There's three separate FDA black-box warnings for Depakote that you might want to look into:

• Hepatoxicity, or liver damage which can lead to liver failure and death.

• Teratogenicity, or birth defects when used by pregnant women.

• Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas that can be deadly.

I've been chugging this stuff on and off for years and no pdoc has mentioned the appropriate black boxes. Do they receive some sort of compensation for prescribing the drug? I'm on Depakote and Lamictal and if I don't take a beta-blocker like propranolol or a benzodiazepine like Valium my hands shake so much I can't write with my hands or use a computer keypad. The tremor is very helpful if you want someone to take you seriously. If someone is so impolite as to ask about the tremor, I shame them by explaining it as a much more serious ailment like epilepsy or a brain injury. Then I kick them in the shins.