Normally, the prescription drug, Topamax (or Topiramate), is used for treatment of epilepsy and the prevention of migraine headaches. But another unexpected side effect of taking Topamax is weight loss. A reported weight loss of 16 percent in adults and 21 percent in children has been recorded. Health care providers have started prescribing certain Topamax dosage for weight loss but only for certain situations. But because Topamax is not recommended or even recognized as drug or medication for weight loss by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA), this becomes an off label prescription or use of drug.
An off label prescription of a particular drug is used when the particular drug, i.e., Topamax, used to treat a medical condition or disease is not approved by the US FDA. The US FDA will regulate how this prescription drug can be advertised or manufactured by the producing company. However, these same regulations do not actually prohibit a health care provider from prescribing the drug for different medical conditions.
Prescription of a minimum amount of Topamax dosage for weight loss falls under an off label prescription. Topamax is primarily used to treat...