So hard to predict....different for all who use it.

I was on Depakote on a high dose for 2 years and didn't gain anything

It is really hard to tell. Just keep your eye on it.

I've been on Depakote for almost five years now and had no weight gain from it. It was the Risperdal that caused me to balloon up like a beached whale. Now that I'm no longer taking the Risperdal, I'm slowly deflating again.

I gained weight on Depakote. I found Equetro soon after and switched over-it claims to be weight neutral and is an anti convulsant as well. So if you have a problem with gaining that might be another option. But I hope Depokate works well for you to begin with.

I was placed on Depakote many years ago and had no issues with weight gain. But after about a month my hair started falling out and I came off of it immediately. Not too long after my hair stopped falling out and grew back. so, watch for all side effects and hopefully weight gain won't happen esp if it is a medication that helps.

my son is on it..he gained 10 pounds..in time when he got use to it.he lost it then some.

Before you read this, please know I am not trying to freak you out, I am just letting you know all the information that my doc did not tell me when i was placed on depakote. The weight gain and other symptoms can differ per individual, however most of the people that i have known that took depakote have had very similar experience as I did.
I was on Depakote for 3 -4 years, after a year and a half I gained 50 pounds. I went from 160-170 area to weighing 210. Mind you I have always had good eating habits. Not perfect but I was never a big junk food eater and I am a vegetable freak. lol. lots of home cooked meals and the like. The weight gain is caused by the fact that it causes you to retain water and it does slow your metabolism a bit.
I would strongly suggest that you drink a lot of water and lower the sodium in your diet to combat the water retention. This is one of the first things you will notice. I began to retain water at about 125 mgs of depakote a day. Also you may want to start at least a small exercise regiment.
However if you have a naturally high metabolism you may not even have much weight gain. But the medication will have an effect on your metabolism in some way.
Another thing with depakote is some of the side effects. If you start having severe insomnia, migraines that last for more than a few hours, feeling physically ill (like flu like symptoms) for no reason, or having bone pain, you may want return to your doctor and ask to be taken off of the medication.
Also speak to your doctor about possibly taking a vitamin E pill, as depakote will severely deplete the vitamin e in your body which can lead to severe acne and blown out pores and scars (I have been off of depakote for over 3 years now and am still trying to recover my skin), a dramatic jump in gray hairs, brittle hair and nails and even premature hair thinning. Most of those symptoms come after the dose is increased (which it eventually will have to be) and after about 1 to 3 years of use.
I will say that the depakote worked very well for me until my dose reached more than 250mg a day. Before I came off if it I was taking 750mgs a day. I started noticing severe symptoms when my dose was increased to 500mg per day. By that time I had been on the medication for about 2 1/2 to 3 years. The first thing to come was the severe damage to my skin (no one ever told me that I needed to take a vitamin e pill), next was the severe migraines that lasted for days at a time, then the insomnia (I was awake for about 65 hours one time), then the bone pain (it hurt to the point where I went to the er to have an x ray done because I thought the pin in my arm was working its way out of my bone. So when I say bone pain I am not talking about just aches and pain.
I hope this is helpful for you. I wish I would have had someone to let me know about these side effects because it has taken me a few years now to recover my skin and loose the weight that I gained. Other than the side effects, depakote is a great medication. It is one of the better mood stabilizers that I have been on. If you can prepare your body for the side effects I think that you will notice a very positive difference in you life. It also takes cycling symptoms down to a minimum.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to message me. I am full of tips for keeping your body healthy. :)