I had read through the dire warnings, but initially I’d dismissed them…as those side effects occurred in folks taking the drug for epilepsy (which means they’re taking much higher doses than those taking it for migraine prevention, like myself). But still. After just one dose my eyes were oddly dry. My legs started tingling with the pins and needles sensation. All afternoon I felt unusually sleepy and well, dopey. Coincidence? Maybe. I sure hope so. But then I received this email from a concerned reader:
I know that you are about to go on Topamax. I cannot stress more than I am now, that you find another drug. I know that you are in pain, but Topamax changed me completely when I was on it and it is known to do the same for most of its users.
Ugh. What’s worse, I’d asked the neurologist if it was safe to take the Topamax (aka Dopamax) with Zyrtec, my seasonal allergy med, and he said yes. But then I read more about Zyrtec side effects…turns out the drowsiness it causes can be exacerbated by other drugs with similar effects. What to do? I’d wanted to give this drug a chance…in the hope of dulling my pain, but not at the risk of dulling my wits. The last thing I need is to turn into a drooling idiot.
I’ve been having such a crap time of things lately that some consumer therapy was in order (whether or not that is wise is another issue). So I ordered a pair of shoes from Vegetarian Shoes. The Nina shoe, specifically, in brown. And those wacky brits make me smile. The confirmation email simply stated: “We will despatch your order as soon as possible.”
In other vegan-friendly news, tomorrow I will be participating in the Headwaters Walk for Justice, on behalf of Compassionate Action for Animals. I didn’t exactly do a bang-up job of fundraising this time around, and actually meant to post something about it here sooner, but, well, I’m a procrastinator so there you go.