Depakote?? Any experience info appreciated....

I'm interested to know any experiences people have had, good, bad, otherwise with Depakote.

Thanks!!

OMG, I freakin' HATED Depakote. Totally.

Thank god I was unemployed when I was started on it, because there was no way I could be functional. It made me puke my guts out. It made me sleep 18-20 hours a day. I stood it about 10 days, called my pdoc, and said "Take me off this." He said, "Is it working?" I said, "well, when I'm conscious, my mood's pretty good." He said -- "Then you're not going off it."

I was on it for maybe 18 months. Later side effects included having my hair fall out in clumps and having liver damage. Then there was the unexplained bruising.

It's too bad, because it really DID work well on my mood. I just couldn't tolerate it!

I'm now on Lamictal as a mood stabilizer -- my 4th attempt at one in the last 16 months -- and I love it. Took awhile to find an appropriate dosage, but now that we've found it, it's wonderful stuff.

Good luck!

Candy

I did not like it. Gave me tummy aches, I gained weight, and made my hair fall out.

Wow....thanks so much for the info. I'm really leaning toward not taking it. I'm on Lamictal now and he wants to add Depakote *as well*

I think it's a bad idea.

He said he is "concerned" about me --I'm NOT suicidal or anything-- How could any concern he has be worse than my gaining weight, loosing my hair and being tired all the time?

Oh man, they will pry my Lamictal out of my cold dead hands ;-). Great stuff. And there are other things your pdoc can put you on, if he's all that concerned about you. I've also tried Topamax -- fabulous for losing weight, because it makes food totally repulsive (I lost 20 lbs), but so-so on the mood. In the hospital they put me on Trileptal, which lasted a week before I had some more of that great "unexplained bruising" and got taken off it.

My point is, you have options. Make sure you make your pdoc tell you what they are!

My only complaint was the weight gain, which was huge. It worked wonders for my mood and I loved it........now I'm on Lithium (which I requested something that wouldn't pack the weight on).

I lost weight on Topamax too. Went from my usuall 4 / 6 to a 2!! Great stuff.

What I think is silly, is that he wants me on Depakote AND lamitical (at least for the time being).

It's great that he is concerned for me -that's his job, right?- but if the choice is between what he's concerned about and my getting fat-fuzzy-tired....well, let's just say that i care too much about myself to go the tired-fat route.

I dated a guy on it and from an outsiders point of view it was a bad bad drug. He had mood swings...stomach aches..huge periods of insomnia.. and in my opinion it did not help with his swings with being bipolar. In fact it seem to make them worse and much more charged.
This does not mean it would not work for you..just a heads up.

Jessica

gees. I feel kind of bad. The only complaint I had was the weight gain and with the Carnitor my Dr gave with it that wasn't as much of an issue (I was already over weight and trying to lose weight..) The only problem I had on Depakote was trying to make a firm decission within a reasonable time period. Mood swings went away. But left behind almost apathy?? Not happy, not sad.. Just here and doing what I needed to do. So I asked to be taken off. Never lost my hair, weight gain went away after coming off. Supposedly after a year on it the weight gain was supposed to start going away anyway, but I don't know. I don't think I made it a year..

Arlene

My brother (schizophrenic) and my cousin (bipolar) both took Depakote. My brother didn't have a good reaction at all within a few weeks of taking it and had to stop. My cousin took it for a period of several months, packed on around 100 lbs. or so, swelled, got really sick...liver problems...had to be hospitalized. I don't see this med as very good stuff at all...

I used to take Depakote and I guess I was lucky because the only side effect I had was being even. I mean not happy, not sad. No real emotion I was just here.

I think I have posted this or replied to such question in the past, I hated it, made me fat, tired, eat a lot, and cause me to fall asleep while driving, almost hit rocky "wall" on the PA tpk and thrn on a local road here where I live, the oncoming car's horn woke me up, neddless ro say I had my new pdoc switch me to something other than my previous pdoc prescribed when I lived in PA.
My nephew was on a higher dose than I and gained a lot of weight and had the same side effects I had, plus it fueled our depression.
Well, like they say everyone is different and meds affect everyone differently, best to take this up with the prescribing doc.
I wish you lots of luck with this.


DE

I really appreciate everyone's responses. I've decided not to take the new medication.

Sorry, I have not been around for awhile, but only discontinue any meds with the doc's okay, otherwise things may worsen.
I wish you well, with all of this it is hard, but you'll get through the storm.
Sincerely,
DE

Hi Thelema,

When i was in the hospital about two years ago following an OD (yuck- did you ever have to drink charcoal?) the Dr there put me on Depakote. i had dx of PTSD and DID and Depression (we're better now
Anyways i had a bad reaction to seruquel and the Dr tried me on Depakote.

The weird thing was that it did nothing that i could think of at all. i didn't mind taking it, it didn't do anything bad- the only thing that i noticed that was negative was that it caused me to lose balance- sometimes i hike on ledges and it could be dangerous. It made rock- scrambling a lot harder and i used a walking stick sometimes. Also i think it made it easier to dehydrate and took away some of my energy- which mattered to me a lot on a ten mile hike.

When my prescription ran out i didn't bother to replace it . i stopped taking it after three months. it was ok to just get off of i guess because nothing bad happened.

i remember about the liver function tests that i had to have- so that is a precaution as others have said- you should have your liver tested first and often as your Dr says. i'm really sensitive to medicines too- i can't take any of the antidepressants or antipsychotics. For some reason Depakote didn't do anything that i can tell except the aggravating thing with my balance and interfere with stamina. That caused me to stop it.

It's good to meet you Thelema.
.
Take care,
kerria