Topamax Uses

Topamax uses include the treatment of epilepsy and the prevention of migraine headaches in adults. When used alone for epilepsy treatment, the drug can be used in children age 10 and up. When used in combination with other epilepsy medications, it can be used in children as young as two years old. Off-label Topamax uses may include the treatment of alcoholism, diabetic neuropathy, and bipolar disorders.

 

Topamax Uses: An Overview

Topamax® (topiramate) is a prescription medication approved for the following uses:
 
Topamax for Epilepsy
Just as there are many different epilepsy types and types of seizures, there are also many different causes of seizures. Many cases of epilepsy have no identifiable cause, while others are caused by brain injury, genetics, brain tumors, or other conditions. Epilepsy treatments include surgery (see Epilepsy Surgery), medications (see Epilepsy Medication), and diet changes (see Epilepsy Diet).
 
Topamax is approved to be used alone (as "monotherapy") for partial seizures or generalized tonic-clonic seizures in people 10 years old and over. Partial seizures are seizures that affect only one part of the brain, while generalized seizures affect the whole brain. Tonic-clonic seizures are what most people associate with the word "seizure." Generalized tonic-clonic seizures involve body stiffness, shaking of the limbs, and loss of consciousness.
 
Topamax is also approved to be used along with other medications (as "adjunctive" therapy) for partial seizures, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and seizures from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in adults and children age two and up.
(Topamax Uses Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;