marymadcap Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 (edited) . Edited July 28, 2018 by marymadcap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimilouwho Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 6 hours ago, marymadcap said: I've been taking Neurontin for years, I'm at 2400mg a day now. It's for Bipolar and a spine injury. I also take low dose Effexor 37.5mg and PRN Klonopin. I've tried every antidepressant (not an exaggeration) and all cause either worse depression or extreme anger and irritability. The latter just happened with Effexor, so my doctor added 500mg of Depakote. It seems to be going okay, but I'm worried about the side effects of all the meds. I can't find much info online. I'm mostly worried about liver stuff. I'm also wondering if there's a synergistic effect between the Neurontin and Depakote. I feel almost high when I take it at the same time. Anyone have experience with this med combo? Oh, and I also take Deplin because my body doesn't process folic acid correctly. 6 hours ago, marymadcap said: I've been taking Neurontin for years, I'm at 2400mg a day now. It's for Bipolar and a spine injury. I also take low dose Effexor 37.5mg and PRN Klonopin. I've tried every antidepressant (not an exaggeration) and all cause either worse depression or extreme anger and irritability. The latter just happened with Effexor, so my doctor added 500mg of Depakote. It seems to be going okay, but I'm worried about the side effects of all the meds. I can't find much info online. I'm mostly worried about liver stuff. I'm also wondering if there's a synergistic effect between the Neurontin and Depakote. I feel almost high when I take it at the same time. Anyone have experience with this med combo? Oh, and I also take Deplin because my body doesn't process folic acid correctly. Ms. Mary, Everyone is different but come to find out after ALL these years... I finally got a doctor that listened and gave a Shit. She ran my DNA, simple cheek swap (And it's covered, even by Medicaid).. I always knew I was Weird!!? I have a polymorphism in which I don't process (metabolize) enzymes the same. Therefore, SSRI'S do Not work for me... I'm 46 and I've STRUGGLED, and I still.. kinda am trying to find the right one! BUT... About 18 years ago I did take Effexor... I Was married at the Time, needless to say, I Was Not much longer after taking that drug..it CHANGED ME COMPLETELY...I was a Sex Freak!!! I didn't know myself... Haven't been married Since. Thankfully, he has forgiven me and we're still close ?... Be careful and pay attention!! Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notloki Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 There is an interactions checker at https://www.drugs.com which finds no interactions. 500 mg of depakote is not a huge dose but you should get a liver function test (blood test) 1-2 times a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikl_pls Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 The interaction checker in Epocrates just says "caution advised" due to the risk of the combo increasing CNS depression and psychomotor impairment, but the Medscape interaction checker doesn't show any interactions. I think the Epocrates interaction checker is just showing extra caution. 1 hour ago, notloki said: 500 mg of depakote is not a huge dose but you should get a liver function test (blood test) 1-2 times a year. I agree with and second what @notloki said here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
browri Posted June 3, 2018 Share Posted June 3, 2018 @marymadcap most likely you are experiencing these things because Depakote (valproate) and Neurontin (gabapentin) can impact the same neurotransmitter systems in an additive way. Neurontin is gabapentin and it started a class of drugs referred to as gabapentinoids. Some of these others you would recognize like pregabalin (Lyrica), vigabatrin (Sabril), tiagabine (Gabitril). Neurontin modulates the activity of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) and branched chain aminotransferase (BCAT), both of which are responsible in the synthesis/creation of GABA in the brain. Depakote seems to also have an enhancing effect on the synthesis of GABA but is more widely recognized as an inhibitor of its degradation or breakdown in the brain by inhibiting GABA transaminase and succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase which are responsible for this metabolism. Most likely what you are feeling is very high levels of GABA in the brain due to enhancement of its creation by Neurontin and the prevention of its breakdown by Depakote. My recommendation when you feel this way would be to be very careful with any benzos like clonazepam because they bind to the benzodiazepine site on GABA receptors and enhance the effects of GABA when it binds to the main site on those neurons. It could quite literally be like taking a Rohypnol cocktail lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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