Valproic acid and Nausea: What Users Say

• far...
• January 7, 2014

For Bipolar Disorder "Brilliant. After 40 years of bouncing from one medicine to another, this was my answer. It gave me control of my own emotions, not fully, but enough. I'm on a high dose, but the best thing of all is it's just one medication. Nausea, yes, was there, but I found it worth pushing through."

• tkd...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 5, 2013

Valproic acid for Bipolar Disorder "Appreciated what this medicine has done for me. I'm on a pretty high dose and haven't experienced any of the symptoms of nausea or anything like that except right in the very beginning, and that quickly wore off."

• rwa...
• September 29, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "Was prescribed this to stabilize mood swings. Tended toward depressive episodes while on this medication with severe side effects such as feeling faint when walking, going up stairs, etc., unable to sleep, nausea, foggy mind, unable to think of words, constantly dropping things, heart palpitations, very dry eyes, and anxiety."

• Bip...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 25, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Not for me. Didn’t do much to stabilize me at low levels and sedated me at high levels. Also, the side effects of nausea, hair loss, zero sex drive, etc., didn’t help. There were periods where I thought it was working, but those never lasted."

• cau...
• July 6, 2011

Valproic acid for Bipolar Disorder "My doctor prescribed me this medication, and on the first night I took it, I had bad nausea. I told my doctor about it and decided to give it another chance a few days later. The second time, it caused nausea, heartburn, and left an acid feel in my mouth, so I don't know if it works for other people, but the side effects weren't worth it."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2025

For Mania "My 15-year-old daughter is bipolar I and has been on lithium (1200 mg/day) for over a year, since she was diagnosed. However, recently she has had an intensifying mania episode in which she has sleep disruption, delusions, and self-harm thoughts. Other than school usual stress, there is no other identifiable trigger for this episode. Her psychiatrist has then decided to swap from lithium to valproic acid. She is transitioning right now and is 10 days into her Depakene (val. acid) treatment. So far, she has felt pretty nauseous with it (had this too with lithium if taken on an empty stomach) and somewhat hungrier. I really hope this med works, but it's early to be sure. She also takes quetiapine (to sleep) and lamotrigine (for the lows). It's a load of pills for a teen to be on for life, but at least there are options for this difficult condition. I live in Brazil, and Depakene is given to us by the government through their health system. So was the lithium and lamotrigine. Thank you."