thanks tj. i'm also using apeel right now and i agree that it does not seem to do very much. i leave it on overnight and i don't even peel.

my stupid caps lock key is spoilt.

Thank you Tj for your update. Sorry to hear your lack of improvement with your pitted scars.

I too, have used A-peel. I wish I got only fine wimpy shedding from it. My experience was,ahem, not good...The day after application my skin starts burning, turns bright red, lasts for 3 days.. after 3rd day, it turns to a painful crusty dryness. My skin actually feels like sandpaper. Stiff, thickened, cracked...I can't open my mouth to talk. (my family loves this) Takes a good 10 days for all the "cracks" to chip and fall off..then my skin looks pink/moist for a day and then turns to a crusted sandpaper effect AGAIN..this "no down time" peel lasted over 20 days for me!!!

I have used it 2 times now and its been the same each time ..I finally learned my lesson. I may be the one in a gazzillion who is allergic to it..I threw the A-peel in the trash...I'm through. BTW..it did NOTHING for my indented scars...complete waste of time. (Sorry for the rant.. )

Has anyone had any good results from taking a low dose of Topamax?

Pocket Aces-

What's the deal? It's now been several months. It would be very helpful if you could put your personal conclusions regarding Topamax's effectiveness.

Any noticable improvements?

And by the way, do you have rolling scars? If so, any improvement in those?

If you saw no improvements, I think it would put this thread to sleep for quite a while.

bump

I am restarted taking topamax at the end of the summer for headaches again. I went up to 100 at night then back down to 25 because of extreme dry mouth loss of appitite and hair loss. I also started retin a which I totally hate!!!! I finally just gave up on that medication but that is another story.

As for the topa. I still have some an indented scar from before taking topamax it didn't do anything for it. I have new indented scars on my chin both sides due to retin a horrible breakouts. I don't know if topamax is going to help them or is helping them. They are less red but it has been since Dec so it is not working fast.

Even at 50mg I had a lot of hair shedding. I don't know if that is just too little to show improvement that I am taking or what. It does help with headaches though. My Dr said that a lot of anticonvulstantS (spelling??) I cannot spell for S@$T! A lot of anti-seizure Rx's cause hair loss.....

anyhoo, just an update in case anyone was still wondering

Hi Kady,

Thank you for the information. Are you saying you developed scarring from using Retin A cream??

I'm sorry you are going through such a difficult time and the hair loss. I am aware of some of the cognitive and verbal complications patients experiencing taking this drug.

I am still fascinated with some of the reports I've seen with people experiencing significant improvement in their scarring using Topamax.

In light of everthing you are going through, it would be a true blessing if you, at the very least, were able to experience some real improvement in your scarring.

Take care-

Anna

Thanks for reviving this thread and for the update.

Everytime I get a cut on a finger or something like I that, I notice how slowly it heals and many times leave scars.

Also, lately I've gotten a couple of big zits and I've noticed they left small indents.

This made remember when I took Topiramate and any wound I got healed very fast and without leaving any scars.

I might start taking it again...

I admit I haven't read the whole thread. I'll get right to it tomorrow, but . . .

Topiramate/Topamax is pretty hard-core. Especially if you don't actually have temporal lobe issues (like some epileptic and bipolar people do), it can have some pretty nasty cognitive side-effects, like making it more difficult to form new memories, making you lose chunks of your old memories, making you feel pretty dang drunk, making it more difficult to focus, and effectively lowering your IQ by 20 or 30 points.

I took a temporal lobe drug that is way less likely to cause issues (oxcarbazepine/Trileptal), and my memory is screwed up similarly to as if I'd undergone electroconvulsive therapy (aka ECT, in laymen's terms: "electroshock therapy.") Uh-huh, that's left me a bit biased against temporal lobe drugs for anything that isn't very, very, VERY likely to be a temporal lobe issue.

I'm not absolutely against using it for scarring, but I think the possibility of severe cognitive side-effects should be a factor in the decision-making process.

Yes, this is a huge risk.

There was some talk about formulating this into a type of topical cream to treat scars, but the doctor that filed the patent didn't follow through. I don't know how hard it would be....or if it was to be formulated how effective it would be, if at all.

Hi Kady,

 

Thank you for the information. Are you saying you developed scarring from using Retin A cream??

 

I'm sorry you are going through such a difficult time and the hair loss. I am aware of some of the cognitive and verbal complications patients experiencing taking this drug.

 

I am still fascinated with some of the reports I've seen with people experiencing significant improvement in their scarring using Topamax.

 

In light of everthing you are going through, it would be a true blessing if you, at the very least, were able to experience some real improvement in your scarring.

 

Take care-

 

Anna

after 2 years

I reanimate this cliche' this drug maybe can vanish fibrotic weave mature target.

the explanation is that to the blocking being of calcium channel, this reduces the synthesis of colagen in the scars formed.

I reanimate this cliche' so that I believe that this drug is the only one that can vanish fibrotic weave mature target, like stria.

the explanation is that to the blocking being of calcium channel, this reduces the synthesis of colagen in the scars formed. probably it initiates my own test in April

it sounds like it works on newer scars rather than the old ones. ive only read the last two pages and the girl who took it several years back didnt see any benefit to her older pitted scars. it goes to show its application might be limited. again if it is supposed to limit new scars, it again seems similar to copper peptides (which appears to be safer) e.g. no hairloss or reduction in IQ.

http://dermatology.cdlib.org/113/letters/t...ate/rakesh.html

It's probably going to give you new acne. It causes acne.

topamax and acne: http://www.epilepsy.com/discussion/988453

It's probably going to give you new acne. It causes acne.

 

in the prospectus, indirect effect I have not seen that it causes acne. hopefully it does not produce that to me

I hope that it does not interfere with my zinc absortion.

 

lol mate, are you sure you want to give it a go? the people using it didnt see any benefit to pitted scarring what makes you think you would? im assuming you have indented scars?

the tests were conducted with raised scarring which is much easier to cure. i can list at least 5 products that can help with that condition right now.

it seems pretty heavy duty too with peoples hair falling out etc. perhaps you should ask your doctor.

http://www.waff.com/Global/story.asp?S=1640659

http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/conten...l/159/12/2112-a

Topamax It messes with your calcium and sodium

topamax and weight loss: http://www.epilepsy.com/discussion/964634

I think you'll be disappointed. I looked into doing this and through research found that it doesn't work for scarring and it causes acne. Someone was on it and it gave them bad acne so they had to stop it and go on spiro or BCP's. I dont remember who, why they were on it etc., but they posted in the Hormone section.

is better not to prove it, is very dangerous.

more info http://www.crazymeds.us/topamax.html

This is so weird! I was going to post how my sleeping tablets may be making my scars look better. It is lunesta, a new drug for sleeping. I wonder if it could be possible...

 

Anyone else take it?

 

 

 

 

Eight out of the ten patients enrolled in the study reported a total of 19 adverse events. Most were mild and transient. The most common side effects were language problems (n = 3), sleep disturbances (n = 3), anorexia (n = 2), and dizziness (n = 2) followed by one of each of the following: anhedonia, confusion, congestion, headache, muscle pain, nervousness, numbness, paresthesia, and pruritus. No side effects resulted in discontinuation of a subject. Only one subject (language problems) lowered the topiramate dose (from 30 mg/day to 15 mg/day).

 

Side effects exerted from the article. While the language problems indicates a neurological side effect--certaintly not dismissable--others aren't outrageous. Although I find it odd anorexia is included. This isn't exactly an effect I'd blame entirely on the medicine.

 

These test need to be conducted on more people specifically suffereing from Acne scars. Even if minimal results are shown, I wouldn't mind trying topiramate. Three months for a pill taken once a day is little inconvenience.

 

Browsing Google, I'm surprised not to see any follow up studies done. The original experiment was conducted over two years ago. You would have thought with a drug so promosing, someone would have bothered to write about it since summer of 03'.

 

ZXC--Goggle (google.com) topiramte. It's expensive. I hope you wouldn't consider buying it without atleast consulting a doctor.

 

 

NEC,

 

I dont think you read both links. There were two studies done, one by Shapira and one by Rakesh. Shapira's was more traumatic and surgical type scars but Rakesh's did include acne scars and the result were good to excellent.

I have a prescription for Topamax which is the brand name for topiramate.

 

 

Colin

 

Great! Let us know how it goes.

 

oh all this sounds really exciting. id love to hear how you all go trying these