Depressakote... Uhhhh, I mean Depakote. Or was it the combo of Depakote and Invega? In any case, though that happy duo did end four years of frequent manias, they left me hopelessly depressed and I gained about 25 lbs in a short period of time. Then I had ECT, and was put back on that marvelous combo only to become depressed again. Other lovely side effects included high cholesterol, extremely high triglycerides, pre-diabetes, hormonal issues (unwanted hair growth), bad hyperprolactinemia (no periods, lactation so bad that I had to put panty liners in my bra) and a pituitary microadenoma, that an endocrinologist said would have to be removed via brain surgery (through my nose) if it got much bigger. Invega was surely the culprit for the pituitary-related stuff.

On a happier note, after my medications were overhauled from the above, I lost 40 lbs, normalized my blood work, got rid of the hyperprolactinemia, my hormonal stuff eased, and even my pituitary microadenoma miraculously disappeared over time. That was 8 years ago. I have maintained half of the weight loss these 8 years, and have not had any other long-term negative side effects except the increase in my cholesterol and sometimes triglycerides.