So many people report gaining weight on Depakote. So far I have not, but when I am doing OK (not drinking) I run about 10 miles a day and also have an eating disorder occasionally...maybe those things have something to do with not packing on pounds.

Obviously you need some kind of meds if you're prone to psychosis, and I know how frustrating it has to be to keep upping doses and adding and deleting drugs here and there in pursuit of the "right" mix. In an ideal world we would all get by on therapy alone. Or by wishing for it hard enough!

One of many penalities I suffer when I go back to drinking is eradicating the effect(s) of whatever drug I am on. I take Depakote only--had a stash of trazodone I would take when I really wanted to sleep but I never adjusted to the side effects (because it was PRN) and I'm afraid to renew it because it is something I could abuse, I think.

Fotr me, consistent sleep-wake cycles would be a triumph. In years past I have achieved this but it must have been a precarious balance between having a job (or good income from writing), running a lot, and being in a stable relationship or otherwise acountable to someone up close. Now I'm entirely responsible for my own treatment and it sucks.