topamax and menstral cycles

Any woman out there experience changes to their menstral cycle? I have been on topamax since the beginning of June, slowly increasing up by 25mg per week to 100mg, then tried 150mg and couldn't stand it (thought I would die!!) so I have reduced to 75mg and am holding steady there. But, I am over a week late, and still waiting for my period!!! This is so weird, and terribly unusual for me - I have heard that it can affect the menstral cycle. I am perimenopausal, but this is not it either - I am only 47, and haven't experienced too many symptoms to be finished with it all so abruptly!!!! So if anybody else has experienced this, I would be happy to hear about. it. I may have to call my doctor - try cutting back even more i suppose!!!

Hello there, my daughter take topamax for her epilepsy. and right now she is taking in about 75mgs a day and she has always been on time for her cycles, and she has been on it for quite sometime. and she started her period before she started taking this med, but it could be a side effect also, medication can irregulate your cycle, and the meds work differently on everyone. that is sometimes what happens when you are trying to find the right dose for yourself. It could either be one or two things, is that the meds are irregulating you or that you are pregnant.

I take 100mg of topamax 50mg twice a day. I am 47 and have also cmpletely quit having a menstrual cycle,and am also perimenopausal, I don't know if Topamax has anything to do with it or not,but it is unusual that someone else is experiencing the same thing as I am. I do have hot flashes at night now, I have been on Topamax for two years, but these systoms started a year ago, it just may that time of life for us. I take the Topamax for Migraines.

I am 45 and started topomax 50mg in September. I did not get my menstrual cycle the entire time I was taking it (107 days). I recently went off and two days letter my period started and ran 21 days! I am now undergoing tests through my OB/GYN but I am wondering if the Topomax is the culprint. My primary care doctor prescribed the topomax for migranes but never told me to report changes in my menstrual cycle.

hi i am 21 years of age and i am on topamax for my migrains. i get them extremely bad were i black out so they put me on topamax 25mg twice a day and since i started taking them i have started my period and i have been bleeding for almost a month in half stright. i go back to the doc. in a week to see why that is !!! but it just affects different people in different ways!!!im with you theresa i hope it doesnt affect me in any way ! let me kno theresa .

I just started Topamax 2.5 weeks ago 1 week was 15 mg then after 25 mg. I already noticed a change in my period. usually I would have three days of light spotting before my period would come but this time I had no spotting but had a lot of cramping (which I never have cramping). By next month I will be on 50mg - I am curious to see if it changes again.

i am on topamax as well for migranes. i was taking it twice a day at 2 pills ( so 100mg total) but they wanted to bring me up to 150 to completely eliminate my headaches so i could stop taking my flexiril and tramadol.. well now i am 2 weeks late on my period. all tests are coming back negaive and i am wonderingof it has something to do with the topamax..

I have been on Topomax since September. I have suffered with migraines since I was 16 because of my periods. I just turned 40. I am on 25 mg twice a day and I love it. I have no migraines, no problems with my periods. I am on time every month. The only side effect I have experienced is tingling in my hands and feet. This is so much better than the migraines I suffered with for so many years.

I am 44 and have been taking topomax for about 2 years and didn't have missed periods til I was increase last two months to 200 mg a day. I am also perimenopausal. My problem though is seizures so I can not cut back. che

no prego wrote:

Any woman out there experience changes to their menstral cycle? I have been on topamax since the beginning of June, slowly increasing up by 25mg per week to 100mg, then tried 150mg and couldn't stand it (thought I would die!!) so I have reduced to 75mg and am holding steady there. But, I am over a week late, and still waiting for my period!!! This is so weird, and terribly unusual for me - I have heard that it can affect the menstral cycle. I am perimenopausal, but this is not it either - I am only 47, and haven't experienced too many symptoms to be finished with it all so abruptly!!!! So if anybody else has experienced this, I would be happy to hear about. it. I may have to call my doctor - try cutting back even more i suppose!!!

I have been on Topamax 200 mg/night for almost 2 years. My periods have steadily gotten shorter and shorter, now down to none at all (preg tests all negative). I am 35, so I don't know if I was really sick, if it was due to the Topa or if I might be experiencing early menopause. I've actually been scared to go see the doc. Thanks for sharing, now I'm not scared to call. :)

I was doing a phentermine/topamax pill drug study for weight loss. I am 46 and haven't had a period for 6 mo. I didn't relate it until I saw this. I have been off of it for almost a month and no period yet, just bad headaches and heart palpatations and dizziness.

I am 34 and I'm not 100% sure of my dose as I eventually increased to 400mg a day but I'm gonna guess it was at 200mg a day that I did not have my period for 4 months. I went to my OB and they did tests and told me everything was fine, negative for pregnancy and there was NO WAY topamax could cause it. I then talked to my neurologist, who told me it is not common but it DOES happen especially with rapid weight loss. I also should say that I stopped losing weight at about the time I started my period again. I went back to my normal cycle and have had no problems for almost 2 years now.

Thank God I found someone else who is going through the same thing. I'm 44 and have been on topamax for over two years and my cycle just became irregular and then stopped. Prior to the topamax, I had no indication of being perimenopausal.

The only variable that I could think of to tell my GYN about was the Topamax. There was nothing else and my family history indicates menopause in the mid 50's. I'll keep checking this site for feedback.

42 - Topomax 50mg twice daily for migraines. I was a normal 30 days - between cycles prior to the medication. Now my cycle is every 24 days, so I am more frequent, although lighter. Please call it end-of-days (praying), but if heredity is master I have another 10 years. So I grin and bear it, much less of an inconvenience than those HEADACHES!, wouldn't you say ladies!

brianna wrote:

i am on topamax as well for migranes. i was taking it twice a day at 2 pills ( so 100mg total) but they wanted to bring me up to 150 to completely eliminate my headaches so i could stop taking my flexiril and tramadol.. well now i am 2 weeks late on my period. all tests are coming back negaive and i am wonderingof it has something to do with the topamax..

To everyone experiencing irregularity:
I'm epileptic and have been on 300 mg of Topamax/day for 3-4 years now. I also went through a year period of finding the right medication. I experienced extreme menstrual irregularity for at least two years before my doctor and I realized that it was a result of interaction with my birth control pills. The terrible misfortune of needing to take topiramate (topamax), and a lot of other anti-seizure and migraine drugs, is that they have negative interactions with birth control drugs. If you are currently on the pill or another contraceptive which contains hormones, you are likely to experience irregularity and decreased effectiveness. This is my experience. I hope this helps!

JDW wrote:

I am 34 and I'm not 100% sure of my dose as I eventually increased to 400mg a day but I'm gonna guess it was at 200mg a day that I did not have my period for 4 months. I went to my OB and they did tests and told me everything was fine, negative for pregnancy and there was NO WAY topamax could cause it. I then talked to my neurologist, who told me it is not common but it DOES happen especially with rapid weight loss. I also should say that I stopped losing weight at about the time I started my period again. I went back to my normal cycle and have had no problems for almost 2 years now.

I'm just curious, but for what reason are you on 400mg/day of topamax? I was prescribed this dose for a month and could barely function in my daily activities. Do you feel like you do well on this dosage? How does your doctor break it up- morning, night? Thanks!

I am thankful to be 80% migrane free. Also, I know all medications have side effects. Topamax, unfortunately, has also lowered my white cell count. Before this was determined, I went through a very scary episode of testing for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and other illnesses that would cause a lowered white cell count.

My concern about the very early onset of menopause is tied into health issues. The issues of hormone replacement therapy,loss of bone density,and the list goes on and on.

Amber wrote:

<quoted text>
I'm just curious, but for what reason are you on 400mg/day of topamax? I was prescribed this dose for a month and could barely function in my daily activities. Do you feel like you do well on this dosage? How does your doctor break it up- morning, night? Thanks!

I take it for chronic migraines. I had some trouble with finding my words and short term memory at first but it cleared up with a little time. I went from having horrible headaches that would last anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks to almost no headaches. I take all my pills at night right before bed otherwise I forget, my doctor said this is ok as the main goal is to keep a steady amount in your system.

I take 100mg 2x a day, so 200mg total. I am 27. I have been taking it 2 years for a totally different reason than everyone else it seems. I am bipolar but, the same hormone stems from the same area of the brain as epilepsy. That is why they use it. Anyway I have not experienced any problems except for the first couple months when I started to take it in the beginning but, even then I was only a few days late.

JDW wrote:

I am 34 and I'm not 100% sure of my dose as I eventually increased to 400mg a day but I'm gonna guess it was at 200mg a day that I did not have my period for 4 months. I went to my OB and they did tests and told me everything was fine, negative for pregnancy and there was NO WAY topamax could cause it. I then talked to my neurologist, who told me it is not common but it DOES happen especially with rapid weight loss. I also should say that I stopped losing weight at about the time I started my period again. I went back to my normal cycle and have had no problems for almost 2 years now.

It is hard for me to see how anyone functions at 50mg a day or 75mg :) I don't function at 100mg I take 200 and my doctor would increase mine if I weighed more than 95 pounds.. one of the wonderful side effects of topamax