Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

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Depakote???

deleted_user
deleted_user
anyone who takes depakote...what does it do for you? and how long did it take before you noticed it was working?
dancingd
dancingd
I started Depakote,about 10 days ago.

MAYBE I feel better.I need more time and some more stress to see if it helps!LOL!!

Side effects
Hair loss
weight gain....big weight gain
Liver problems
Pancreatic problems
Blurred vision

So far,I haven't had too many problems,except with my tummy...aches and the GO TO's a lot.
I've been on a lot of diff.meds.
Usually I don't have good results with them.
I hope this time it's diff.
Good luck to you too.
deleted_user
deleted_user
dd, you still got the Go To's? I thought mine was over but then it started back again yesterday.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I started Depakote in may I think. I actually had a bad reaction to this drug. It started to make my hair fall out and for some reason at night my chest would get really tight and it would hurt whenever I took a breath. So I got off of it before I could really tell if it helped me or not. I hope you have better luck with this medication than I did.
~Bella
deleted_user
deleted_user
The "GO TO's?" Okay, I'm stupid, but what does that mean? I'm on Depakote myself and am wondering if I experience whatever this is lol.

For me, Depakote has been a godsend so far. I have gained weight, and I HATE this, but I guess if the medication is going to keep my mood where it needs to be, I best just tolerate the side effects and work extra hard to get the weight off and keep it off. Other than that, I haven't really experienced any side effects. I've been on it for a couple of months now, but started to feel more stable in about a week after starting it. I was started on it while in the hospital. For a few days of taking it, my mood was still very unstable and all over the place, but once my dosage was raised and I reached the therapeutic level, I calmed WAYYY down. It was hard to stay awake, even. So that's another side effect I had, but one that has since gone away.

Best of luck to you!
deleted_user
deleted_user
Depakote was a wonder drug for me. I was in a little bit of a fog for the first couple weeks but it cleared up. The only side effect was weight gain. I'm on Lamictal now but I don't think its working as well and I'm thinking of asking to go back on Depakote.
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