According to Brazilian research, patients who take Topamax in lower doses along with sodium divalproate can still find it to be an effective treatment against migraine prophylaxis. This may sound wonderful to some patients; however, this new study does not mention the serious adverse side effects that go along with taking Topamax.

According to information from the study, the two neuromodulators are great for helping to prevent migraines but can be toxic.

“Since both may have effects on different neurotransmitter systems involved in migraine and even contrary effects on weight, the possibility of combining them in lower doses is attractive,” Dr. Abouch Valenty Krymchantowski told Reuters Health by email.

For this open-label research, conducted with Dr. Carla da Cunha Jevoux, Krymchantowski analyzed data collected from 38 patients at the Headache Center of Rio. Each of the patients had reported that they experienced 50 percent lessened headaches after six weeks while taking Topamax 100 mg/day or divalproate 750 mg/day. However, these patients also complained of experiencing debilitating side effects, including weight gain and memory problems. This was when the researchers decided to change the doses of each drug to topiramate (50 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night) plus 500 mg of divalproate once a day.

After six weeks of the patients taking the lower-dose combination of the drugs, 27 patients reported that they experienced less side effects and that their headaches continued to improve. The last 11 patients either couldn’t be found to report about their experience or decided to stop taking the treatments all together after side effects got worse. This is not hard to believe since Topamax is known to cause serious adverse side effects, including birth defects in babies whose mother take the epilepsy drug while pregnant.

Birth defects caused by Topamax include PPHN, neural tube defects and cleft palate. If your baby was born with a birth defect caused by Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.