[deicher82]

I'm obviously very new here as well as new to a mental health diagnoses. I've been very depressed most of my life and have had tremendous problems with drugs and alcohol. I'm 32 and have just been diagnosed with Bipolar, ADHD, and OCD. I've been suffering from serious PTSD most of my life which was impacted greatly by a very serious traumatic event that took place 10 years ago. Anyhow, I have been on latuda for 6 weeks which has been doing a good job of keeping me from sinking into the deep depression I'm so familiar with, however for about 3 weeks my moods have been swinging so badly that I've felt like I was bouncing around like a basketball. I saw my pdoc a few days back and he put me on depakote for mood stabilization. It began working very well very quickly but I'm noticing that later in the day as I'm getting closer to my 2nd dose I'm become very sleepy and dizzy feeling. I called my pdoc of course and he encouraged me to stick it out for a few more days. My point here is to ask others if they have any experience with depakote. I'm very please with how it's managing my moods and I feel comfortable waiting a few days to see if the tiredness and dizziness disipates. Any info would be much appreciated and y'all if just can't tell you how excited I am to be a member of your community. Everyone has been so welcoming and warm. Thanks to you all for making this place comfortable for the newbies and for sharing your experiences!

[Crazy Hitch]

Welcome - we're glad your here

I was also diagnosed with bp at around your age - although I certainly had symptoms before diagnosis.

My moods tend to jump up and down a bit when I'm starting a new med.

I've never been on the med that you're on but at times when starting meds I go through a bit of a lethargy phase. Mostly have disappeared in a few days as my body adjusts.

Keep communicating with your pdoc on any side effects you are experiencing with the med. unfortunately it's not a case of one size fits all so you will have to wait and see how this one works out for you. Take some comfort in what your pdoc has said. It might take time to jump start, especially if your mood can swing a bit low at the moment which could be an attribution of this.

Be well and let us know how it goes.

[SoggySketti]

There is the entire internet filled with information on all drugs. If you feel it is helping you then that is so wonderful for you. I wish you continued health and luck.

[~Christina]

Welcome to PC

[hamster-bamster]

Yup, was dizzy on Depakote, and extremely sleepy, and those side effects went away. However, with time, I gained weight and developed a horrible hand tremor, so I am not taking that drug anymore, even though it helped with migraines.

Just do not ride a unicycle, you know... until the dizziness goes away.

[deicher82]

Originally Posted by Hooligan

Welcome - we're glad your here

I was also diagnosed with bp at around your age - although I certainly had symptoms before diagnosis.

My moods tend to jump up and down a bit when I'm starting a new med.

I've never been on the med that you're on but at times when starting meds I go through a bit of a lethargy phase. Mostly have disappeared in a few days as my body adjusts.

Keep communicating with your pdoc on any side effects you are experiencing with the med. unfortunately it's not a case of one size fits all so you will have to wait and see how this one works out for you. Take some comfort in what your pdoc has said. It might take time to jump start, especially if your mood can swing a bit low at the moment which could be an attribution of this.

Be well and let us know how it goes.

I also had symptoms as far back as my early teens. My family has always been baffled by my behavior as well as by my drug and alcohol abuse. Of course I never could understand myself either. My self-esteem has been nonexistent most of my life due mostly to my abusive childhood but it was definitely impacted by my illness. I believed I was broken and that I deserved nothing but bad all the way around. Thanks to rigorous counseling and a wonderful pdoc things are beginning to turn around,

Thanks for the reply and now that I think about it I had the lethargy when I first started the trileptal I was on at the beginning. I had to come off due to my sodium levels bottoming out because of it. I was very disappointed about coming off of that because it literally changed my life as far as my mood. For now im feeling very good and staying positive as we go through the motions trying to find the right combination for me. Thanks again!

[deicher82]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Yup, was dizzy on Depakote, and extremely sleepy, and those side effects went away. However, with time, I gained weight and developed a horrible hand tremor, so I am not taking that drug anymore, even though it helped with migraines.

Just do not ride a unicycle, you know... until the dizziness goes away.

HaHa! I'll try my best to refrain from any unicycoe riding until I get used to the Depakote. I knew weight gain was an issue eith this drug. So far my appetite is still normal but I'm watching and waiting for that. I didn't know about the tremors. I hooe I get lucky and avoid that problem. How long were you on it before the tremors started if you don't mind me asking. Thanks for the reply!

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by deicher82

HaHa! I'll try my best to refrain from any unicycoe riding until I get used to the Depakote. I knew weight gain was an issue eith this drug. So far my appetite is still normal but I'm watching and waiting for that. I didn't know about the tremors. I hooe I get lucky and avoid that problem. How long were you on it before the tremors started if you don't mind me asking. Thanks for the reply!

Tremors are a rare side effect. In my case, tremor kicked in after a couple of months. Reducing the dose did not solve the problem. Even after I discontinued, tremors persisted for about 1-2 months, in a mild form.
Hopefully you will be spared that.

However, weight gain is very common on it, and may not come via increased appetite but via metabolism problems.

[deicher82]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Tremors are a rare side effect. In my case, tremor kicked in after a couple of months. Reducing the dose did not solve the problem. Even after I discontinued, tremors persisted for about 1-2 months, in a mild form.
Hopefully you will be spared that.

However, weight gain is very common on it, and may not come via increased appetite but via metabolism problems.

Oh ok I see. My metabolism is slow as it is so that worries me but I try very hard not to be a fatalist. Right now im believing that wont happen and the depakote is the missing link in my mental health care.

[newtothis31]

I personally love Depakote. I started off on a super high dosage (2000 mg when I was IP), and a year later - I take 125 mg- 2x per day.
I had major problems with exhaustion until I got reduced to 1000 mg. My p-doc argued that I really needed to get back on a sleep schedule & that I needed to stabilize. He gradually decreased my dosage each visit.
Glad that you're staying positive! Getting the right medication will take time!

[deicher82]

Wow!! 2000 mg sounds like a crazy high dose! But what do I know! Glad to get some totally positive feedback!! So far today the lethargy seems a little better. My pdoc is sending me for labwork Monday to test my levels. She told me she plans to only treat the number if it is high as long as my moods are stable. I'm hoping they are but I had a little bit of a stepdown this afternoon in my mood. I'm just going to stay positive and believe it was just a tiny blip on the radar and hope it doesn't happen again. She seemed to imply that I would need a higher mg though. We shall see!! Thanks for the info newtothis31!!

[RavenStark]

I am also on depakote. I had suffered the same sleepiness you are describing. My pdoc switched me to 2 pills before bed and thats it. Its helped.

[RavenStark]

Just got done with a visit to a substitute pdoc and he was shocked to hear i was on abilify and depakote at the same time. He said depakote is an older med now and abilify does the same thing as depakote. Hes going to wean me off depakote and up my abilify.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by RavenStark

Just got done with a visit to a substitute pdoc and he was shocked to hear i was on abilify and depakote at the same time. He said depakote is an older med now and abilify does the same thing as depakote. Hes going to wean me off depakote and up my abilify.

I agree that being on both is an overkill. Sometimes needed, but rarely so.

[deicher82]

oh wow that's news to me! Abilify didn't do much for me when I was on it in the past before I was diagnosed BP. I was on it for depression so it alone was probably not enough. I wonder why my pdoc hasn't mentioned this? I'm going to do some research on that and see if it's something I should mention to my pdoc. Thanks RavenStark!!!

[Curious651]

Just wanted to say welcome

[deicher82]

Thank you Curiou651!