Patient/caregiver was educated on precautions to be exercised while taking topiramate as follows:
- Topiramate can take some time to fairly adjust to your body and reach a therapeutic level in your blood, before preventing seizure episodes. Topiramate also can be used to prevent migraine headaches and takes some time to reach the therapeutic levels. Do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
- Topiramate only prevents the seizures and migraine headaches from happening, by reducing the excitation and rapid firing of the nerves. But, topiramate does not fix the actual condition causing the seizures or migraine headaches. Continue taking topiramate as ordered, even if you experience relief from seizures and migraine episodes. Abrupt discontinuation on topiramate intake can result in life-threatening seizure episodes and recurrence of severe migraine headache. Discontinuing the medication should only be on your physician’s recommendation and must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses.
- Notify your doctor of any continuing episodes of seizures, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised. Your physician could change the dose of topiramate, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, if need be, until you show an optimum response.
- Periodical labs could be drawn to evaluate the safe therapeutic blood levels of topiramate, renal function, diabetic control, urinary ketones, and accumulation of ammonia in the body. Observe compliance with any lab draws ordered.
