Depakote Forums (Page 2)

I have reduced depakote 500mg to 250mg 2 weeks ago. I have schizoaffective disorder. But not bipolar. I tought I d onot need to have this medication. But now since it is reduced I have no motivation, I have irritation and depressed mood. Shall I continue this medication? I take also Zyprexa 25mg and respiridol 5mg. But I have now oculogyric crisis from the zyprexa. My Doctor prescribed me cogetin as needed. It seems to help for that crisis. But the Depakote decrease make me miserable. Does it go away? ## I have reduced depakote 500mg to 250mg 2 weeks ago. I have schizoaffective disorder. But not bipolar. I tought I d onot need to have this medication. But now since it is reduced I have no motivation, I have irritation and depressed mood. Shall I continue this medication? I take also Zyp...

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I have been on depakote for epilepsy since about 2004. For the past 3 years I was taking 250mg everyday and sometimes every other day. I recently did an EEG and it came out normal. I started weaning of the meds to just every 5 days and recently every week. I notice on about the 6th or 7th day I feel light headed, anxiety, a bit dizziness that comes and goes. I also get sensitive to sounds. I will take 250 mg when I feel that and the symptoms go away. Haven't had a seizure since 2009. Anybody have advice or have felt the same symptoms after that time? ## Hello, Mary! How are you? Withdrawal effects like that are normal, when you are tapering off, or stopping such a medication, according to the NIH. There may also be a risk of seizures, so you do need to be very careful and taper it v...

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I am taking 500mg Sepakote. I have schizoaffective disorder. My doctor thinks that I have mood disorder. He prescribed me Depakote. I am taking it for 10months now. But I have more and more ansiety and irritation. I want to reduce it. But my doctor refuse. He warns me that all theI am se symptoms will be worst. If it is decreased. What shall I do? I am afraid also about the withdrawal symptom. ## Hello, Emy! How are you doing? Has there been any change? Those can be side effects of this medication, as reported by the FDA, along with nausea, dizziness, headache, balance issues, cloudy urine and cold sweats. However, your doctor cannot force you to take any medication and you are also free, at any time, to consult another doctor to get another opinion. Have you been working with a special...

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Daughter took 500 mg to start first week and dr increased to 1000 mg week2 she couldn't tolerate it so went back to original dose but is still having trouble I cut the pill so she could swallow it would this make a difference she's like a zombie sleepy and can't wwalk correct she takes 500 mg er ## Hello, Judy! How are you and your daughter? It is not safe to cut the ER tablets, the ER designates them as being time released and cutting them might be causing her to get too much of the medication, at once. So yes, that could be contributing to the problem. The FDA lists its typical side effects as possibly including nausea, dizziness, sedation, weight changes, confusion and depersonalization. Have you informed her doctor of the problems she is having?

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I have been on depakote er 500 mg per day for 4 years. Meds weren't working so well anymore, so pdoc added another 250 mg at bedtime. I'm on day 3, and feel jittery and spacey. How long will this last, and is it normal? ## Hello, Donna! How are you? Yes, it is normal to experience side effects, again, any time your dosage is raised. The FDA lists others for this medication as possibly including nausea, diarrhea, depersonalization, loss of appetite and runny nose. It may take several weeks for them to taper off and eventually go away. Is there anything else I can help with? ## Well I'm on day 4 now and the effects have started tapering off. It mostly comes in waves of feeling "high" and spacey. The worst times is when I first wake up in the morning. I have a hard time...

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I experienced my first major depressive episode after my sophomore year of college at age 20 (in 2002). During my sophomore year of college, my hair went from being straight to corkscrew-like curly nearly overnight. I had no way to explain this phenomenon at the time, but my hair was easier to fix and added personality so I thought, hey, cool, weird for it to do this, but, cool! I think "chemicals" in my brain had started to change and remember feeling "out of place" and uncomfortable in my own skin a lot. I was a straight A student my freshman year of college and A/B student my sophomore year. I frequently swithched majors because I felt like I could not think through my decisions (irritated, fluctuating moods) and I had no idea what I truly enjoyed in life. After my ma...

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what do I do Iweigh 250 and I am on depakote would you sugest anything about triliptal helping me lose the weight and mabey helping with the stableization of my bi polor disorder too ## Hello, Linda! How are you? It might help, since it isn't known to cause a much weight gain as most other similar medications, but only your doctor can decide if it is right for you to try. The FDA lists its other typical side effects as possibly including nausea, dizziness, headache and mood swings. Is there anything else I can help with? ## It has also been used to treat Bipolar and other mood disorders.

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I'm 21 and have been taking 500mg (morning) / 1000mg (evening) of Depakote ER. I was not in range so my doctor recently increased me to 1000mg/1000mg. Now I have severe gas and abdominal pain. I've read in previous posts that this side effect is usually transient. I was wondering if there is anything special I can do in my diet and or lifestyle to reduce the pain? ## Hello, Gabe! How are you? Have things improved, at all? Not really a lot you can do, side effects are going to happen, if they're going to happen. However, your doctor may approve your taking something to alleviate the gas. Other side effects may possibly include nausea, dizziness, headache and weight gain. Is there anything else I can help with?

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Hi, I am taking 500 mg/2x daily of Divalproex Sod ER (Depakote) for Bipolar 1. It works very well. However, my ALT is 76 and my AST is 59. I am not sure that these higher than normal liver enzyme test results are bad enough to require me to stop taking Depakote. I know there is a wide range of abnormalty. Has anyone had experience with liver enzyme problems? Please, share your experience. Please, don't tell me to ask my doctor. He is a bit unsure of all of this---wishy-washy. ## many doctors that aren't specialists can be confused by such. How long have you been taking the Depakote? The signs that it may cause acute liver injury can manifest like this within the first 6 months of taking it. Thus, if you've been on it 6 months or less, you will most likely need to stop taking...

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Hello - I have been on Depakote for about a month now 125mg 3x a day. It's working OK (I preferred Tegretol TBH, but developed a severe allergic reaction to that med.) I just got my period for the first time since being Rx Depakote and the amount of cramping pain I am experiencing is much, much worse than normal. (It woke me from a dead sleep, doubled over in pain, cold sweat, constipated.) I took 1000mg of ibuprofen after it woke me up after having taken 1000mg of ibuprofen 4hrs before (the ibprophen dosage is nomal, but usually at 6-7 hr intervals, not 4 hrs) I currently weigh 270lbs (I am experiencing a bit of weight gain and some edema in my legs)... Is this outside the expected side effects, or should I contact my Practitioner as soon as possible. Thank you. ## Yes, unfortunate...

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Have reduced Depakote, as it gave me painful sensation of numbness and tingling, still have this 8days after not having any. Other reason for not wishing to continue this regime was severe fatigue, used to run regularly, could only manage a few yards, every step was an effort. Also No motivation, strange feelings of not being myself, irritability, which was horrid as I am normally very gentle ,kind person, do not ever want to go through this withdrawal again felt horrid for weeks, Practiced EFT and Yoga ,also mindfulness to ease chemical symptoms, heard online, that this was once used as an industrial solvent. Psychiatrists, give too high a dose of reducing at 250mg. Research suggests that you must only reduce 10% a month,especially if you have been on drug for more thaN A FEW MONTHS,Ho...

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I've been on depakote six months and previously a year. It gives me the shakes and makes me zombie-like at times. I want to talk to my doctor about alternatives. Does anybody have any ideas of what else I could try? My diagnosis is bipolar. Thanks. ## Many of the medications used to treat bipolar disorder can cause such things as side effects, so it's really a matter of trial and error to find what works for you, without causing them so severely. You can learn more about bipolar disorder and the treatment options here: That should give you a good idea of what to discuss with your doctor. Is there anything else I can help with? ## i am 62 , recently my Psychiatric tripled Depakote even with only my little irritation against my ex wife who provoked me , so I took Depakote for 2 mo...

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So I've been on Depakote ER 500mg for 3 months now.(sorry if this is tmi) I've always had regular menstrual cycles but since I have started I didn't have one for two months then had a terrible painful one, hair loss, weight gain... just every terrible side effect I am on it for bipolar not for seizures and I want to get pregnant haven't been using protection since I've been on this and ive had two pregnancies before the meds easily, so I'm wondering how long it'll take after I taper myself off to be able to get back into a normal cycle and feel normal again any personal expierences are welcomed too. ## The FDA lists Depakote as being in pregnancy category D, meaning that there is definitive evidence of fetal risk, if women were taking it while pregnant. Thus,...

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I have suffered chronic pain from miserably failed back surgery and also have fibromyalgia. I have been in PM since 1994 and had to scratch my way through the medicine cabinet along with submitting to a kazillion different tests, therapy, the works. I wear 100mcg fentanyl patches, take 10/325 Norco for breakthrough pain, 6 mg tizanidine four times a day, 100mg trazadone at bed and bupropion 150 SR twice a day. I also suffer depression when my pain goes uncontrolled. I cannot take Cymbalta, Lyrics, gabapentin, desipramine, and SSRIs do NOTHING for me. I have had an rx for Lorazepam three times a day for as long as I can remember, but hate them! Have a script for 90 I filled in January and it's barely touched. I only take one when I am about to burst or my last nerve is standing on en...

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Hi, My girlfriend suffers from bipolar, and she has been taking depakote for about 2 months now, and it has worked more than wonders, problem is is that she ran out, and the treatment center that perscribed it wont refill it because she is no longer a patient. Her bipolar symptoms are getting really bad and she needs her meds. She has an appointment with a pshyc that she has never seen before, but the appointment is not for another month and a half..... How can she get a perscription refilled before that, and if she cant, what do we do? ## use inhousepharmacy.vu. It will save you the trouble of having to argue with your doctor.

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I have been really sick. I have had side effects from meds like lithium & risperdal. Now I am on depakote and I'm having parkinson's, ms, among other symptoms. ## Hello, Pam! How are you? I'm sorry about the problems that you're having. Could please post back and be more specific about the symptoms you're experiencing? That would enable me to better help you. The FDA lists the typical side effects of Depakote as possibly including nausea, somnolence, anxiety, hair loss and headache.

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Has this medication caused metallic taste? Went from same med (purple genetic depakote), to this horse pill (huge white, with M473 on side), & ever since, I feel I gave been sucking on pennies. ## Hello, Nursenads! How are you? Yes, Divalproex has been known to cause a change in the perception of taste, in some people that take it. Other side effects, as listed by the FDA, may possibly include nausea, dizziness, mood swings and weight gain. Is there anything else I can help with?

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What is the difference between Depakote and Depakote ER? ## The Depakote ER is an extended release formulation of the medication, the other is the regular release. Is there anything else I can help you with? ## Er is is extended release that is the difference

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19 years ago I began taking pills for Bi-Polar. After trying different pills on trial basis for 2 yrs we finally found a combination that works for me and that is Depakote and Prozac. I have found out that I can take generic Prozac but I can not take generic Depakote nor can I take Depakote with out the ER - I must have the real Depakote ER. I see the pill as large oval and gray in color. Because most medical insurances including Medicare and Medicaid will not automatically pay for the real thing so I have to get my Depakote ER approved every two months through Medicaid. For it, it is worth it. I have found that every 4 or 5 years I have to stopped the Depakote ER for about 2 years and then I go back on it again., When my brain won't close down day or night (even though I am on Depa...

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I just started depacote for bipolar 2. I'm also taking suboxone 16mg and have been for 2 months. The first week I was taking 500 mg depacote and just started on 1000. I'm experiencing severe diareah and gas like never before. I'm also plagued with kidney stones and these are symptoms I've experienced with stones, just not as bad. Just curious if anyone has experienced symptoms like these soon after starting or upping their dose of depacote. Should I take my dose tonight or wait and see what's up?! This is horrible! ## Hello, Timmy! How are you? Those can be normal side effects of Depakote, especially with a rapid dose increase, such as the jump from 500mgs to 1,000mgs. However, it's usually transient and only continues for a short period of time. You may also exp...

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