User Reviews for Depakote

I would give Depakote a lower rating based on my personal experience with it, but I don't want to skew the overall rating. For whatever reason, I did not respond to Depakote as a mood stabilizer. This is surely not the case for everyone. The problem is that while taking this medicine, I gained 30 pounds, as I constantly felt hungry. I was warned ahead of time that this tends to keep the brain from perceiving fullness (or something to that effect). I noticed this within a few days of starting Depakote but continued taking it because I didn't have many other options at the time. The weight gain created an entirely new aspect of depression. Just something to keep in mind if you're just starting it and weight gain is an issue.

Although reading the possible side effects can be scary, this medicine gave me my life back. I had a little hair loss, at doses above 1000mg, but it's been great in stabilizing my mood swings. If I go off of it, I have an episode within a month. I had no weight gain (actually lost weight I had gained from taking Seroquel previously). I take it with Wellbutrin SR and a little Abilify. But the Depakote is by far the most effective. I've been on it for over 3 years.

I am shocked to read the high amount of mg's that people are being started on. Every review I have read about Depakote it's been mainly 1000mg also 500mg. That just blows my mind! With any medicine you have to be eased into things and adjust from there! I began with 250mg, my Doctor told me that after a few weeks I could adjust it to taking 2 doses (500mg). Just to play around with it to see if I in fact needed to go higher. So I did, when changed to 500mg it made me crazy, nutty, mean and intolerable. I backed off and on 250mg again. I have been normal and perfectly stable ever since. I have yet to read a person taking the lowest dosage as a starting point. Start slow and work your way up (if needed). This medicine has been a lifesaver!

I gained 50 lbs on Depakote, also makes me lazy, since 2007.

I've read many people have been gaining weight from this drug. This is why it is SO important you care about your health from day one and it should be a part of your lifestyle and regimen, no matter what. This way, whatever the side effects are of the medicine, you're on top of your game and won't get hit as hard. I've been on many bipolar medications which make you gain weight, but I barely noticed because I work out and eat very healthy. It's of utter importance that you lay down a solid, healthy foundation before and during therapy. The healthy lifestyle will also make the medicine work better. It's common sense.

I have Bipolar Disorder. This is the only drug that's worked with out breaking me out in rashes, or making me feel so drugged I couldn't work or function. The only problem I have with it is it makes me a little hyper. I controls my temper well, without making me sleepy.

Took depakote for almost ten years (300 x 3)...now I will admit I had three minor episodes in that time. Super, yes, I know but I started at 140 lbs in six months I bottomed out at 206lbs. I slept 12 hours a night, plus a nap of 2 hours in the evening. Someone finally caught the Depakote/Paxil fiasco, and lithium and wellbutrin became my friends...more importantly, I feel like I "woke up". I lived the life, but it seemed so surreal looking back on it...IT completely controlled me. It's not the Wellbutrin and the Paxil, it's the lack of Depakote (and for a large part, Paxil) that made me almost another person. I'm sure Depakote works for thousands of people...it just took me out of the equation TOO much.

Helped me with manic and depressed episodes.

Depakote made me go slow on everything I did. I was a totally different person. My family thought I was on harsh drugs, I didn't function at all on 1200mg. Now I am on quetiapine and citalopram and my moods have totally stabilized. I am a different person.

My 17 year old daughter started taking Depakote 750 mg 1 1/2 months ago. She has gained 28 pounds. When the dose was upped to 1500mg she had daily migraines. We have seen several improvements in her symptoms but not enough to keep her on a medication that makes her gain weight and decreases her self esteem.

I have been on this for 5 yrs now. I have this eye tic, my joints hurt. I wish read up on the side effects earlier on.

I've tried many medications to help my bipolar disorder and this one's worked the best.

I was prescribed this because it is a mood stabilizer. In other words, I sank down pretty low in mood with long term stressors such as death of family members and a couple of moves, not going to AA and not being in therapy (ugh). I started this recently and at 500 mg seemed to be able to sleep. At 1000 mg, I was restless. If I'm feeling low then it's doing what it's supposed to I suppose. I will cut back to the 500 mg and take it in the morning and see if it makes me sleepy or hyper. I take 22 mg of Buspar at night because I was also suffering from anxiety that was not letting me sleep. I liked the fact that Depakote works well almost immediately, and I was assured that after three weeks, I should feel "normal" again and can quit.

When it worked it was great. Couldn't keep my levels the same, though. When levels went too high, I got tired and shaky and could not sleep. When it went too low, I rapid cycled between mania and depression. May work for you, but not for me.

I have been on Depakote ever since I was diagnosed (finally) with bi-polar disorder. I am currently on 1000 MG per day, but have taken as high as 2000 MG per day. On 1000 MG per day I am (or have been somewhat stabilized, which leaves me somewhat hypo manic which seems to be the best level for me. I say somewhat stabilized because I started to go hyper manic in the past 2 weeks, have no idea why. Going to see doctor tomorrow). For the 2 years or so when I was on 2000 per day I was also taking 40 MG per day of Paxil. My moods were stabilized all right, but I turned into a zombie. I have never taken another mood stabilizer so I can not make comparisons. Depakote makes me gain weight big time!

Working much better than Lithium, for Bipolar Disorder. Lithium caused slurred speech and made me feel sluggish and foggy. Doing much better except for anxiety which is still the same.

Felt better than I had in years, but major weight gain caused my doctor to discontinue.

Depakote turned me into a moody mad man not knowing who I would be from one minute till the next. Am off it now and mood has stabilized.

I am a wife of a man that has bipolar disorder and he takes depakote er. We love it. It is easier for him to control his mental illness.

Been on Depakote for 6 months and gained 30 pounds, now with the disorder I worry about my weight like crazy. I also take Geodon which has slowed me down with NO motivation at all. Beginning to wonder if it's all worth it. I do notice I never want to argue with anyone at work and at home I'm quiet 24/7.

I was prescribed 250 mg, but to take three times a day (every 8 hours). I don't think that's really too high. Perhaps it's because I was on such high doses of other things in my past--who knows. So, to me, my body is used to truly high doses of such medicines. Either way, 250mg of Depakote DR is the lowest you can be given, and that will only carry you through part of the day. This is why the doctor has to make you take it three times a day. I haven't had practically any side effects, except for a little "wet noodly" feeling, but none of the side effects (yet) that are listed. Guess it's different for everyone.

I was prescribed 500mg Depakote twice per day. I does make me feel sleepy and the MD stated I needed to take both in the evening. I did so and awoke feeling like I was jacked up and bouncing off the walls. I thought what the hell is going on. So I took another dose and an hour later had a nap and I was fine. The downside of the medication does make me feel like a zombie. My concentration is nil and confused a lot. Currently I do not have any insurance and when I go to the ER they say just wait to you see your MD next month. I am very frustrated but learned the hard way to not discontinue your medicines. I did so and got in a lot of trouble.

I have taken this medicine for seven years.....six of those in conjunction with Zyprexa. I ballooned from 120lbs to 210lbs in that space of time. I was not warned that this medicine has the potential to cause massive weight gain, and she insisted to me that the gain was nothing to do with the drug. Came off the drugs independently for 13 months, 95lbs fell off me easily, but had another episode after that time. Am now on 500mgs Depakote and 10mgs Abilify. Don't notice any beneficial effects from this medicine hair loss, nails breaking below the quick, hand and body tremors, forgetfulness, being abstract and far away, irregular sleep patterns. Want to ask the doctor to try me on Lamictal.

My daughter is 12 years old and her Depakote was recently increased to 1,000 mg a day. Immediately I saw some harsh side effects. To begin with she has a very petite frame and dropped 9 pounds and now weighs 62 pounds. My daughter started vomiting with the high dose. She hasn't slept a normal nights sleep in a long time. She never wants to eat which has caused her dramatic weight loss. She experiences nausea, vomiting, irritability, and many more side effects. Depakote may be a life saver for some but this medication isn't for everyone.

Didn't really help me. After a week I started to get really bad stomach pains and feeling sick. I was on 500 mg 2 x a day. Think I'm going to try something else.