also somewhat concerned about the long list of medications you seem to be on at such a young age. You may wish to consider finding a physician willing to take the time to go through proper diagnostic testing (you may benefit for example, from having a neuropsychologist actually go through the rigor of testing you if you've never had that type of testing done....they can specifically look at the question of ADD as well) before making interventional decisions using drugs that are either excessive or improper...as in the case of Topamax.
If I've adequately answered your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY and being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel my answers/suggestions have helped? Again, many thanks for posing your questions and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others.
This query has utilized a total of 15 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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