Have you had any side effects from the anticonvulsant/mood stabilizer Depakote and how have you coped with it

I've taken 1500 mg of depakote daily for a while. I am not sure the exact time as we've been experimenting with doseages/meds for 14 months (since my diagnosis). I currently take 500mg morning, noon, & night. the three doses really help with stability & side effects. I have also taken 1000mg (no effect for me), 1250 mg (made me cycle rapidly), & 1750 (made me depressed) in the past 14 months.

Side effects: I had stomach irritation & headaches (not severe) the first few weeks while first starting the medication. I also experienced weight gain right away, but I can not accurately tell how much. I started Depakote the same time as Zyprexa (big weight gainer) & gained a dozen pounds the first week. After the first few weeks on this drug (and Zyprexa) the weight gain stopped, but I was not able to lose it even with diet/exercise. It took getting rid of the Zyprexa to be able to actually lose a little of the weight, but it was hard.

Check out remedyfind.com it has a great collection of people is experiences with different drugs

As with all drugs, it depends on the dosage. However, a dosage of any medicine in any dose can have side effects. Depakote has been around a long time. The longer a medication has been out on the market, theroretically, u can tell more about its safety & effectiveness record.

Compared to my experiences with antipsychotics, which can cause (according to some people at BipolarAware forums) secondary side effects of suicide or self-injury, Depakote & any medicine in its class (anticonvulsants) r safer for treating mental illness.

I am not going to tell u what my side effects were, because side effects vary, & if u expect certain side effects, they r more likely to happen. (psychosomatism.)

If u r experiencing side effects while on the drug, please feel free to e-mail me or post at one of the Livejournal communities such as crazymeds or one specific to epilepsy. There is also askapatient.com where u can post ur experiences.

It is important that u get a dose that is right for ur weight, & that puts u in the middle of the therapeutic range. A good doctor should get blood tests to confirm that it is working as intended. This is true for any mood stabilizer.

It is also very important that u share ur attitude towards medication with ur psychiatrist, as well as any cultural factors (like religion, ur parents' use of medication whether liberal or conservative), ur tolerance of side effects.. things of that nature.

If ur doctor does not allow u to discuss these things, or does not appear to be listening, ask him/her why. Have a dialouge! Good luck.

--Sam
P.S If u have a mental illness, & r good at doing research, u may wish to join my research-based information site at http://health.wikispace.com.