Topamax
® (
topiramate) is a prescription medication used to treat various conditions that affect the nervous system.
Topamax is made by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics.
What Is Topamax Used For?
Specific Topamax uses include:
(Click Topamax Uses for more information on what Topamax is used for, including possible off-label uses.)
It is not entirely clear how Topamax works for epilepsy or migraines. An epileptic
seizure occurs as the result of abnormal electrical signals in the brain. Topamax slows those signals, helping to prevent
seizures. The medication also works similarly for
migraine headaches. It is thought that migraines may be triggered by nerve cells in the brain that are too easily excited. Topamax helps calm the nerve cells, working to prevent a
migraine from ever starting.
In studies, Topamax increased the time until the next seizure and decreased the number of seizures. In one study of adults with epilepsy, approximately 75 percent of people taking Topamax 400 mg per day were seizure-free for at least one year.
In one study of Topamax for preventing migraines, Topamax 200 mg per day reduced the average number of migraines from 5.5 per month to 3.1 per month.