depakote? experiences?

[indy77]

Dr just rx'd this. I have it sitting here. After reading the warning sheet... I'm kind of scared to start it. 250mg to start then up to 500mg in a week.

[crtclms]

As with all meds,YMMV. Some people don't have any side effects at all. Some have a few, but not enough to convince them to stop taking it. The most common complaint is weight gain. I took it two times, both times for migraine: The first time I took it I lost 65 lbs. The second time I took it, I gained 40. So you see even your own body can respond differently at different times.

 

Unfortunately, it's a balancing act. Try the medication, don't go looking for trouble before there actually is a problem. If there *is* a problem, you stop (under pdoc supervision). But if in the end it *does* work, you might have missed a real opportunity. Depakote helps a lot of people, many on this board.

[Crazymusician0704]

Depakote has REALLY helped me, I'm on 1500 mg, I gained 25 lbs on it but I've also been on other meds too, so I don't know who the culprit was.

[Becks]

I'm interested in this too! My pdoc wants to start Depakote next month! All I hear is weight gain and losing hair! I'll take both as I'm under weight and I lose my hair anyway from other meds I've been on. If it works.....I'll take it! 

[Squirlygrl]

So, so helpful for me.  I gained 15 lbs because of the med (I was hungry), then I gave up and gained another 15. I think I can lose some of that if I just accept that cheese is not a food group.  (Even so, it's not outrageous; I am still right on the line.) 

 

No hair loss, no depression (I also take Lamictal).  Blood checks are no big thing.  Supposed to be great for cycling/mixed states, and for me it's true; I had been only partially responsive to lithium and APs, for years.

 

crtclms is right; it's an experiment, not a tattoo. I remember staring down that first lithium pill like it was a little snake in the palm of my hand.  Just work closely with your doctor.

 

Good luck!

[indy77]

Thanks. I am primarily in Mixed State. I hope I don't lose weight... I am barely 100lbs as is. I just have a lot of other health issues... so worried about any conflicts there. Mainly a heart condition and I have a pacemaker. .

...deep breathe and.... go... down the hatch....

[Frenetic47]

indy77 - I am right there with you. Started Depakote 4 days ago at a dose of 250.  Will bump it up to 500 after a week and after calling my Dr. first.  My current meds are in my sig.  right now.  We are doing an overhaul since I not only have mixed states, but am an ultra rapid cycler.  Things aren't working right now ( they have been Hellish), so it will be changing things up slowly (meds) for a few months and into the psych's office every 2 weeks slowly tweaking with each med to see what is working.

 

I feel your apprehension and are just as nervous as you are.  I hope it works for you.

 

All I want is to feel good and keep my hair... too much to ask?

[Savannah]

I was given depakote pat a crisis pdoc appt with my HMO. He told me to. Keep goi g up and I would know when to stop. He was right. I think the dose was about 900 but I am not sure. It worked wonders and brought me back down quickly. I couldn't ha dale the stomach distress, sleepiness and tremors. I stayed on it. Long enough to get stable and then went off.

I

Robably didn't. Ick with it long enough to give it a fair chance.

[Chaos]

I take 1500mg and it's been a bit of a wonder drug for me. Very effectively brought me down from a severe manic episode when I started it, and helped me pull out of the inevitable depression that followed when it was then increased.

 

As far as side effects go, then I've had some minor weight gain, but I could afford that. I do keep thinking my hair might be a thinner but that might just be because I know it can happen, it's certainly not noticeable. Doesn't dull me and make me flat in the way AP's did, though it does make me need more sleep than I used to, so I have to have a nap in the middle of the day. But that's an easy thing to adjust to given the immense benefits I'm experiencing.

[bookgirl]

It made me fat and didn't help me at all. It helps MANY people, though.

[mydogtulip]

It's different for everyone, but for me it was a horrible experience. I was on 1,500mg and I was constantly running to the toilet with upset stomachs and I experienced a lot of hair loss. I was really out of it at that point and I can't remember if it actually helped me, but I was taken off of it because of the side effects.

[AnneMarie]

It slowed and lessoned the severity of my rapid cycling enough to stay on it for months despite a lot of side effects. I eventually bailed for Tegretol which worked better for me.

 

Depakote is the first line med for rapid cycling and mixed states. It is really good medicine for a lot of people. Give it a sincere trial before you decide how it will work for you. Some of the side effects wear off. For example, hair loss was one of the ones that went away for me.

[San]

Depakote is great for rapid cycling, however, I tend to end up in mixed states on it, and I want off it. It was the first mood stabilizer tried for my bipolar disorder (type 1, rapid cycling psychosis) when I was 17 and it drove me into mixed madness.

 

I know people that swear by it. It'll knock off my mania fast. Combined with other medications I'm pretty good, but the mixed episodes still push their way through.

 

The side effects aren't that bad. I don't notice any. I know a lot of people are worried about this med and side effects, but if taken properly, monitored by a doctor, the side effects should be minimal. 

 

Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV). 

[indy77]

Thanks. I am still nervouse about it. I'm giving it a try... and reallly trying not to trick my mind into thinking I am having side effects.... I think I am most nervous how this will affect mu heart over time. I have a congenital heart arrythmia, with pacemaker. And pstd from after I had my son. ( septic; hemorrage; pe...almost died) so new health things freak me a bit...

[Luna-]

I would second giving it a fair trial. When I started I had no SEs and everything was smooth. After some time I started putting on weight (or maybe it was there all the time and I didn't notice until my pants got too tight.) I also had something my pdoc called "core imbalance" - I would fall over. This developed over time, so I think you will have plenty of time to see how you do on it. I didn't lose any hair. I was on 1000mg.

[apetasticaL]

Depakote was great at squashing my mixed states, but made me gain 40 pounds in two months. Both the doctor and I decided to nix it before I became noncompliant. I know many people it has done wonders for, though.

[Mirazh]

I take 750mg/day as maintenance for my BP-II/NOS.  It kicks the shit right out of my depression and I don't hear hide nor hair from the depression unless I fuck up my dosing for too long.  I can apparently still flip into dysphoric hypomania while on it (I did back in March) but fortunately the warning signs were caught early and it only took a week of IP treatment to get me back on track.

 

When I first started taking it, I had a bit of gastric upset as a side effect, but that went away after a couple weeks.  I have slightly increased acne as an on-going side effect.  It slowed down my metabolism but I'm on an awful goodly sized dose of Concerta which seems to balance out my metabolism.

 

No extra hair loss, no drastic weight gain.  It's the second mood stabilizer I ever tried and I consider myself lucky.

 

Also, I moved this to the mood stabilizer forum.

[Frenetic47]

Thanks. I am still nervouse about it. I'm giving it a try... and reallly trying not to trick my mind into thinking I am having side effects.... I think I am most nervous how this will affect mu heart over time. I have a congenital heart arrythmia, with pacemaker. And pstd from after I had my son. ( septic; hemorrage; pe...almost died) so new health things freak me a bit...

I am now a week in.  Will call Pdoc tomorrow and then up dose to 500.  We are going slow I think because I am on other stuff.  So far so good. hair is still intact.  Some funky ass dreams. Head feels a little clearer.  Still cycling, but mixed is less.  Pretty much no significant side effects at this point, but I am only on 250mg and dropping Seroquel dose as well.  Perhaps you and I can keep in touch since we both started at same time.  Hang in there.

[creativelycrazy]

I already have weight issues and started on this drug 2 months ago. It stopped my rapid cycling immediately but I will have to keep an eye on the weight. Other than that concern I am happy with it.

[Frenetic47]

man oh man.  4 days at 500mg. still cycling... really depressed and suicidal today... have to give it all time. I suppose.

[dancingteapot]

it stopped my racing thoughts when i took it. unfortunately, i did experience hair loss and even now that i'm off the drug i still have it.

[Frenetic47]

5 days into 1500mg of Depakote.  Don't feel a whole lot of of anything... cycling has slowed down a lot!  Mixed episodes are less. Now just really, really depressed.

[cfranco92]

I take 500mg. I tried 1000mg and had a manic induced psychotic episode. Just recently my levels were done to see if I could increase again because my mood isn't as stable as it should be, but I am experiencing other stressors in my life so I know its not so much the MI but life running its course. I have hypothyroidism so I lose my hair already and I took zyprexa for a long time which caused me substantial weight gain, but I lost all that weight and I haven't gained any since I restarted depakote in the end of March (I stopped depakote when I had my psychotic episode last year). I have TD from extensive AP use so I have tremors, but nothing hasn't gotten worse since I started depakote.

 

I see pdoc soon to see if I can increase levels, and then I can tell you what my side effects are like. But at 500mg I am basically side effect free. Don't give up yet.

[Frenetic47]

Saw psychiatrist this morning. Getting rid of Lamictal. We both agreed that it never really was a good match for me.  OK, but nothing else... over 150mg I had tons of side effects and was out of control mixed/rapid cycling.  I lost hair on that one 18 months ago.  It took a bit over a year to grow back in.

 

Upping my Depakote from 1500 - 2000 mg and will be back in her office next week after I have had labs done and have been at 2000 for a week.  So far, no side effects and cycling has slowing down. I think there has been some improvement.  Seroquel is being upped a tad as well.

 

 Take it one day at a time and be cautiously optimistic.

 

Oh, the faith we put in these pills in hopes of a clearer head.

 

...Now back to those ginormous gray horse pills.

[Frenetic47]

Having success with Depakote!  Mixed moods have stopped mostly.  Rapid cycling, the same.  That has been very nice.  There is not that constant reminder that I have a mood disorder.  Anxiety disorder is still prominent. Overall, things have turned around gradually in the past month.  The past 4 months have been awful. I will now discontinue the 37.5mg of Lamictal and slowly start coming off of lithium.  I have to do things very slowly or it gets really messy with me quickly.

 

Will have more labs done tomorrow for liver, glucose( for seroquel) CMP, platelet count, kidneys, pretty much a full workup.

 

O.K. more good:

 

1.  The hair is just fine.  Hasn't fallen out

 

The bad:

1.  I am freakin' bloated a lot.  Especially within an hour of taking a dose.  I look 4 months pregnant.  It's uncomfortable.

2.  I eat like a pig and am constantly hungry.  have put on some weight.  My goal this summer will be to get 10lbs. off.  I will probably use MyFitnessPal again to achieve that one.  I currently only have a few items of clothing that fit in a flattering fashion.

 

3. Word retrieval... this one is the worst!  having a hard time finding the right word in a fast moving conversation.

4.  Thirsty all the time. I generally waked up in the middle of the night, drink 32-44oz. of water.  use bathroom 3 different times.  It could be blood sugar from Seroquel, or the fact that I am on both lithium and Depakote, both salts that would normally make you more thirsty.  Will be good gettting the lab work done.

 

 

I really hope that it continues to work for me as we gradually take the lithium away.

[Parapluie]

Glad to hear the mixed moods have stopped.

[Frenetic47]

Thanks Parapluie

 

We dropped the Depakote from 1500 down to 1000 because I had those lovely tremors, felt shakey like my heart was racing.  At 1500mg, my valproic acid level was 114.  Bloating is not so bad, but in the past month I put on around 8lbs. easily.  After 4 days at 1000mg of Depakote, it is much better. Side effects aren't so prominent.  I don't have as many issues with the word retrieval.

 

We tried to get rid of the 37.5.mg of lamictal and drop the lithium by 150mg.  I didn't do well with getting rid of either one.  After 3 days of that, called Dr. and we added those back in and will come up with a game plan when I go back in for next appt.

 

labs were pretty good - had everything looked at.  Thyroid is off again, so had to up my dose from 88mcg to 100mcg.  A few other things off, but nothing huge. 

 

Mind is still moving at normal speed.  I do still get mildly depressed,  but overall it is nice to have the rapid cycling gone and the mixed moods gone and feel some normalcy.

[Bipolar Dreamer]

I stopped taking it because I hated the side effects and had a bad relapse. Now I'm stabilized and doing well with a new doctor and entirely different medications with more manageable side effects. But everyone is different and there are lots of people who have luck with it. 

[Frenetic47]

I stopped taking it because I hated the side effects and had a bad relapse. Now I'm stabilized and doing well with a new doctor and entirely different medications with more manageable side effects. But everyone is different and there are lots of people who have luck with it. 

absolutely!  Glad you found something that works for you.  Yes, everyone is different - that is for sure.

[Katzendame]

I was perscribed this a few years ago for raid cycling. Made it worse, I had a mood swing every 5 mins. I had to just stop. Not a drug for me but for surw it works for others.

[werehorse]

Depakote has been pretty good for me. Settled me down from a manic episode in the autumn, pulled me out of a depression with psychotic symptoms in January when it was increased (felt like it relaxed my brain which was kind of spasming). I've felt for a few weeks that I would have too high if the depakote hadn't been weighing me down, though my mood is escalating now.

 

No obvious side effects except a very slight tremor.

[Crazymusician0704]

I talked to my psych yesterday and we decided because of the weight gain (40ish lbs in almost a year) that I wanted to get weaned off of it, so we're tapering off of Depakote and easing in on Lamictal that'll be over the next few weeks...starting today, makes me kinda nervous, I've been on Depakote for almost a year and it has been a lifesaver

[Frenetic47]

update for those that are following my experience with Depakote.

 

I'm still doing well on the Depakote.  I saw my Dr. yesterday and in her words she said "Depakote is a good drug for you."   No real side effects except for some tremor in the late after noon when the Xanax xr has worn off.  The only other issue is the super increased appetite.  But I have felt happy in the past 4 days - consistently, for the first time in over 4 months. It's great.  I don't feel suicidal or homicidal.  Saturday  I went out and did a fundraising service project for our local "Y" and had a good time, despite being out in 90+ weather for 4 hours. Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but I am grateful for today.  And as we all know, that struggle with a mood disorder, things can change quickly.  But I am optimistic.

 

 

 We are dropping 150mg from the lithium, so it will be down to 1200mg.  It seems that after all, we will be keeping some kind of lithium dose in my cocktail. It is good for the mania and the Depakote has been great for my mixed states. Any shifting will be done carefully as I know that she is quite hesitant to rock the med boat. Here is some interesting stuff,  she has been really concerned with my fragmented sleep - waking up in the middle of the night to drink copious amounts of water and then having to use the bathroom another 1-3 times in the night.  I think that it is a combo of the Depakote and Lithium since both are salt/sodium based.  So most of my Depakote and Lithium doses I will take in the morning. Crossing fingers that my tummy doesn't get too upset.

 

I did express my concern for the weight gain.  I did tell my pdoc that I will honestly watch what I eat and workout and if I am still gaining weight quickly after two months, then we need to look at something else.

[crtclms]

Crazymusician, I gained a lot of weight, too. I stopped it about 2.5 years ago because it just wasn't working anymore (for migraines). I have slowly lost weight since then, about 35 lbs. Like a lb a month. But my gdoc says slow weight loss is more likely to "stick" then rapid weight loss. I have a lot more weight to lose, but to be honest, I am okay on a personal level if I stay at this weight. But I really should lose more, so I am "overweight" instead of "obese." Although I have heard BMI is discredited?

 

Anyway, it's scary to switch from a med you are mostly happy with to an unknown. There are a lot of people here on Lamictal, it is a really good med if you can tolerate it. My father (a pdoc) was thrilled when I was put on Lamictal, no joke, he believes in it that much. I am not trying to say it will definitely work for you, I'm just saying don't go into it with fear (that grammar sucks), you may really like it.

 

Frenetic, I had the depakote tremor, the really "fine" one that makes everyone say, "Why are your hands shaking like that?" Which is rude of them. But for the Depakote to work, I had to stay on a dose that caused the tremor.  I was taking xanax for anxiety through all of this, and it didn't really help me with that. But this was my second stint on depakote, and some of my side effects were different the second time.

[Frenetic47]

... and another update.  Mood is still really good on the Depakote.  Weight is not.  My Dr. weighed me and I am up 10lbs. from the beginning of May.  I just sat there and cried.

 

So she put me on Topamax and told me to watch what I eat a bit more closely.  Another drug. If it works ok for the migraines, she said we can talk about discontinuing the Propranolol. Who knows if it will or will not help with the weight??  Anyway, I am counting calories and joined a new exercise group.  Exercise and meeting new people.  Hopefully it is the push I need.

[limerence]

i hate this substance. my therapist suggested i get diagnosed with whatever is wrong with me since i had a suicidal dream (I've been suicidal since elementary school lol). i checked myself into the hospital to get diagnosed and they locked me up in isolation for 18 hours. then i found myself at an inpatient psych ward!!..for the first time. they diagnosed me as bipolar ii and insisted i take depakote. i researched the drug on the computer there and didn't want a part of it but my mom wouldn't let me come home unless i took the drug! i decided to give it my all and hope for the best...

 

fast forward two months i was in hell. i still had depressive and hypomanic cycles although i didn't care. they didn't really affect me but i could still ever so slightly tell where i was in my cycle. i felt no emotions, i felt dead. music that used to play in my head...gone. exciting thoughts...gone. i was a zombie. on the bright side i was able to do almost anything i wanted. i practiced a ton of guitar and worked on projects i had planned before although i experienced no satisfaction or joy from my activities. i was feeling suicidal, like i was at the end of the line since this wasn't working and my mom wouldn't let me stop (this drug destroyed my reasoning, worse than my defacto bipolar logic). i tried vaping a ton of hash, what i used to medicate myself before psych ward, i didn't get high, at best i got a body buzz and felt apathetic about my mental dilemma..no euphoria or wellbeing! feeling concerned and worried i tried snorting heroin, having not dabbled in opiates for months. i felt content and constapated..again, no euphoria or wellbeing! no trippy morphine buzz. same with coke. i couldn't feel anything! 

 

i looked online and ordered a book called The Opiate Cure: for Chronic Pain and Bipolar. The dr who wrote it says methadone+another opiate are the best tools for bipolar. i procured a hundred mg of methadone, planning to take a few mg a day. it arrived and then decided not to take it since it would be unsustainable in the long term. a week later, over 9 weeks after starting depakote, i went cold turkey on 1500mg. a day later i was apparently 11/10 manic, shit felt like an intense trip. my mom was coming off ativan and taking it out on me and my younger sisters. i got in a big fight with her and thought i would feel dead forever and hated my life (which i don't sans depakote) so i decided to kill myself. i took 200mg methadone and over 20mg klonopin with almost no tolerance to both drugs. i went to the hills to die in peace...4 hours went by, nothing. i didn't even pass out or feel like lying down. i sent a friend a text asking for the number of an ex gf so he became suspicious and drove to where he thought i was. i told him i had peaked on all the drugs i took and was not going to die. he was paranoid benz'd up idiot so he didn't believe me and called the cops on me, i forgot you can't trust anyone lol. i ended up in a prison like psych ward then homeless for a bit then started living with a lady friend.

 

long story short: forced to go on depakote, miserable, try to kill self, fail, homeless....worst part of my life and this was a couple months ago.

 

hope it works for you though

[cfranco92]

Depakote has caused a low platelet count, enough that my body bruises easily and spontaneously. I wasn't aware this was a problem or that this was a serious side effect until I read on the depakote website and had to contact my doctor ASAP.

 

 

[crtclms]

Ack, cfranco, I bruise like crazy because of genetics (thanks Grandma), I would not have noticed.