DEPAKOTE Reviews (DIVALPROEX SODIUM)Average Rating: 3.0 (584 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare DEPAKOTE with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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More on DEPAKOTE: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR DEPAKOTE | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | bipolar | I gained 21 pounds in weight and a very worrying amount of hair loss. I stopped taking DEPAKOTE 2 months ago and my hair is still coming out at a fast rate. Every morning i wake up and its all over the pillow , i run my fingers through it an literally hundreds come out , my kids have my hair stuck to them , also i have to often pull strands of my hair off my partners face and clothes . Im terrified to brush it and wash it as it seems to come out much more so then . Does anyone know when this will stop ? It doesnt seem to be slowing down at all and im very concerned . This hair has taken years to grow and its very depressing seeing it every where but on my head . Im the fattest i have ever been in my life . It was as if i was starving constantly on DEPAKOTE .Food was a priority no matter where i was or what i was doing and there didnt seem to ever be a point at which i felt full enough . Thankfully my appetite has now dropped since stopping two months ago and i have lost 7 pounds so fa | If i had known the mess id be in on this drug id of steered well clear of it !!!!!!!!! | F | 36 | 6 months 500 3X day | 6/2/2010 | 5 | Mania | Heartburn that comes and goes. | Nothing beats this drug. Nothing. Blows Lamictal out of the water. I have been in some of the most stressful situations one can conjure up, with nowhere to run and hide, and this drug I can count on. It works. | M | 29 | 5 years 250mg 3X day | 6/1/2010 | 4 | bipolar 2 | 10lb weight gain, tiredness, bad dreams. | it definately helps but i find the weight gain hard to deal with, i go to the gym 3-4 times a week but have to starve myself to drop any weight and it soon returns. | M | 47 | 4 months 750mg 1X day | 5/20/2010 | 2 | bi-polar | It is making my hair thin especially in the part and I have gained 20 pounds, I have trouble communicating my mind is sometimes in a fog, I know have worst depression but less manic, just dont feel very much, diareaha ,memory problems | My mother is on it she has parkinsons disease she was on the lithium and haldol for years She cant walk and in nursing home now I think its working for her she takes depakote but it is a dangerous drug | F | 44 | 6 months 1500 mg 1X day | 5/19/2010 | 3 | Bipolar | Brain fog: trouble remember the order of events, stupor, I stopped caring about things, felt cut off from my emotions, mentally numb, severe birth defects | Depakote did help with my ups and downs. Everything seemed to level out. I was no longer constantly suicidal, obsessive, or overwhelmingly depressed. I gained control over my impulses and fit in with my peers better. However, as a writer, I tanked. My ideas stuttered then stopped; I felt like I was a robot with out emotion. I just didn't feel anything, I was completely emotionally numb. I lost my fellowship from my inability to string a coherent story together, and had to give up my dream of being a writer. But I no longer attempt to kill myself. I'm not entirely sure the trade off is worth it. I stopped taking it when I accidentally became pregnant and miscarried. I knew it caused severe birth defects, and stopped taking it when I found out about the pregnancy, but it was too late. | F | 25 | 300 days 1500 1X day | 5/12/2010 | 5 | atypical migraines | slight hair loss, weight gain, drowsiness | Depakote has helped me so much. I started to experience light- enduced atypical migraines about a year ago, and it got continually worse. I would experience tunnel vision and severe dizziness when exposed to bright lights on stage and while driving, especially at night. After I started depakote, the migraines completely ceased. The drowsiness has slightly affected my life, seeing as I'm a college student with very early classes. The weight gain and minor hair loss I can deal with, I'll just have to start running and eating a bit better! It's so nice to not have that constant fear of having another episode. I highly recommend this drug for people with similar symptoms. | F | 20 | 5 months 250 2X day | 5/9/2010 | 4 | bipolar | severe hair loss. noticable waight gain. sleepiness. | I had been misdiagnosed for 8 years before starting depakote. I was being treated for severe depression when I was actually bipolar so the medications I was on was actually increasing my manic episodes. After starting depakote my mood did stabalize. I feel calmer and less out of control. I am hoping my hair grows back like others have said. | F | 47 | 5 months 750 1X day | 5/7/2010 | 4 | Simple Partial Seizure | Osteoporosis | Kept me seizure free for 17 years, but eveloped significant osteoporosis despite having no risk factors (age, gender, family history); in fact, I was doing all the things that are associated with strong bones: lots of milk into early adulthood; calcium and Vitamin D supplements, running 35-40 miles a week for 29 years, weight lifting 3X per week for same period. Anyone taking Depakote should have regular bone scans. | M | 59 | 17 years 250 MG 4X day | 4/27/2010 | 3 | Constant Migraine | Horrible nightmares, irregular periods, some hair loss, sleepiness, increased appetite | I was switched from Topomax to Depakote to treat constant migraine pain. At 500mg each night it wasn't very effective at lowering the pain so my neurologist added 250mg in the morning. The pain is a bit lower but still not as low as on Topomax. On the plus side I have less confusion than I did on Topomax although I'm no longer working since the switch so it just may not be obvious. I've always had frequent dreams but I'm now having constant nightmares some of which leave me unable to sleep. Hair loss is annoying but okay. I find myself hungry only an hour or so after eating which is not terrible since I'm thin. | F | 36 | 3 months 500/250mg 2X day | 4/21/2010 | 3 | bi-polar | visible tremor, hair thinning, weight gain, vivid dreams, tiredness, short term memory loss. | I am currently taking depo, but am looking to review the dose with my consultant. I am quite happy to put up with a number of the side effects as it has improved my mood, but I am very unhappy about the weight gain and this is now having a negative affect on my mood and I am developing a unhealthy attitude towards eating, and this worries me. I eat a healthy vegee diet exercise daily but have started to restrict the foods I eat, and have major guilt issues sometimes eating in secret outside of mealtimes, If a eating disorder is part of your symptoms don't take it. | F | 38 | 4 months 1500 2X day | 4/19/2010 | 5 | Bipolar | mild stomach pain when beginning/raising dosage. | This drug was a miracle drug for me. Bipolar disorder is terrible. I spent 2 years before i was put on this drug and it works fantastically. It gets rid of the headaches, stops the mansism. And it regulates you brain. A++ | M | 26 | 4 months 1000mg 1X day | 4/18/2010 | 4 | daily h/a, migraine & cluster-like | A little "zing" or "buzz" in my head when the dose I take kicks in; weight gain, frequent, intense hunger! | At 250 mg, I was having improvement, but break-thru headaches every day, and no weight gain. At 500 mg, the break-thru's are even milder, but all of a sudden I started gaining weight. I have worked hard since adulthood to keep up good eating habits, and really "checking in" with my stomach to see if I am hungry before I eat that snack. So when I saw I gained 5 pounds in the last week, I was baffled. Then I started reading about the hunger, and realized I have been crazy hungry lately, just an hour after a meal, and so I was eating. Wondering if I can train myself to ignore the hunger, and wondering if that will keep me from gaining weight.... | F | 47 | 6 weeks 500 ER 1X day | 4/14/2010 | 4 | Migraines | heartburn, somedays worse than others, minor hair loss but I tend to shed normally. Other issue is weight gain. So far I'm steady at having gained 10 lbs. | Seems weightgain is a very common side effect. It's lessening my migraine frequency so far. Guess I would rather be fat than having daily migraines. | F | 31 | 2 months 250 2X day | 3/25/2010 | 4 | Bi Polar | Minor weight gain, 5-10lbs. Initial drowsiness. Acid reflux. | I've adapted very well to this drug and it has been quite a positive experience for me. I wouldn't say it's a cure-all for my bi polar/depression but it's kept a lot of it in check which is more than Lexipro, Effexor and Prozac did for the last ten years. | M | 31 | 500mg 1X day | 3/23/2010 | 1 | Bipolar | Major weight gain. Height is 5'9". Went from weighing 170 lbs. to 215 lbs in a matter of about 5 months. Also, developed nystygmus (involuntary fluttering of the eyes), a sporadic hand tremble, and had trouble recalling words and formulating coherent sentences. My appetite went through the roof and was very hard to control. I craved things I never would've considered, like Big Macs *twice* a day! | This drug is a notorious weight gain medication. I had been warned about it before taking it but thought, It won't happen to me. Well, it did and now I am trying to lose 45 lbs. I went from a size 10 to size 16. It calmed my mania, but so do other drugs. Took Zyprexa after going off the Depakote but it did not help me lose the weight. Trying Carbatrol now. | F | 32 | 9 months 3X day | 3/15/2010 | 4 | bipolar | some weight gain, hair loss, tremors, wild dreams | I am willing to deal with these side effects because no other medicine has actually worked. I am able to actually get up in the morning and function all day. Once in awhile I get tired, but that's easy to handle. The one you want to avoid is, Symbyax----- I gained 50lbs in a few months and got high cholesterol from it. I have been off of it now for several months and I am still battling the weight and cholsterol. | M | 40 | 8 months 500mg 2X day | 3/4/2010 | 5 | Unstable Moods | The first 6 months I put on a few pounds, maybe 5. I adjusted after that. | I can't believe some of the negative posts here. PCOS, yeah, everyone has known about that for years, get over it. Dilantin is definitely more dangerous as are other AED'S and check out the rashes associated with Lamictal. The rashes and lack of anti manic effects of Lamictal are documented and undeniable. This drug was discovered in 1882, synthesized in 1963 and first marketed in 1967 Euro, 1983 USA. Every side effect has been published. This med has too many positives to list but I am sure the next post will be a 1 rating with a PCOS warning and death and dying listed as side effects probably. I advise the Extended Release version and ignore the maniacal negatives. It may not work but it sure as hell won't kill you. Look it up. | M | 37 | 10 years 250mg 3X day | 3/2/2010 | 5 | Migraine Prevention | I did have some moderate hair loss--but it was also right after I had a baby, so it's hard to tell if that was all post-pregnancy related, or was due to the Depakote. | Take at night to avoid any side effects, so I have had none. In the time I have been on Depakote, I have had 2 break-thru migraines in a 10 month period, which is great for me. | F | 34 | 10 months 250mg 1X day | 3/1/2010 | 4 | Bipolar | abdominal cramping, nausea, acid reflux, hair loss, and nightmares. | My psychiatrist started me on this medication to treat rapid cycling. It has been working pretty well and at the moment I am going to try to stick with this medication. However, it is giving me horrible nightmares and if they get any worse I am going to have to see if she will switch me to something else. As far as weight gain goes I am thinking 5 lbs so far. I'm not sure because I don't weight myself. | F | 22 | 4 weeks 1000 1X day | 2/21/2010 | 2 | Prevention of Migranes | Extremely tired after taking this medication, I start to just fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon. I can hardly even keep my eyes open. When I take it in the evening, same thing, I fall right asleep, which at night I don't really mind because I usually have problems sleeping, it knocks me out for at least 8 hours straight. Before I was lucky if I got 4 hours of sleep. I also have increased appetite, I am hungry pretty much all day! And if I do wake up in the middle of the night, I am hungry then too. I also have had a lot of cramping in my stomach. I have been very irritable, which I believe is from the medication making me so tired. My sister has even noticed my increased attitude and snappiness. | I started doing some research on this medication because I was concerned with the side effects I've been having. Now after reading other peoples posts, mine match up almost identically! I am talking to my doctor about stopping this and trying something new. Not to mention, my migraines haven't even stopped! I am still getting them, along with these horrible side effects in addition! | F | 27 | 3 weeks 500 mg/day 2X day | 2/13/2010 |