Topamax, blood pressure, dizziness and eating

A short synopsis - I had migraine headaches from roughly 1996 to 2007. In 2007 the headaches subsided but were replaced with vertigo, tinnitus, nystagmus and visual aura (hence the vestibular migraine diagnosis in 2008). In 2011 I was also diagnosed with BPPV.

On June 18 of this year while on vacation in Vail, CO I woke early in the morning and quite suddenly experienced some odd symptoms. No pain, but I was making an odd involuntary sound in my throat, my arm was limp and twitching. I went to the mirror, my face was both slack and twitching. I lost the power of speech briefly. Long, story short, I had a stroke and a seizure. It was a small stroke (not a TIA) and a small focal seizure. The cause of the stroke is unknown (we will likely never know) but the possible culprits are migraine or a blood clot (I have a PFO - small hole in my hear that would have allowed a clot to pass to my brain).

The neuro team in Denver put me on Topamax for migraine prevention and, to some degree, a measure of seizure prevention. I did not titrate on it gradually. I started right off with 50 mg daily. I took my first dose on June 21. I am still struggling with some side effects. My primary concern now is blood pressure. It is running very low for me. I generally run 120/80 to the somewhat higher side (particularly when I am anxious, which I certainly have been as of late). In the cardiologist office Friday I was 105/60. At home it has been lower than that. Has anyone else had issues with low blood pressure bad enough that they had to come off the medication?

I am also curious about how you feel after eating. I sometimes get very dizzy during or just after eating. I feel like this might be related to blood pressure as well. Has anyone else had issues feeling dizzy with meals while taking Topamax? My appetite is okay, but I am not eating as much. It’s not that I don’t want to. I guess it’s more of a Pavlov’s dog issue. I know I won’t feel well when I do eat so I don’t eat often. Anyone else having a similar experience? Thanks in advance.

i saw someone else on here a long time ago who was on topamax who got dizzy after eating too…she concluded that she had a gluten sensitivity and felt much better after cutting it out of her diet but she also stopped topamax too??? you may want to try to get tested for food allergies if that is possible…but ask your dr. if that could be a topamax side effect? do you actually have mav?

Thanks for the reply. I do have MAV. That’s the diagnosis I got in 2008. And BPPV a couple years later. I have never noticed a food sensitivity but anything is possible at this point! I see my neurologist next week (a new one) so I will be sure to ask.

I’m not on Topamax, but I have the same problem: my dizziness shoots up very quickly after eating. http://mvertigo.cloudapp.net/t/mav-and-meals/6984. I have no idea what the cause is, but speculate it has something to do with the autonomic nervous system pumping too much blood to the stomach and not enough to the brain right after eating.

My dizziness starts up within minutes of when I start eating. I’m usually pretty solidly dizzy even before I finish eating. It happens pretty much 100% of the time with breakfast and lunch, and over 90% of the time with dinner.

My blood pressure itself tends to be (110/80 or so), but some times, the pulse pressure (difference between systolic and diastolic) is narrow - like 105/85 or even narrower.

Hi Everyone

My Doctor wanted to put me on topamax but I declined since discovering that ear plugs put in the my right ear eliminates the Vertigo.

I have been on Topirimate for the last few months and the side effects lasted about a week for me. I have read that it’s normal to lose weight on this drug, possibly up to 10% of your body weight. I don’t know about the blood pressure, I have not had mine tested since starting the meds. I will say that I feel a bit dizzy after eating as well, but usually only when I eat large meals or overly greasy meals. Not sure if this is related to the meds or something else wrong with my body. :slight_smile:

One more thing I wanted to mention is that my neuro suggested taking my entire dosage at night. This would avoid most of the side effects during the day. You may want to see if that’s an option for you!