[k123]

I was just prescribed it and want to know if anyone else has taken it?

[shezbut]

I have taken it for seizure control, I have Epilepsy.

Most of the side effects were tolerable, but it did drive my white blood cells down to dangerously low levels both times that doctors tried it. So, it's not an option for me anymore.

You may want to ask this Q in the medications forum ~ you might get more responses & more quickly than if you leave it here. Best wishes to you!

If the webMD site is correct, one of the brand names is Depakote. If that's the case I took it for a number of years.

I am med-free now but this, by choice.

For me, the cons outweighed the pros of taking the med.

On the positive side, it did help with mood stabilization and I wasn't quite as up and down as I am normally. It help to take the edge off off my extreme mood swings which in its worst form resulted in raging.

On the negative side for me, it subdued my emotions, I'm guessing that's how it stablized my moods but that was a con for me, I don't like to walk around semi-numb. It squashed my creativity, I'm assuming due to the moderating my emotions too. Lastly, this wasn't a factor in my quitting but may be a negative you might consider. I normally weigh in the 120-ish area which is a healthy range. On Depakote I shot up as high as 155 at one point and it affected my appetite. I was hungry a lot more often and ate more. Again even at 155 I wasn't that overweight but it may matter to other people, especially women.

it does work for what it's said to do. Just for me, the kicker was the creativity part. I'm an artist and don't like to be unable to create things.

Hope this helps.

[saulylee]

Yep I'm on 1400 of valproate and 90 of cymbalta and they are working well enough for me at the moment.

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I have not taken it, as it is known to have a side effect of weight-gain, which I can not tolerate as having an eating disorder (anorexia).

However, my boyfriend and my brother have both taken it for treatment of bipolar disorder. They both eventually moved on to different medications for mood stabilization, Lamotrogine (Lamictal), instead.

Everyone differs…check with your pdoc and best wishes to you. x