After trying almost every BP med available,and trying for over 5 years in the process.My Pdoc put me on Depakote.
I started at 500 Mg,felt great! Then he upped it to 750,I felt not so great..then upped again to 1000 Mg..really din't feel great.
So we dropped down to 750,and I've stayed basically (what I call sorta kinda) stable.

Depakote has reduced my rages,and racing thoughts ,I do not self injure any more.

The negatives are ,some weight gain,loss of some hair ,but mostly I hate the flat zombie like feeling I have all the time.

One note,my Pdoc says I have atypical reactions to meds,and he says I am a difficult patient to manage medically

I seem to always see weight gain as the side effect that people are most uncomfortable with and to me that just adds to the stigma that anyone that is not perfect faces. I tried every regime of mood stabilizer, several off formulary ones and had side effects from lactation to open sores on my head and when my Dr finally said "well do you want to be fat and mostly stable or face a degenerative, progressive bipolar disease" I opted for the Depakote. . I've gained at least 60 lbs in 5 yrs and lost a third of my hair but it way better than lactating. And my hair grew back with the aide of zinc and copper. Yes the weight gain is frustrating considering I'm vegetarian and eat salads and smoothies most days but having watched the progression of my illness, BPD gets progressively worse with each unchecked cycle, I would do anything to not be completely insane even if that meant being ostracized because I was overweight.
As far as tips I find complementary care great for managing side effects, especially acupuncture. I have read that long term usage can cause a shortage of L-Carnitine which in turn triggers panic disorders so that is among the the many supplements I take to support me care.
My point is simply there are side effects to all the medications, we are all basically chemistry experiences. Journaling your experiences really helps in this instance.
Hope that helps