Better without divalproex (valproic acid)

[frog]

Over a month ago I posted on this board worrying that valproic acid was really screwing me up. Well, just to let people know, I was able to get off of it and I have had relief from those horrible symptoms. Way less panic, especially. I still feel sad and have low self-esteem and can't wake up before 2 pm, but I think that's more from depression and possibly my general life situation than what was happening with divalproex. That drug was like a 24/7 crisis in my head. It pushed me right to the brink of despair, and a Crisis Unit, and would have pushed me over if not for some rescue Seroquel. What I don't understand is how the doctors failed to consider that my crisis could have been outside of the normal depression they expected after a manic episode. I could have killed myself it was so bad. Why don't they warn their patients to look out for adverse mood changes from a drug? From the info sheets for divalproex, mood-related side-effects *are* possible and are something to report to your doctor. Shouldn't somebody be screening patients for these kinds of side-effects?

I still have my depression problems and concerns that my current drug regimen (Seroquel 250 mg, lamotrigine 75 mg x 2) isn't good enough yet (the lamotrigine is too low - my doc had to cut the dose in half because of the divalproex; and for Seroquel, I think there's a thin line between mood elevation, mood stabilization and additional depression), but at least I'm not in living hell.

Thanks to those of you who answered my earlier message asking about whether valproic acid made you *more* depressed.

frog