If anyone wants to look at the research, here's the link. :-)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091231165336.htm

YES!!! IT CHANGED MY WHOLE LIFE!!! I'm on 1500 mg of Depakote and 900 mg of Lithium!
*warm smile* still have moments! But I felt like I got my brain back, SERIOUSLY!!
good luck!
TARA

Stuck, my Sister dr has her on over 15 med's :0 ya.
I'm on 3 meds that work for me.
I'm collecting meds that might be benifitual to her & will be sending med suggestion.
I'm trying to make a pie chart for her.
Yrs ago I managed to make 1 for myself.
With chart I knew wnem shopping spree phase would start & what to exspect. I knew when physical entery phase would arrive.I knew - know when i'm so sexy - flirting phase started & following phase that I would be going into. all phases are circled by depression. Oh ya there's also a depression stage. where all I want to do is live in my pj's & recliner. There also seems to be a phases where we're able to clean up our finacial mess & get bills brought current etc...
I just don't know where to place the manic phase.as in onset of manic. & peace phase that we have somewhere in-between the relaspes.
I will give her web site address. Thank You.
sorry I wasn't helpful to you.

The best advice I can give is if you are finding a med that is working then definitely stay with it and you have a drug where you don't feel you are getting any real benefits then definitely talk to your Dr..Meds work totally different with different people..I have been on both Lithium and Depakote, sometimes separate and sometimes together..Depakote caused a huge weight gain with me and terrible tremors..Lithium I did see some postiive results but I had tremors with it as well and opted to go off of it and try something else..Seroquel and Emsam have been my wonder drugs ..I will say though that Lithium definitely did help me with me Mania..Good luck!!

Hello, I take 900mg Lithium and 1500 Depakote I could use more as this is kinda the low dose, but yes Tremmors can develope. My mania is managable. The cycing is gentle not slamming from end to end. I take a stablizer cause I'm also part schizo, but its a cross over drug that helps bipolar as well.
Try the combination, read and watch for, and feel within your self any side effects. You be the judge of what is working for you.

lithium works well for me and because im on a low dose i dont have many side effects...i have to be very careful with the dose because i tend to go toxic before therapeutic levels have been reached, but hey if it works for me at non therapeutic levels whos gonna complain right! ! ! iv never been on depakote and frankly that drug scares me lol...

Thank you all for sharing your opinions and experiences. I think I'll ask my pdoc about it when I see him next week. I hate all this waiting to see what works. Wouldn't it be so nice if they could just give you a blood test and know which meds you should take. Oh well, maybe someday in the future we'll get there. In the meantime thanks again for the advice and support. Hugs to you all. :-)

After trying a multitude of meds,over the course of 5 years..Depakote was the only med that has controlled my rages and racing thoughts..well to a degree anyway.
My Pdoc tried using the Lithium / Depakote combo..but I immediately went toxic on Lithium.
So for now it's Depakote,BusPar and some Klonopin for me.It's not a perfect combo but I'm doing ok.

I was on Depakote as the first med I ever tried. Unfortunately, it caused cognitive blunting and I had to stop taking it. I've been on Lithium twice. Each time to halt a depression that was hurtling out of control. And it did just that. I went off of it because I couldn't handle the dry heaves it gave me at the therapeutic level. But it's a good med and works wonders for many people. It saved me from suicide so I give it high marks there.

I was just on depakote, but they switched me to zyprexa