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How Safe Is Topamax?

Topamax is a brand name for the prescription drug topiramate, which doctors prescribe to prevent seizures in patients with epilepsy. While the drug's most common side effects like nausea and tremors pose little threat for long-term health complications, there are some serious risks associated with Topamax.

  1. Identification

    • One of the most severe risks of Topamax is the possibility of developing glaucoma, which is increased pressure in your eyes that may cause blindness. Another is metabolic acidosis or acidity of changes in the acidity of your blood due to increases in the amount of bicarbonate in your body.

    Significance

    • Approximately 32 percent of adults and 67 percent of children experience at least a slight increase in bicarbonate levels while taking Topamax, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration studies published on RxList. Minor increases in bicarbonate do not cause any harm, but if these levels build with long-term use, metabolic acidosis is possible.

    Time Frame

    • Secondary-angle glaucoma due to Topamax usually develops within the first month of taking the drug, and it can affect children as well as adults, reports RxList.

    Risks

    • Untreated, metabolic acidosis can cause permanent damage to your bones, leading to the onset of rickets or osteoporosis and an increased risk of bone fractures. Secondary-angle glaucoma has the potential to cause blindness if allowed to progress.

    Prevention

    • While you are taking Topamax, your doctor is likely to order blood tests on a regular basis to measure bicarbonate levels in your blood and treat metabolic acidosis quickly if it develops. Talk to your doctor about whether you should visit an ophthalmologist or optometrist during the first month that you take Topamax to have the pressure in your eyes checked.

    Considerations

    • If you have a history of bone problems, depression, vision problems, metabolism disorders, chronic diarrhea, kidney, liver or lung disease or status epilepticus, it may not be safe for you to take Topamax, warns the Mayo Clinic.

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