I am new here and have been getting cluster headaches for about ten years.  The only medications that I have found to actually work for me are Prednisone and Imitrex.  I started my current round about two or three months ago.  Last month, my doctor started me on Topamax.  Currently, I am taking 50mg each night.

They seemed to have stopped the cluster attacks.  However, I have been waking up with a headache every morning that lasts all day long.  These don't feel like cluster headaches, they are more like a really bad tension headache...more of a dull pain that covers my entire forehead.  They are at their worst in the mornings, and mellow out a little in the afternoons (just a little), but are definitely there all day.  I have also noticed that if I take the Topamax an hour or so before I go to bed, rather than immediately beforehand, I notice the headache starts to get worse after twenty or thirty minutes of taking the pill.

When I am in the middle of a cluster cycle, I wake up most mornings with a headache.  Those headaches also don't feel like a typical cluster headache.  The pain isn't nearly as intense and they aren't always necessarily centered over one eye.  Also, those headaches are always gone with in an hour.  I have seen almost exact descriptions of headaches like those on cluster headache websites, so I know that they are somewhat of a normal symptom.

I am starting to think that these new headaches are a side effect of the Topamax.  I didn't take one last night, and while I do have a headache right now, it's not nearly as bad as it has been for the past week.  

I am supposed to be making a follow up appointment with my doctor very soon, and I will be bringing it up with her.  I am thankful to not be woken up in the middle of the night in blinding pain, but this is not exactly a pleasant alternative if it is a result of the medication.

I was just curious if anybody else has had a similar experience with the drug.  Thanks for any advice.  And I apologize if this post was a little long winded.

Most people find that topamax works in the 200mg - 600mg doseage range.  It is known to make people stupid and forgetful.  Like your lucky to remember your name it can be that bad.  I am glad to hear you are having some positive results with it on such a low dose.  Maybe you will be able to avoid all those nasty side effects.  Remember to drink lots of water also because it can cause kidney stones.  YUK!  There were some preventatives and abortives that I tried that made my ch more intense or last longer.