Laume Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 My pdoc has me switching to VA from Lithium since my levels of Li @ 900 mgs are not moving from 4.3. Upping it to 1200 mgs didn't agree with me (meaning I felt high and was hallucinating). There are not a lot of threads on Valproic Acid/Depakote and I was wondering if anyone on it really gets all the horrible side effects. Anyone? Or are all the BPs on this stuff too fat, bald and tired to type. Can you tell I am a bit nervous about this med change? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 lol very funny, Valproic Acid (depakote) did not agree well with me. However I know some people who like it a lot, it is the right mood stabilizer for them. I hope this will be the case for you too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibblerd Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 I went onto Depakote about seven years ago. I gained 20lbs in the first few weeks of being on it. My doctor asked me to stay on it for 3 months and I ballooned. I felt depressed (so kinda tired) but did not lose any hair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domovoi Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 i took it for 4 and a half years. it was effective in that it blunted my manias somewhat but didn't do much for rapid cycling and mixed episodes. i didn't gain too much weight and i definitely didn't go bald. i had a lot of cognitive blunting (poor memory, generally poor comprehension, troubles concentrating) and in general i slept longer. however, i was much younger, 17-21. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
confused Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 Depakote worked really well for me. It kept the racing thoughts and hallucinations under control. I gained weight at first, but I was able to lose it. I treated my hair gently and it didn't fall out. I only switched because I switched pdoc and he felt lamictal had less side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laume Posted October 26, 2010 Author Share Posted October 26, 2010 Thanks all...you all have past tense use...hmmm maybe I should request lamictal. My drug insurance company is going to wonder what the hell is going on with me since I just got Li on Friday and now this crap today. Boo to all this crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibblerd Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 I have tried to get lamictal from three psychiatrists and all of them have refused to prescribe it for the same reason: it is not a good anti-manic. It does have excellent antidepressant qualities but doesn't really stop many bipolar patients from cycling up. This means it is usually prescribed in conjunction with another medication to control the ups. There are other things than Lithium and Depakote; many members here use Trileptal, a newer analogue of Tegretol with less major side effects. Perhaps the lower dose of Lithium with lamictal or trileptal will be your sweet spot. Good luck sabrina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domovoi Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 I have tried to get lamictal from three psychiatrists and all of them have refused to prescribe it for the same reason: it is not a good anti-manic. It does have excellent antidepressant qualities but doesn't really stop many bipolar patients from cycling up. This means it is usually prescribed in conjunction with another medication to control the ups. There are other things than Lithium and Depakote; many members here use Trileptal, a newer analogue of Tegretol with less major side effects. Perhaps the lower dose of Lithium with lamictal or trileptal will be your sweet spot. Good luck sabrina i agree with nibbler - there are other options for mood stabilizers. personally, i keep telling everyone that tegretol saved my life in that department. and also - it's one thing learning about others' experiences, but you get a very selective sample of people here and i'm sure there are many who have been helped a lot by depakote without many side effects. the only way to know for sure is to try it and if you have a reasonably good pdoc just to work with him/her to eventually pick the best med if it ends up not being your cup of tea. best of luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Vapourware Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 I'm on sodium valproate which is related to valproic acid. I've had a bit of weight gain that I'm slowly wearing away from exercise. I haven't experienced any cognitive slowing or dulling, and it's been good in controlling manias. Since being on it, I haven't had a hypo/manic episode in over a year. However, it's not great at controlling depressions. I've had two bouts of major depression while on it and when I first started the drug, it made me feel emotionally blunted. That's worn off now, thankfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laume Posted October 26, 2010 Author Share Posted October 26, 2010 Again thanks! I dont feel so alone. One of the reasons he yanked me off the Lithium is that my TSH was 27.4 (normal range is .33 to 5) and Lithium can affect the thyroid gland. I'll let y'all know how it goes. As long as I don't go bald - my hair is very long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nibblerd Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 Again thanks! I dont feel so alone. One of the reasons he yanked me off the Lithium is that my TSH was 27.4 (normal range is .33 to 5) and Lithium can affect the thyroid gland. I'll let y'all know how it goes. As long as I don't go bald - my hair is very long. If you find that you are molting at an alarming rate, chopping off some of the hair may release pressure on your scalp and allow gentler living.. but I'm talking out my ass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpladybug Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 My drug insurance company is going to wonder what the hell is going on with me since I just got Li on Friday and now this crap today. Are you kidding? Your insurance company will not notice. It is all computerized. no problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jericko1 Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 I can't say enough good things about it. I feel much better with it. I still get depressed but that may stop because she increased it to 1500mgs. When I fiest started taking it it worked relativly quickly. I gained a little weight. By the way my depression is starting to break with the increase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laume Posted November 20, 2010 Author Share Posted November 20, 2010 Jericko1 Yeah - one month in and this shit is amazing. Not a cure all by any means but better than when the Li pooped out and I went nuts-o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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