Divalproex sodium for Borderline Personality Disorder User Reviews

• eev...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 14, 2023

"This drug is one of the worst things that have ever happened to me. I gained 100 lbs within like 5 months, and the stretch marks I got were insane and painful. I could feel my skin ripping, and it burned. I couldn't wear shorts because people in public would very obviously check out the stretch marks on the back of my knees. I got horribly depressed and confused. This medication also made me paranoid and extremely emotional. My acne got worse. I was hungry all the time. The first time I was given this med, my feet swelled up. They were itchy, puffy, and painful. Yet for some reason, I was kept on it. There are deep stretch marks on my stomach, upper arms, sides, inner thigh, outer thigh, side thigh, inner knees, calves, and butt. I cannot put into words just how horrible this experience was for me. Even my mother pointed out the stretch marks and how absurdly severe they were. My face also swelled up, and I was greasy often. It has worked for others, but it really ruined my life."

• Car...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2022

"I must be one of the lucky few who don't experience any side effects from this at all. Not even weight gain. I told my psych that lithium is messing up my cognition and giving me brain fog. Along with Wellbutrin, he substituted this in but didn't mention the whole increase in neuroplasticity. My sharp memory is coming back and my learning abilities as well. I feel like I can retain information better as well. Thank God, because I was very close to stopping medication and abusing drugs to reduce my lithium levels back to crazy low like originally, so I could be incredibly sharp-minded again -- of course, the horrible paranoia would come back as well. I'm at 750 mg at bedtime, it also helps with my insomnia."

• Mal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 7, 2022

"When a medication does not help, that is unfortunate. But when it actually increases symptoms, like this one, that is scandalous! It caused sleep deprivation, nervous exhaustion, and it increased my agitation and irritability, which had been pretty bad anyway. At the beginning, I thought these would be just temporary side effects, but after a week, symptoms reached an intolerable level. I did not want to become completely mad, so I gave it up. If I had taken it for another week, I am sure I would have ended up in a mental hospital. I would rather die than take this medication any more in the future. It is pure torture, gradually making you a nervous wreck, and could be effectively used for extracting confessions from innocent people in prisons of authoritarian regimes. An awful, really awful medication, so avoid it if you can!"

• Nun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 18, 2024

"I was put on this when I was in rehab. I have extreme borderline personality disorder and depression. The divalproex sodium was so helpful. It helped my moods so much - I hardly ever feel mood swings anymore. I don't feel as snappy. I was put on 500mg and supposed to take it morning and night, but it made me so angry and really hostile. I started just taking one at night and I'm no longer hostile. But because this was treated for my BPD, it took away my mania so all I had was depression. I was depressed for months and months and had to wait a long time to see my primary doctor. My depression was terrible, and my anxiety became extremely high. I couldn't even stay alone because I felt like people were talking to me and I was hearing things. Anytime I had to turn the lights off or run to the bathroom or do anything at night, I would run so fast and make my boyfriend respond every time I called him. I heard it was supposed to help with depression, but it didn't help me at all."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 5, 2017

"It helps with the intense mood swings, negative emotions are less severe. On an 800 mg a day dose, half in the morning, half at night."

• nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 23, 2018

"I take 1000 mg a day, split one in the morning, one at night. I have bipolar type 2, and it’s helped a lot. I’m able to focus more, stay more level-headed."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2020

"I’ve been taking 1000 mg of divalproex a day and it does not help at all. I feel no change, actually, it’s probably worse because now I’m mad."

• voz...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 5, 2024

"It's effective for anger, irritability, and related symptoms. Not good for the other symptoms of anxiety, depression, emotional liability, fear of abandonment, and related."

• Haj...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 4, 2022

"It doesn't work for me, it sucks. I still can't sleep - it is rubbish."