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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hangin0n 02/07/2013

Has anybody out there gained a lot of weight on Depakote? Are there any good alternatives to this drug that don't make you gain so much? All thoughts appreciated. Thanks.

dancingd 02/07/2013

Depakote is a good mood stabilizer. Usually causing some , but not overly awful side effects.

YES, weight gain can be one of those...but keep in mind, almost all mood stabilizers cause weight gain.

Topamax may not cause weight gain ( in fact many people lose weight )...but Topomax will dumb you down..BAD !

deleted_user 02/14/2013

I keep reading about this. I was diagnosed on Monday after a couple of years and my doctor put me on depakote because he wanted to try and avoid the side effects of Lithium. I guess my question is if you can get into an exercise routine is it still a problem? I'm assuming that it just makes you want to be more sedentary and eat worse but I really don't know.

Halterbroke 02/14/2013

I got super fat on depakote. And stupid too. I think it is the reason I flunked out of graduate school. I gained 20 lbs in like 2 months. And kept gaining! I was dancing back then, several hours a week, most nights and many days and I still gained. Many drugs unfortunately cause this side effect. I have been on seroquel for about 12 years and it has made me insanely fat. With diet and exercise, however, I have lost 60 lbs.

MoonLight4 04/08/2013

Dearest HanginOn- you have my deepest sympathies! I gained twenty-five pounds in about two/three months on Depakote and have recently tranisitioned off of it to Lithium to see if that makes a difference.

I also had a lot of hair loss on Depakote so all in all I was not a fan of the drug. I've heared that Lamictal is weight neutral so maybe you and your doctor could consider that as an option. I tried it but it did not work well for me though I know of a few who do very well on it.

Best of luck finding a med combination that works for you:)

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