Normally, the prescription drug, Topamax (or Topiramate), is used for treatment of epilepsy and the prevention of migraine headaches. But another unexpected side effect of taking Topamax is weight loss. A reported weight loss of 16 percent in adults and 21 percent in children has been recorded. Health care providers have started prescribing certain Topamax dosage for weight loss but only for certain situations. But because Topamax is not recommended or even recognized as drug or medication for weight loss by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), this becomes an ?off label? prescription or use of drug.
An ?off label? prescription of a particular drug is used when the particular drug, i.e., Topamax, used to treat a medical condition or disease is not approved by the US FDA. The US FDA will regulate how this prescription drug can be advertised or manufactured by the producing company. However, these same regulations do not actually prohibit a health care provider from prescribing the drug for different medical conditions.
Prescription of a minimum amount of Topamax dosage for weight loss falls under an ?off label? prescription. Topamax is primarily used to treat epilepsy and used, in minimal dosage, to prevent migraine headaches. But side effects have shown themselves in patients taking any amount of dosage and weight loss is one of them. To avoid the appearance of these side effects, health care providers recommend a small dose of less than 25 mg daily, split into two doses, which should be at least twelve hours apart. Do not expect a dramatic weight loss, though, as amount of weight lost is still in proportion with a person?s body weight.
Topamax has been prescribed for treatment of weight loss and obesity and to assist in the decrease of the occurrence of binge eating. However, prescription of Topamax for weight loss has also resulted in several undesirable side effects. Health reports have noted that patients who have used Topamax for weight loss have experienced memory loss and difficulty in concentration.
These side effects make it more difficult to tolerate Topamax and make it harder for the drug to work effectively. This is the reason why Topamax will not be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a recommended prescription drug for weight loss because there is no balance. Prescribing Topamax has proven tricky because an intake of excess dosage can result in undesirable effects that can lead to something more dangerous. Common side effects include a change in taste, diarrhea, nausea and dizziness. Dangerous side effects include memory problems, fatigue, confusion and impairment of fine motor skills.
If excess dosage or intake of topamax is ingested, complications may include an overdose, which is apparent through seizures, speech problems, blurred vision, loss of coordination, loss of consciousness and coma, muscle weakness and bone pain. Because of this, despite the result, any amount of Topamax dosage and weight loss is not a good combination. It may lead to undesirable results that can turn fatal.
