Topamax Whoopsie!
Topamax (topiramate, for those who want to know the generic name), which was originally used for seizures but now is mostly used for migraine prevention, has been found to increase a person’s risk of getting kidney stones. You will are not 100% guarenteed to get kidney stones if you take Topamax, but your body leans a little more in the kidney stone direction.
Who Says So?
The UT Southwestern Medical Center, that’s who. They’ve finished conducting the largest study to date about the long-term affects of taking Topamax and are the ones waving the warning flag. They say that doctors have long been aware of this complication, but have not informed their patients of the risk well enough. (They don’t mention if the drug company knew about this complication or not. However, looking at the official Topamax website, kidney stones are listed as a potential not fun side effect.)
Before the findings of the UT Southwesten Medical Center study, it was thought that only 1.5% of Topamax takers would develop kidney stones. Now the heads of the study thinks the actual percentage may be a lot higher than that:
“There is a legitimate concern for the occurrence of kidney stones with long-term topiramate treatment,” said Dr. Sakhaee said. “Studies are needed to explore optimal measures to prevent kidney-stone formation with topiramate use.”
Now What?
Quite frankly, if you regularly experience migraine pain, then you can probably deal with kidney stone pain. Treatment for kidney stones is a lot better than just twenty years ago. You and your doctor must decide if this new risk outweighs any benefits that you receive from Topamax.
Some days, I think it’s just easier if I cut off my head…
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