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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ReginaPhalange 09/04/2009

Has anyone else experienced hair loss when taking Depakote? Just recently my hair has been falling out in quite big handfuls, if I brush my hair a lot comes out.

I mentioned this to my social worker and he suggested I was imagining things, Am I going mad or has this happened to anyone else?

jeansmind 09/04/2009

Your not going mad...LOL...that is too funny.....It happened to me too...It slows down and goes away once you get leveled off....

deleted_user 09/04/2009

mad my hair fall out too, a lot, plus the weight gain, freaked me out too much, gave it up

deleted_user 09/04/2009

half of my hair fell when I was on zoloft... Needles to say i'm off of it because of that fact

ReginaPhalange 09/04/2009

So glad I'm not going mad, even better to hear it slows down. I was worried I was going to lose all my hair

penny59 09/04/2009

i lost hair on it ..but it does stop after your on it for awhile.. hugs ..

deleted_user 09/04/2009

OH NO regina, you are NOT imagining anything! The same thing happened to me, and I accepted it as a condition of remaining medicated until I couldn't take it anymore. The blow to your confidence, to an ideal of beauty. I told my dr. I would not accept that. He said he wasn't comfortable chaging my medications, and if I didn't accept That, then I could find a new psychiatrist. And you know what, I said OK That's exactly what I'll do. I was fortunate to find a kind, understanding new doctor, who started me on Lamictal, and that medication has been dependable for me to avoid mood extremes. Please don't feel you have to live with the hair loss, that alone can upset you enough to lead to even more serious problems. Hope things work out, whatever you decide to do.

dancingd 09/04/2009

In some polite way..tell your Social Worker ,he/she is a Wanker!

Depakote is a great med for controlling manic episodes and suicidal thoughts...AND it is well known to cause loss and thinning of hair....the loss may slow down after you've been taking it a while...the first few weeks I lost some hair..it slowed down after a bit....

SERIOUSLY..VALIDATE your self,and let your Social Worker KNOW Depakote does cause hair loss..and IT WAS NOT YOUR IMAGINATION!!!!!

dancingd 09/04/2009

Added comment..some people lose a lot of hair,some people not so much.

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