Oooohhhh, dkbear, I know the feeling!! I started out with Depakote for Bi-polar 1 Disorder just about a year ago. After 4 months on the drug, and 2000mgs. later, I felt like I was on the freeway dodging cars at rush hour!!! My episodes were bad and many, many of them per day as yourself........but the pdoc would not take me off of it. He told me there wasn't another drug I could take. I went to my primary care dr. after looking up bi-polar meds. on the net, and found Lamictal. I tried that, and the difference is night and day. I never felt so good!!! I've had to have it adjusted, but that's comparitively small to the alternative. Since then, I have a new pdoc as well, and he's keeping me on the Lamictal after having to increase it to 100mgs. per day. I'm not having near as many episodes, and I can control them
much better now. You can give Depakote a try a little while longer, but I didn't like the fact that it goes thru the liver and is hard on the kidneys as well. That's why they draw blood every 2 mos. or so. Now with Lamictal, I've been set free.
And I don't gain weight like you do with Depakote.