Question about mood stabalizers.

So I'm on depakote for my ms. My hair is falling out in clumps again. I was put on vitamins to prevent it but it seems they aren't working.

Lamictal doesn't seem strong enough for me. When I ended up in the hospital last time I was switched to depakote and it really, really helps me. I wasn't sleeping barely at all for weeks, but after about 2 weeks on depakote I started sleeping. But I can't take this hair loss.

So can ppl share what ms their on and the side effects of them, if they are on a ms other than lamictal or depakote since I pretty much know those side effects.

I really appreciate it. Thanks.

I am currently on Trileptal. The side effects that I notice are swelling of my hands and feet and stomach pain. I've only been on this for a month but that is what I notice. They just added Brintellix to my regime, which I've only taken for a few days. This makes me sick for a few hours and then I hurt all over but am giving it time. Good luck finding something that works.

Hi there sunshine

It took me a while to find the right mood stabiliser too.

Lithium, for me, did nothing, but for others here, it's a life saver.

Lamactil on the other hand for me has been the best thing ever. I've never been on such a good mood stabiliser.

Which just goes to show how differently we all react to mood stabilisers.

But yes, the unfortunate part is, they all come with side effects.

I'm sorry to hear about the side effect of yours.

I'm wondering if members have reviewed that here - you'll probably find you're far from the only person who experiences this:

Psych Central Reviews - Medications

I had a friend who had the same thing happen with Depakote. She was sooooooooo much better on it than off, but her poor hair I sympathized with her and now you. Lamictal was my lifesaver also.

I'm so Saphris and so far it has very few side affects. It does make me really sleepy so I take it at bedtime and it helps me sleep. The only other thing is that it is taken sublinguel(sp) and numbs my tongue for a while. I think this has also affected my taste buds. Otherwise it seems to be working pretty well. My doctor just raised my dosage earlier this week.

Have you tried abilify?

Oh man, that sucks. I'm sorry.

That's one we were thinking about trying....I will have to see. I see my pdoc in a couple of hours. Thanks for the info.

Hmmmm. The pdoc in the hospital and the one I'm seeing now both told me depakote is a stronger ms than lamictal. I'm gonna ask more about it today though. Thanks.

Well I have a feeling my pdoc is gonna recommend an ap. Geodon and latuda both gave me horrible akathisia. I have a feeling saphris will too. It sucks bc risperdal works great but I can't deal with the weight gain. Same with zyprexa. Ugh...I really don't wanna end up on an ap.

I see him soon, hopefully he'll have some ideas. Thanks.

No but I might be willing to try it. I'm so scared of akathisia though. I'm also going to ask about invega. Thanks.

Invega is working really well for me with no weight gain.

Hey hi!

I tried Seroquel but couldn't stand the feeling enuff to get through the break in period, so I settled on Lamictal which has hardly any side effects to me.

Drugs affect everyone differently. I see you said Lamictal wasn't strong enuff for you. I've taken up to 500mg before. What dosage did you try?

I hope that you find the one that works best for you.

Please keep us posted!

For some reason the brand name of depakote made my hair fall out and the generic didn't, or it may have been the other way around. Anyway, worth a try.

I'm currently doing well with generic Depakote-no noticeable hair loss so far but my hair is really thick & I've had a healthy diet for over 10 years-it takes a lot of time & patience to find the right balance of everything-good luck

I'm taking Lamictal, apparently hair loss is a side effect as well.

Is it common?

The following side effects are associated with Lamictal:

Common side effects of Lamictal:

FeverSevere
RashSevere
UncoordinatedSevere
BackacheLess Severe
Blurred VisionLess Severe
Chest PainLess Severe
Chronic Trouble SleepingLess Severe
Disorder of the Digestive SystemLess Severe
DizzyLess Severe
Double VisionLess Severe
DrowsinessLess Severe
Dry MouthLess Severe
Feel Like Throwing UpLess Severe
Head PainLess Severe
InfectionLess Severe
Inflammation of the NoseLess Severe
Involuntary QuiveringLess Severe
Low EnergyLess Severe
Stomach CrampsLess Severe
Throat IrritationLess Severe
Throwing UpLess Severe

Infrequent side effects of Lamictal:

AnxiousSevere
ConfusedSevere
Easily Angered or AnnoyedSevere
Mental ImpairmentSevere
Toxic Effect on Brain or Spinal Cord FunctionSevere
DiarrheaLess Severe
Incomplete or Infrequent Bowel MovementsLess Severe
IndigestionLess Severe
Inflammation or Infection of VaginaLess Severe
Involuntary Eye MovementLess Severe
Joint PainLess Severe
Mood ChangesLess Severe
Neck PainLess Severe
PainLess Severe
Painful PeriodsLess Severe
Problems with EyesightLess Severe
Weight LossLess Severe

Rare side effects of Lamictal:

Acquired Decrease of All Cells in the BloodSevere
Allergic Reaction caused by a DrugSevere
AnemiaSevere
Blood DisorderSevere
Constitutional Aplastic AnemiaSevere
Decreased Blood PlateletsSevere
Decreased Neutrophils a Type of White Blood CellSevere
Decreased White Blood CellsSevere
Deficiency of Granulocytes a Type of White Blood CellSevere
Erythema MultiformeSevere
Giant HivesSevere
Having Thoughts of SuicideSevere
Hemolytic AnemiaSevere
Increased Eosinophils in the BloodSevere
Inflammation of the EsophagusSevere
Low Blood Counts due to Bone Marrow FailureSevere
Lupus-Like SyndromeSevere
Meningitis Not Caused by an InfectionSevere
Multiple Organ FailureSevere
PancreatitisSevere
Periods of Not BreathingSevere
Reaction due to an AllergySevere
Reduction in the Body's Resistance to InfectionSevere
Repeated Seizures with Unconsciousness Between EpisodesSevere
Serious Muscle Damage that may Lead to Kidney FailureSevere
Small Reddish-Purplish Pin-Point Sized Spots on the SkinSevere
Stevens-Johnson SyndromeSevere
SuicidalSevere
Toxic Epidermal NecrolysisSevere
VasculitisSevere
Voluntary Movement DifficultySevere
Difficulty SpeakingLess Severe
Feeling WeakLess Severe
ItchingLess Severe
Lazy EyeLess Severe
Numbness and TinglingLess Severe
Sinus Irritation and CongestionLess Severe
Swollen Lymph NodesLess Severe

If I'm not mistaken, I don't see "hair loss" in there unless it's in Medical Greek.

Thank you everyone.

Well yes he confirmed that depakote is better for anxiety and mania than lamictal. I was on 350mgs of lamictal when I was switched to depakote. It's actually the generic depakote but it's a long name so I just say depakote. My insurance will only cover the generic.

So I'm switching to triliptal. Weaning off the depakote and slowly adding on the triliptal. He said he wants to see how I do before we add on anything else like an ap or an AD bc I've been pretty depressed lately. He said if we can keep you off an ap and just use it when absolutely necessary that would be best for me. I gained 50lbs on seroquel and another 20 on risperdal. But the weight is finally coming off. I've lost 20 so far since being off risperdal.

I know I could try invega, saphris, or abilify but I wanna see how I do without an ap.

I'm so drowsy today bc I added on the triliptal last night. He said I will probably be drowsy for a couple weeks. He's the first actual psychiatrist I've seen other than in the hospital. In the past its been psych nurses that wanted me over medicated imo. I like his approach much more. He's careful and takes all things into consideration. My past psych nurses just put me on so many meds I didn't know what was causing what as far as side effects.

This drowsiness isn't great, but I was having a hard time sleeping and was having a hard time in general. I think I was heading into a mixed episode. So it's kinda nice to be a little slowed down.

Again thanks everyone.

I hope the new meds work out well for you. Drowsiness can be a pain but it's unfortunately a side effect of a LOT of psychiatric meds - antipsychotics, antiepileptics (not a psychiatric medication but often used for treatment of psychiatric disorders) and antidepressants included. As your psychiatrist stated: this side effect will likely fade or become more tolerable after a couple of weeks.

Sorry you're having trouble finding an MS. I liked depakote, but it was too strong. Have you considered tegretol? It's decent, tried, and true.

Best of luck! Keep us posted!

moogs