I read the main Topamax thread but no one has posted there for awhile so I thought I'd ask a few questions of my own.  I was diagnosed in 2018 with Bipolar 1 w/ Mixed Features.

I posted here just a few days ago about considering going back on meds.  Nothing I've tried in the past has worked well for me (namely Depakote, Lupron and Seroquel all gave me super severe, awful side effects like extreme weight gain, losing a huge amount of my hair and never getting all of it back, etc).  

I'm not doing well and meds are looking less and less optional for me rn, so I am considering asking a doctor about Topamax. I've never taken it before, but the side effects are less scary from what I've read (no black box warning) and I also suffer from a neurological migraine disorder which I've read it's good for, so overall, Topamax seems like it COULD be a great fit for me.

Just wondering if y'all felt like it did well for your mania, if you experience any scary side effects, etc.  I have health OCD so starting a new med is always scary for me and I'm really trying to psyche myself up for it/