Anticonvulsant Uses - “Off-Label” More Than “On-Label”?
Topamax is indicated (FDA approved) for the treatment of seizure disorder (epilepsy) and prophylaxis of migraine headache.
In the United States, the regulations of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permit physicians to prescribe approved medications for other than their approved label indications. This practice is known as off-label use. Some drugs are used more frequently off-label than for their original, FDA-approved indications.
Topiramate has a long list of off-label uses.
Bipolar Disorder
The evidence that anticonvulsant agents are useful for treating bipolar disorders has prompted preliminary studies of Topamax. However, research evidence does not strongly support use of this medication as a “mood stabilizer”.
Topamax lacks efficacy in the treatment of acute mania. The manufacturer conducted several studies
...today to determine what causest this brain cell abnormality. Further to brain cells and brain chemistry, psychiatric researchers speculate that various genes in the genetic makeup of bipolar patients can also contribute to the cause of and hereditary nature of ...
However, some evidence, based on small studies, supports the use of Topamax in bipolar disorders in depressive phase and as adjunctive treatment. The results of the open-label study indicated that adjunctive topiramate was associated with a significant reduction of new manic and depressive episodes in patients who fail to respond completely to mood stabilizers (Lykouras L , Hatzimanolis J.; Curr Med Res Opin. 2004 Jun.) One of the advantages is that it causes most bipolar patients to either lose weight or at
...and the right kind of medication to keep your symptoms under control. Your doctor will usually start you off on a low dose of the medication at first then adjust it as necessary to get the best effect possible. You ...
Weight Loss
Weight loss is a common side effect of Topamax. In general, it is not considered a good choice for weight loss due to high rate of side effects, such as cognitive impairment, anxiety, memory loss or difficulty concentrating, which can make it difficult to tolerate the medication.
Several high quality studies have shown strong weight-reducing potential of Topamax. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study investigated the long-term efficacy and safety of this drug in obese patients. Topiramate therapy over the course of 1 year resulted in clinically significant weight loss. In addition, improvements were also observed in blood pressure and glucose tolerance. (Wilding J, Van Gaal L, Rissanen A., Int J Obes Relat Metab
...Medications differ for different situations. Prescription medicine to improve the flow of urine is commonly prescribed to men with BPH. These are called alpha blockers, and could come in a variety of forms, such as terazosin (commercial name Hytrin), tamsulosin ...
Nerve Pain
Antiepileptic drugs are useful in the treatment of neuropathic pain. There are good theoretical explanations how Topiramate can alleviate neuropathic pain. It acts on neuronal transmission in at least five ways: by modulating voltage-gated sodium ion channels, potentiating gamma-aminobutyric acid inhibition, blocking excitatory glutamate neurotransmission, modulating voltage-gated calcium ion channels, and by inhibiting carbonic anhydrase.
In randomized, double-blind trial Topamax reduced pain visual analog score, worst pain intensity and sleep disruption in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy.
Yury Bayarski is a contributing author of [http://www.emedexpert.com/]eMedExpert.com. There are a number of other Topamax off-label uses, supported by a research evidence. More [http://www.emedexpert.com/facts/topiramate-facts.shtml]facts and [http://www.emedexpert.com/compare-meds/topiramate.shtml]comparison to other medications are available on author’s website.