Depakote for Migraine Prevention User Reviews (Page 2)

• Ljt...
• March 1, 2017

"Depakote was started three months ago when we exhausted all efforts with every other preventive med for migraines and headaches. I have been experiencing these my entire life. Since 6 years old. Now 35. Imitrex was used to try to knock off the migraine, but insurance only provides nine pills a month, so I found myself breaking them just to get through a day. And if overused, they will no longer work. So I'm adding in aspirin and all that junk, ending up in the ER. Just to go back the next two days because the stubborn migraine would come back, or laying in bed holding my head with ice. Needless to say, on a small dose, 250 a day. Wow, a few headaches a week I can deal with. Weight gain, well now I can work out, no real excuse there."

• Cpc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2014

"I have struggled with migraines for 14 years. I have tried so many medications over the years. The past 3 years, my migraines have gotten worse. I have been put in the hospital for a week to a week and a half at a time. The last time I went to the neurologist, they added Depakote twice a day to see if it would help cut back on the number of migraines I was having. I would have at least one a day. I was currently on Topamax twice a day, Fioricet, and Zofran. When I started Depakote, I noticed my weight was going up. Well, I have been on the medication 3 months now, and I have gained 40 pounds. This is so crazy. I used to weigh 298 lbs, and I don't want to go back there when my scale started going over the 200 mark again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 2, 2012

"Worked well for migraines but had to stop due to double vision, dizziness, and 16-pound weight gain in three weeks."

• kyg...
• November 17, 2010

"I have had migraines most of my 67 years. 5 yrs ago I found a doctor who prescribed Depakote 250 mg. My migraines decreased from one per month to maybe five in the past five years. Taken in combination with sumatriptan succinate tablets (only when I feel the onset of a migraine), I have a life mostly without pain."

• Coc...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 25, 2020

"I was terrified to try Depakote for migraines. I tried a dozen other drugs that didn’t work or eventually lost their effectiveness so I was basically left with no choice. I started taking it at night and it really helped with sleep. In about 1-2 weeks, I felt like a new person. My migraines were lessened as well as the intensity. I monitored my diet faithfully and exercised when I was in less pain. And I never stopped praying it would continue to help me. Please don’t be as terrified as I was. At least try it..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 3, 2019

"My 14-year-old son went on Depakote about 3 months ago for abdominal migraines and head migraines. After trying a number of other migraine medicines, Depakote was the only medication that stopped the continual vomiting, nausea, and headache he had been experiencing for over 2 months. It did take 4 weeks for the medication to build up in his system to prevent the symptoms. He is now on 750 mg of Depakote and feeling great! The only side effect he is experiencing is weight gain, but we believe with proper diet and exercise he will be able to control that."

• Jim...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• April 25, 2018

"I have been suffering from migraines for about 15 years. On average, I would have a migraine at least weekly, sometimes more. About 8 years ago, I started on Depakote. I went from having migraines at least monthly to 1 or 2 a year. The last count was I hadn't had any for over 2 years. Now, just recently, I started having migraines more frequently. I have experienced some weight gain, but not sure if it's the aging process or the meds."

• VAD...
• February 22, 2017

"50-year-old male, 6'5", 210 lbs. I have had migraines for ten plus years. I am on 100 mg of Topamax twice a day, which gave me four to five migraines a month. The doctor put me on 250 mg of Depakote, and so far I am down to one migraine a month with no side effects from the Depakote - that I can tell. I call that a win!"

• csb...
• May 5, 2010

"Very good for helping with migraines, but if you're prone to weight gain, be careful or reconsider. I have gained about 30 pounds in 5 months. I struggle with depression, so gaining weight is not something that I'm dealing with in a good way. It came on very quickly, and I was already overweight... (Just a word of warning about the weight gain)."

• Man...
• March 25, 2008

"Depakote was (and still is) a miracle drug for me with my migraines. I used to get one almost every day, and now it's down to just a few small ones every month!"

• Wow...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 27, 2021

"I had a checkup with my neurologist to discuss migraine treatment. I’d been taking propranolol for about 4 months, and it was keeping the migraines with aura days at bay, but side effects were no good. Doc started me on 500 mg Depakote ER and told me to taper off propranolol for the next 7 days. I had a migraine the first day on Depakote, however, the pain associated with the migraine subsided rather quickly. After day one, I began to notice a definite improvement in my mood, and my head was not hurting like normal. It’s been about 30 days now, and I haven’t had any other migraines or cluster headaches. I dare say I feel normal. So far, this is the best I’ve felt in 5 years. It works for me, benefits are not having cluster headaches or migraines, and a normalized mood. This is easy to use with no major side effects so far."

• Rho...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 9, 2020

"I've had migraines since the age of 12, and I'm in my mid-fifties. I had chronic common migraines for years, up to about 15 or more a month. I tried every prophylactic out there with no success until I tried Depakote 500 mg ER at night. It took about 2 weeks, and I have not had a headache in over a month, and when I do have one, I take 50 mg of Sumatriptan and it's gone in 10 minutes. It's been a miracle for me and has changed my life! The only side effect is increased hunger, but I'm managing that. I take that over pain that took over my life any day!"

• Fre...
• October 24, 2020

"Day one of taking Depakote. No difference. But day two, fantastic, out of the park. Went fishing for the first time in years! 250 mg once a day before bed. Day 3... we shall see."

• Ove...
• January 1, 2020

"In 1994, I was in a semi-truck collision. A one-ton Ford hit my semi flatbed loaded with three forklifts. I received whiplash sideways, then the forklifts broke the tie-downs. The force started to throw me through the cab-over windshield, my seatbelt sat me down. I received whiplash front to back. I did not hit my head or get knocked out, as one doctor stated. I had sharp, severe headaches. For months, I was allowed to take 10 aspirin a day, 300 a month. A year later, I went to Portland, Oregon, I found Dr. Christina Peterson. She told me I was having rebound headaches. She put me on Depakote twice a day, maybe 250 mg, not positive. It was a miracle. I was able to work again."

• Mea...
• September 4, 2016

"I had debilitating migraines for 15 years and went on a small dose of Depakote (125 mg) twenty years ago. It was amazing. Maybe five headaches over all those years. However, I have now gone off hormones and have steady weight gain, increased dizziness, and some depression. I am uncertain what to do. Our chemistry changes as we age, and the science is not keeping up."

• Man...
• March 10, 2016

"Started having migraines about ten years ago. The only treatment that has ever worked for me is Depakote. Everybody is different, but for me this was a Godsend. Nothing worked, and Topamax was only a temporary solution. The thing is that after a two-month regimen, my headaches completely went away. I stopped taking the medication for two or three years before my migraines returned. I went on another regimen, and again I went several years without a headache. Yes, I did have slight weight gain, and yes, it did affect my ability to perform sexually, but I did not have to continue taking it for more than 3 months. Cysticercosis as a child and a catalyst of factors cause my headaches. Depakote works."

• soc...
• April 3, 2015

"I have been having migraines for 3 years. I took a beta blocker that didn't work. Then got put on Depakote for migraines. I was on it for a month with no big migraines unless I had my trigger food. Then I realized I gained 5 pounds, was tired all the time, and broke out like I had never been before. The medicine works for migraines but has terrible side effects. Had to stop taking."

• Luc...
• October 21, 2011

"For prevention, I give Depakote a 10. I was having migraines 7 days a week. Mine began at the age of 4 (at least that's when I was old enough to put words to how it felt in my head. The doctor said I'd probably had them long before that). I have genetic and environmental migraines. Lucky me! I was in a test group that tried Depakote to see if it worked for the prevention of migraines. I went 14 days without a headache for the first time in 10 years. That was almost 30 years ago. Then the weight gain started. I already had a yo-yo weight problem. My weight (at 6' tall for a female) had never gone over 190. On Depakote, it skyrocketed to 262 lbs. Not nice! I told my neurologist who told me it was all in my head. Changed doctors, taking Topamax now!"

• han...
• May 1, 2009

"I've suffered with bad migraines as far back as I can remember, and finally, after 52 years, they got so severe I ended up in the hospital. A new doctor took my history and decided to try Depakote (500mg) for 2 weeks, and then in 2 weeks double the dose. I started with the 500mg and never had to double the dose. This July 2nd, 2009, it will have been 2 years without any kind of headache. Not even a little one. THANKS Depakote."