Approval for epilepsy treatment and indication for the prevention of migraine headaches has been given to Topamax, the brand name of Topiramate. The approval, however, does not stop the off-label prescription by medical practitioners especially with Topamax effective at treating PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) with studies suggesting its efficacy. Pause should, however, be taken in off-label prescription with lawsuits expected to crop up in relation to recent studies linking Topamax to an increasing number of birth defects.

Chronic PTSD is a notoriously difficult illness to treat particularly because of significant psychiatric comorbidity and the persistence and intensity of symptoms like nightmares and hyper-arousal. Some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drugs like Zoloft and Paxil have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of PTSD, however, their effects are often limited and introduce problematic side effects like sexual dysfunction and weight gain.

Topamax could be effective in treating PTSD either as an add-on strategy or as a monotherapy with particular value for re-experiencing symptoms such as nightmares based on growing evidence. However, the fact that this evidence is based on only a limited controlled data with only three smaller scale placebo-controlled trials should not be disregarded. Caution should be taken by both prescribers and patients knowing this fact and with recent studies linking Topamax to serious birth defects years after it was approved by FDA as a treatment for epilepsy.

In 2008, studies were released, suggesting that women taking Topamax during pregnancy are putting their infants at high risk for birth defects, in the United Kingdom. And since then, this fact has been studied in the U.S., however, Topamax manufacturer Johnson and Johnson failed to change the medication’s pregnancy warnings until this year when the FDA released information about it. Families who have been affected or suffered the side effects of the antiepileptic drug Topamax could file a lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson for failing to reveal warnings early.

Among the Topamax side effects revealed in the studies are infants being at high risk for developing cleft lip and cleft palate and the genital birth defect known as hypospadias. Off-label prescription of Topamax such as for PTSD treatment should take into consideration the discovery of these side effects.

Incoming search terms for the article:

Share

Related posts:

  1. Topamax Side Effects and Choosing For An Alternative
  2. Topamax Effectively Treats Epilepsy but Studies Link it to Birth Defects
  3. A Couple Of Home and Surgical Procedures For Safe and Effective Mole Treatment
  4. Joint Pain Remedies – Effective Therapies For Rheumatoid Arthritis
  5. How Effective is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Tagged with: • •

Filed under: Health and Fitness Tips

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!