I personally preferred Lithium over Depakote, the Lithium didn't put me in "zombie" state, Lithium was great, I could drive without falling asleep at the wheel, I could function, Depakote caused me a lot more weight gain than Lithium, made me fatigued always.
I know not all meds work the same for everyone, but Lithium has a longer track record than Depakote and with huge success for thousands. The form of Lithium I was on was, Lithobid 300mg 3x a day. Was switched to Lamictal only because it adressed my deep depressive states better, AD's no longer were working, sooo that is the only reason the pdoc and I went for the change of meds.
But I must say Lithium is and still is great for my brother, his BP is BP-I, mine is BP-II, he has been taking it for 33 years and will do so for life, cause he likes living a "stable life" and doesn't care if the med is for life, after all diabetics need insulin, for life.
Just my 2 cents .
I wish all luck and progress with their meds.



DE