That's surprising that your dr. said they don't work well together. Way back when I was first diagnosed I was in a clinical trial that was supposed to show that the combo of lamictal, depakote and lithium slowed rapid cycling and made rapid cyclers more stable. It was based on research that showed that depakote and lithium were more stabilizing than one alone and I think (maybe I'm mis-remembering) that depakote and lamictal were more stabilizing together. It was so long ago I'm not sure but I had the impression they were a good pair of meds. I don't know aside from the study helped get lamictal approved for bipolar and I met someone in the hospital who'd been in the study too which was neat since she was also the first person I'd ever met in person who was bipolar and not someone I was treating.

It's interesting how different drs get such different ideas about so many things.