Comments on: Bipolar Medication Spotlight: Depakote (Valproic Acid)

By: travis

travis — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:22:03 +0000

now i just hope it all work’s out cause this is my last resort.. and i hope me and the govenment are friend’s and i don’e feel peapl are following me.. no more suicidal thought’s cause right now there constent and iv got a 4 yr old granddaughter that calles me dad.. she’s my world and im her’s.. wana be around for along time to see her off to get married.. no father fig in her life but me.. but now that i can afford to take med’s faithfully im sure i’ll be better without haven to skip or cut in half.. tex me if ya want.. just in subject put bypolar.. or email.. bypolar.. @ givemeabreak67@yahoo.com.. god bless.. travis

By: travis

travis — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:11:03 +0000

WOW! @ KAT. AND ALL THE OTHER’S!!! IV BEEN DEALING WITH THIS BIPOLAR CRAP FOR OVER 15 YRS! yes im an angry man misserable. sucidal..would never hurt or kill any one.. but would end my life in a split sec.! iv been on soooo many dif. med’s i feel like a guenia pig. test rat! i was on symbax. $1000.a month to seraqwil.. $ 400.00 a month.. all due to crapy ins.. coverage.. was living off these by sample’s from the doctorthis couldnt go on forever.. so i was skiping dose’s cuten half.. ect..this was killing me!! so just this week he put me on depakote 1000 mlg a day.. i pray to god this work’s.. read all the horribable comment’s from the women about there husband’s and it read me like a book!!! i hate myself wana die.. love my family.. but im so touchy.. paranoid.. peaple following me govenment after me. ect.. now that im on this and prozac. i pray this is the cure all! im tierd of living and feeling like this and it’s not fare to my family.. been adhd since kinder gard.. been teased made fun of just caus im different.. it turned me into a confertational fighter! it suck’s peaple are like YOUR CRAZY! i don’t get messed with any more.. im 6’0 215lbs.. to where 15 yrs ago when it hit me i was down to 130 lbs.. med’s put on alota weight.. and working out help’s take away the depression.. now with this depakote i hope i don’e gain more weight.. every one like’s me and my wife said they just never see your bad side.. i get the dr jeck mr hide thing. wow this was a very eye opening site. i just feel for everyone who suffer’s from it.. cause the one’s who don’t HAVE NOOO CLUE.!

By: Kat

Kat — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:01:58 +0000

My husband has been on depakote for epilepsy for the past almost 5 years. I have found that he becomes extremely irritable & now, violent after drinking alcohol. We typically never argue much, however after drinking, if I say something that he doesn’t agree with, he goes from 0-60 angry in no time at all. It is like he is somebody else all together. It is quite scary. Our marriage is my 2nd marriage(first one was abusive), his 1st. I am very worried about where this is going and am seeking counseling to try to help. A friend of mine actually suggested the anger outbursts could be due to mixing alcohol & Depakote. Has anybody else experience this? Thanks.

By: nougat

nougat — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:40:07 +0000

bonjour voila mon ami prends du depakote je voudrais savoir si il y a une incidence sur les spermatozoides malformation je cherche des temoignages de papa sous depakote qui ont eu des enfants

By: Cal

Cal — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:02:44 +0000

It makes me sad to read about all these rough rides people are having on the Depakote. I’ve been prescribed it since diagnosis in 2008, initially at 1000mg pd, then increased to 1250mg pd. It works a treat. The few extreme episodes I’ve had during this time have always been as a result of me stopping my treatment. It took a while for me to accept that I needed it & in the last year & half, have taken it consistently & been stable for the duration. (I have to make more effort to self manage depressive symptoms, but it’s possible, & as for the mania, which was by far the most destructive aspect for me, I’ve had some mild hypomanic times since complying with my treatment, but not at all debilitating).

Side-effect wise I haven’t experienced weight-gain (whereas with quetiapine & risperidone I put on MASSES of weight). When starting out on the drug (after being off it for a while) I get a couple of days of bad stomach cramps, but they soon subside.

I feel fortunate to have found something that works so well for me.. reading these comments has made me more aware of this & I wont be taking it for granted.

Good vibes & sunny days!
xx

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 06:58:34 +0000

Hi,

I have been on Epival 1000mg/day for 3 1/2 months for the treatment of bi-polar disorder, and have had some adverse affects. I have had gained 7 Lbs, have swelling in the legs, watery eyes, no menstrual cycle for 2 1/2 mos, my asthma seems worse, I am losing alot of hair, and have been sleeping more than usual and sleeping through my alarm clock. My Physchiatrist told me I could stop taking the Epival “cold turkey”. So, I did. My concern is that I should have been slowly weined off of it. Although I am not displaying any side effects from stopping the medication at this time, it has only been 2 days. Does anyone know how long it takes for this drug to completley detox from your body, and should I have been taken off of it gradually? Thanks so much for reading.

By: dave adams

dave adams — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:16:20 +0000

Been on Depakote ER 1000 mg at bedtime for 9 days. been crying more each day, dealing with anxiety a little worse each day, spiraling into some scary stuff. See the doc on Tuesday but trying to get through the weekend. I can’t decide if the tears are because the Depakote is helping me see things more clearly, or if i’m just chemically screwed up.

By: Joe Kraynak

Joe Kraynak — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 12:24:29 +0000

Hi, Pamela — I’m guessing that your doctor prescribed Depakote as a precaution against the possibility that Celexa, the antidepressant, might otherwise cause a shift from depression to mania. If the doctor has even a slight suspicion of a possibility of bipolar, even if you are not currently exhibiting symptoms, he may prescribe a mood stabilizer along with the antidepressant, which is pretty standard, or at least should be.

I think too many doctors prescribe antidepressants without screening for bipolar. They prescribe the antidepressant by itself, and if the person turns out to have underlying bipolar, the person is more likely to go from being depressed to being hypomanic or manic. In short, your doctor is probably doing the right thing.

By: Pamela

Pamela — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:04:32 +0000

Hi Mr. Kraynak
We talked for awhile about what was going on in my life,also told him that a dr. had said he thought I might have some bipolar. After we talked he said he could understand why because I talk fast, but after talking for awhile, he didn’t believe I was….

By: Joe Kraynak

Joe Kraynak — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:22:40 +0000

Hi, Pamela–Is there any reason for the doctor to believe that you may, in fact, have bipolar disorder? Did you report any family history of bipolar or schizophrenia? Did you report any experiences of being especially productive or anything the doctor may have interpreted as evidence of hypomania from the past?