Is weight gain inevitable on Depakote?

OH! I left this out: EVERYONE that I know also had a bad problem with HAIR LOSS from Depakote!!!

EVERYONE that I have EVER known has had a problem with GAINING WEIGHT while taking Depakote. EVERYONE>>>>>>>>>gains weight on depakote (valproic acid). EVERYONE.

I have heard that 1 in 5 people get weight gain from this atrocity of a drug. I first started having seizures in middle school and they put me on Depakote. I gained so much weight. Then in high school they took me off it, and you would not BELIEVE how fast I lost that weight. I was so skinny all throughout high school. I remember going through my closet and throwing out all my fat clothes, what a happy memory. But during HS, I started having seizures again so they put me on it again. I begged and begged them not to but they did! And now look, I'm so fat, I don't even want to know what my weight is and now I found out from this question answers it causes infertility and it would also explain my excessive sleeping well this drug is basically the source of all my problems! I think I should just get part of my brain cut out to make the seizures stop. That would be better than Depakote. I hate it so much and if it was a person I would like to beat it to death!

When I started to take depakote my appetite increased. I probably ate about three times more than usual. I ate everything in sight. I started out at a weight of 105. In three months I weighed 120! My doctor then added topamax and I lost the weight.
The depakote works wonders for me but, I did not like the weight gain.
Good luck.

I have recently been put on this medication and immediately noticed that my appetite was disappearing. I had gained 14 pounds within 2 weeks prior bc of prozac. I begfed my doctor to switch me to something else because of the weight gain. So yes for me depakote helped with weight loss and gives me plenty of energy and clearer thinking. No bad side effects yet.

I take Depakote ER 500mg 2x per night. I take it after dinner. Have been on it for a couple of years and how I keep away the cravings is by drinking Syntax Nectar protein drinks 2 or 3 x a day. Protein keeps hunger down. There are so many flavors and since I have had a gastric sleeve and lost over 100 lbs... believe me I have tried a lot of protein products and this one is the very best. I refuse to gain the weight back. The Depakote is for my bipolar condition, which there is no cure for. So unless it stops working for me I will be on it the rest of my life. I also take prozac and it does not make me gain weight. Every one's body is different keep in mind.

It made me gain sixty pounds!

I've been on Depakote for only 1 month now and already gained 10 pounds! I eat and drink the same as before. Going to have to ask the doctor for something different. Any suggestions?

I'm sorry, but you will gain weight even with diet and exercise. In fact, when I worked at a psych hospital, we had a patient who was trying to starve herself while taking Depakote. She lost close to nothing in an entire week with minimal caloric intake. The unfortunate thing is that I found this drug really worked well for my psychological issues. Unfortunately, not only will you gain weight, you will continue to gain weight throughout. The other side effect is excessive sleeping. In my opinion, this drug should be used only as a last resort or by those unconcerned with weight gain or by those who actually need to gain weight. Your doctor will try to talk you into taking it anyway and will tell you exercise and diet will work. Your carb cravings will be insane. Is this for bipolar? Have you tried or considered Lamictal? Also, TopaMax is another mood stabilizer that has the exact opposite effect. It will melt the weight off of you. The only problem is it actually makes you stupid, hence the nickname, Dopamax.

I have been on Depakote for about 9yrs and feel it's both my not very healthy eating habits and the Depakote itself that has caused my weight gain. The weight gain has seemed to take over my life plus I don't dare push working out a lot because I get sick with my epilepsy when I do.

I am a 57 yoa male, I have been on Depakote for a 4 years at 2000 mg a day. I was already big, but had lost almost 50 pounds; doing great and then Depakote, I gained the 50 back plus 15-20 more. I found myself eating whole boxes of little snack cakes and chips and gorging on other junk. I read that others had lost weight on Wellbutrin. I asked the Doctor to put me on Wellbutrin and then asked to increase it until now I am on 300 mgs. It reduced my depression and gave me more energy to get out and walk. I have lost 17 pounds and can finally start controlling myself.
Depakote works well as a mood stabilizer but sucks as far as weight is concerned.

I was originally 117lbs before starting depakote then went to 180lbs in less than a year. 1500 mg per day and now I also get a shot every month of inviaga sustaina which I think is sort of like an injection of depakote in a huge amount. I take this for schizophrenia btw. Over 3 years now on it and got down to 140lbs with a lot of dieting and exercising. I'd rather not be on it but my parents will kick me out of the house if I stop the treatment and I can't afford 700+ rent and new phone and internet bills because they will also cancel my phone. Tough life I'd rather quit my parents are stupid I'm 24 BTW.

It can do all of those things, but if you gain control of it from the start, then you can stop the weight gain. By keeping your mind off of food as much and not let it escilate, you can do well.
Sherri

My experience is Depakote just adds pounds without even eating more.
I got off it 8 mos. ago after a hypomanic outbreak followed by hypodepression.
Got a manual labor job, dropped the weight and have been doing OK since, thank God.

Years ago I heard a wisdom,
"Man with mental trouble should go and chop a hundred logs."

I can say this I had a lot of customers on Depakote and most did not change much in weight by doing what we should be doing anyway eating right, some exercise and just being aware.What a lot of people don't understand they don't update a lot of the information on medications and the studies are done on a small amount of people compared to when it is released to the public.So just because it says weight gain does not mean at all that you well have it.The side effects are very rare. AND THE BENEFITS ARE WELL WORTH IT. But we all metabolise things differently and that is what makes the medication do differently for any medication. Best of luck