Topamax & Phentermine BAD side-effects????

**GymboMommy** · November 8th, 2008, 07:51 PM

Anyone else experience this? I was put on Topamax for migraines three weeks ago. Long story short, I've battled horrible headaches for years now! A week later, I started Phentermine. At that time, I noticed numbness and tingling (more than the normal Topamax numbness/tingling side-effects, because I've been on this one other time a few years ago) in my face, and my entire top lip contracted where I couldn't move it to talk. Lasted only an hour the first time, then didn't happen a few days, but over the past few weeks got worse. Also, during this time, my arms would tingle and feel this odd twitching sensation, and my fingers would contract inward. Yesterday, was the worst time. It started at 9:00 in the morning and lasted until about 6:00 last night. I am almost positive that's what it is, after spending the night in the hospital, having EVERY test possible ran, talking with my doctors, eleminating other things, but I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I've seen somewhere where a doctor is trying to market these two drugs together as a better diet drug, and I know for some it will work great, but I fear for those who experience what I have been!

No2Cookies · November 8th, 2008, 11:31 PM

Have you had any medical conditions concerning your liver that you are aware of? I ask because the contracting of your lip and inability to talk are symptoms that someone very close to my family experienced when they were having liver problems and their body had toxic levels of ammonia built up in their system because their liver wasn't able to filter/expel it like a normal persons should. I hope you are doing better, please be safe!

**GymboMommy** · November 9th, 2008, 01:25 PM

No liver problems that I'm aware of. When I was in the hospital Friday night, they did a work-up of pretty much everything possible, is what my GP told me, but I didn't ask any detail, other than the neuro stuff, the MRIs, etc. The things I was mostly concerned with.

I do know that the first sign of symptoms came the first day I was on both medications together. It was very small, but got worse over the next two-week period. Now that I've been off them since Friday, I've had no symtpoms at all. I guess time will tell if the symptoms come back or not.

I am one of those people that if a drug is going to have a strange side-effect and affect 1% of the population who take it, that 1% includes me! Every medication I take, I have to be careful with because, for whatever reason, I seem to have trouble with the odd side-effects that most people aren't one bit concerned with. It scared me to death to think of them making the drug that puts Top. and Phen. together, but all the trials show it's doing good. I guess I'm just in the minority for side-effects on this.

Originally Posted by No2Cookies

Have you had any medical conditions concerning your liver that you are aware of? I ask because the contracting of your lip and inability to talk are symptoms that someone very close to my family experienced when they were having liver problems and their body had toxic levels of ammonia built up in their system because their liver wasn't able to filter/expel it like a normal persons should. I hope you are doing better, please be safe!

**passion4life** · November 10th, 2008, 09:05 PM

I'm in the study. I've experienced only numbness and tingling in my fingers and toes/feet on occasion, more so when I initially started the trial...of which they have told me is normal for those that are on the combination of both of these two drugs. However, I'm rarely hungry. I feel for you. It must have been a scary experience. I'm a nurse too, and from what you're saying it does sound as if you are sensitive to any medication that you take, so beware of side effects prior to taking any new medication.
I hope that now that you're off the phentermine you're no longer feeling these side effects.
Best of luck!

**GymboMommy** · November 11th, 2008, 12:20 PM

No, now that I'm off of the medication, I am having no side-effects whatsoever. I truly believe it was the Topmaax and the Phen together. I'm going to start back on Phen today and see what happens. I lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks (probably not the results some of you are getting, but really good for me) and it didn't feel hard at all. I had to have self-control not to eat the foods I knew I shouldn't and to watch my portions, but I didn't fee that hungry feel all the time like I have the past few days!