Depakote and Increased Appetite: What Users Say

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 4, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Being undiagnosed bipolar for almost 40 years, having many manic breaks until one was so big I wound up hospitalized. I was put on Topamax, Prozac, and Lunesta. With a Bipolar type II diagnosis, I had to change my lifestyle. Already in recovery, I approached mental health in the same way. Topamax soon wasn't enough, so my doc tried Latuda, and it didn't work. Depakote is working great. I am finally myself! Yes, it makes me hungry, I just keep my calorie count the same. The med doesn't cause weight gain - my decisions do. With how well it works, I'd take some curves and feel this awesome any day!"

• Anonymous
• September 7, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• 1ks...
• October 4, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I started Depakote 3,000 mg straight off when I was 15 years old. I have since been taken off it and am still paying the price for it. It made me hungry constantly, I gained a total of 50 pounds in 7 months. I had no energy at all and no feelings-no happy thoughts, no sad thoughts. I was literally a zombie, and now I'm still seeing new doctors and switching meds all the time, and I've had enough. Nothing is working, and no one can help me. I really need help and can't find it anywhere."

• cle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 8, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar II. This medication has been a lifesaver (literally) for me. It has helped keep my emotions in check. I took another medication, Lamictal, that caused one continuous headache that never went away. My psychiatrist started me on a low dose of that medication so I wouldn't get a deadly rash. My emotions were all over the place, and I was miserable. My psychiatrist put me on Depakote. At first, this medication made me sluggish and hungry. I gained 5 lbs in the first 2 weeks. Since then, I have laid off the snacks and beverages and have since gotten adjusted to the meds (also taking Zoloft). Three pounds have come off without trying. Each person is different, but this has really worked for me."

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

For Migraine Prevention "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!"

• P I...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Depakote has proved a good med to keep me from being manic, has twice brought me down from mania, both times with increased dosage. Much more effective than antipsychotics alone, namely Abilify, Zyprexa, and Seroquel. Now I am on 2 grams a day, split into 1 gram doses twice a day. Great for mania, not for depression. I'm currently in a depressive episode, recently started another med for that, alongside the Depakote. I struggle to control my appetite on Depakote, but eating healthy, wholesome meals helps me not to give in to unhealthy cravings. Good outweighs the bad for me :)"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2016

For Epilepsy "This medicine took 3 weeks to fully kick in. I had the side effect of increased appetite, but I haven't gained any weight because I eat a low-carb diet and work out 4 times a week. I do not have any side effects anymore, and this mostly controls my temporal lobe epilepsy."

• els...
• November 24, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I was diagnosed with bipolar type II almost 2 months ago at age 40. It was long overdue. My psychiatrist started me on Depakote 250 mg twice a day and Wellbutrin SR 150 mg in the morning. Also take trazodone or Ambien to sleep. I can tell that my moods are much more stable on Depakote, no more hypomania and staying up a week at a time. It's a relief to get back to much more normal, but I do miss the hypomania in many ways (I work full time, have a family, and go to graduate school for a double master's degree-- hypomania was great with those things at once). I am still on Depakote 250 mg twice a day. Depakote will change my life as long as my body tolerates it. I'm trying to deal with the ravenous appetite. Up 10 lbs already."

• Piz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 17, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "HORRIBLE!!! I tried taking this for 4 months, and I had to cut it cold turkey. The side effects: unmanageable, it made me manic, it made me HUNGRY all the time, for carbs, carbs, and more carbs, irritable at things I never would imagine being angry at, bloated, screaming, crying daily. It made everything so overwhelming. I couldn't take it anymore. Now, I never recommend cutting cold turkey, I just never have physical side effects from doing that, my whole life. I just could not do it anymore, it made me feel like I was going crazier than crazy."

• tee...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 20, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been taking Depakote at 1000 mg for the past year and a half. I also take Risperdal at 1 mg and just added Zoloft at 100 mg as well. The only positive thing this medicine has done for me is rid me of mania. I am constantly depressed and have persistent suicidal/negative thoughts. I feel like I have been sleepwalking through my life since I have been put on this medication. Also, I have gained 50 pounds and am so hungry all the time. I also have zero libido. When I say zero, I mean zero. I have had sex on this medication, and it was the most unenjoyable experience ever. Just nothing. Next time I go to see my psychiatrist, I am going to ask to switch medications. This might work for some, but it has not worked for me in the slightest."

• Kar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 9, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Didn't realize how great it was till it was gone. After 4 years of failed cocktails until I found Depakote with Zoloft. I was on it for 3-5 months @1250mg and had excessive weight gain, insatiable hunger, but worth it! I was productive, positive, stabilized, making plans and following through. Then liver enzymes high @ 6 mo. and abruptly taken off... horrible move by panicked doctor. On my third medicine since and all bad results. Any opinions on Depakote retry while protecting my liver with milk thistle & turmeric? My last blood work was best it's ever been. I have no faith in my doctor and am seeking a new one."

• Anonymous
• May 11, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I take 1000 mg a day for bipolar II. I first went on this medicine at 200 mg back in September of last year when I was in a manic episode and was first diagnosed. At that time, they also put me on quetiapine and citalopram. I am not just on Epilim. I am stable apart from a couple of days a month when I am very down. Reading the reviews, I am totally relieved to hear that other people just don't feel full on this medicine - I am constantly hungry. I never feel full and eat and eat. I go to the gym four times a week to try and counteract this, though. I have gained 28 lbs since starting to take this medicine, and I'm really trying to lose it, but it's tough, to be honest. Better than me being mad, though."

• Anonymous
• October 30, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "I was prescribed 1 week ago and seen an immediate improvement, although I started feeling more anxious all day, so I am now on Xanax instead of Klonopin, which I was originally on. I started with 500 mg for 3 days, then 1000, and now 1500, but I feel much more stable. I definitely feel hungry all the time. I was on Lamictal previously, and I believe that made my disorder worse. I feel great now."

• Sam...
• January 25, 2025

For Bipolar Disorder "Depakote, for me, mentally, was amazing. I felt very clear-headed, logically thinking, and emotionally stable. The downsides were that my appetite had increased dramatically, and my hair felt like straw, so when I would pull my hair up in a ponytail, it would consistently rip because of the brittleness. So I can see why people reported that their hair fell out. I had to quit taking it because I couldn't stop eating everything in sight. Though I could see myself stopping taking it because of my hair becoming very thin as well. The mental and emotional relief I received from this drug was unmatched, as I've tried other mood stabilizers and antipsychotics. Sometimes I wish I could take it again just because of the mental and emotional relief. But then I remember that all the food in the house would be gone the following day because I will have devoured it."

• Mal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 19, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I took Depakote 250 mg once every day in the morning for bipolar, manic depression, unwanted thoughts, and unwanted daydreams. It helped so, so much. I feel like wanting to do things, and it gave me a boost of energy. No depression medications worked on me, not even paroxetine and lithium. I am thankful that I found Depakote. Although I'm having crying episodes at night and afternoon, it goes away after an hour. I didn't gain weight even though it made me hungry. Just control what you eat so you don't gain weight on the medicine. The medication also made me ignore my impossible fears that I kept imagining happening. It started working 30 minutes after taking it."