what can i expect from taking depakote?

Question

its for depression/anxiety/mood swings/sleep probs.
is anyone else taking these meds and what r the side effects u r experiencing?

oh and how r u dealing with the side effects?
and has this medicine helped u?

Answer 1

I took it for similar issues a few years ago and stopped because of weight gain.

Answer 2

All people are effected differently by prescriptions. My personal experience with Depakote was a bad one. I gained 12 pounds in the first three weeks.

Then I started noticing my hair was falling out, but I didn't worry about it too much because my hair is very thick. The doctor told me hair loss was a temporary side-effect & not to worry about it. Next thing I know I had lost more than 50% of my hair.

When I quit taking depakote my hair continued to fall out until the drug was out of my system. This happen a year and half ago, I had hair down to the middle of my back, it is just now reaching my shoulders.

I have tried many different medications for Bipolar. Most have caused rapid weight gain. I take Lamictal now & love it. It did not cause me to gain any weight. Now I am just working on losing the weight I gained on all the other medications that didn't work.

You can't really go by what we say about Depakote, because for you it may work wonders. Good Luck!

Answer 3

Well I took depakote and while I was in a hospital where they started me on it I had to go through groups in there. "Some side affects are abdominal or stomach cramps (mild), change in menstrual periods, diarrhea, hair loss, indigestion, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, trembling of hands and arms, and unusual weight loss or gain." <<<

Answer 4

It worked wonders for me, I was on it for a few months to get out of a really bad crisis, and it was great. I was sad when I had to give it up, because it can damage your liver when is used for longer than 6 months. I didnt have any negative side effects, only that was working right away in the good sense of the word. You should ask your doctor for the side effects expected with the medication.
good luck

Answer 5

I was taking Depakote for a year or more. I had to get my liver checked every 3 months. I didn't like that it could affect my liver.I changed to Lamictal, which is safer to use and easy on the liver. You don't have to take tests at all for your liver. In fact, what sold me was that my doc prescribes it for his OWN daughter.

Answer 6

It's a good mood stablizer. Can cause weight gain in some people. Also, it usually causes hair loss, may make you feel tired and in a lot of people, stomach problems. Whatever you do, DO NOT get pregnant while taking it. It will cause severe birth defects (brain and facial) in the baby.

Answer 7

depakote is also used for migraines, and for certain heart conditions. One of the main side effects is weight gain.

Answer 8

my son took it for bi-polar for a few years. it seemed to mess with his appetite a bit and he gained quite a bit of weight. he was taken off the depakote and put on abilify. the abilify worked much better and without the wt. gain
edit- the answer above me remimded me of the liver issues. you'll have to have liver enzyme tests on a regular basis but its no big deal.(it may be liver function tests).

Answer 9

Depakote didn't help me. I was switched to Lamictal. (Bi-polar.)

Depakote can cause weight gain, but I didn't really experience that.

Answer 10

Made me think people were talking about me, I thought everyone was out to get me I quit within a couple weeks.