DEPAKOTE Reviews (DIVALPROEX SODIUM)

Average Rating: 3.0 (584 Ratings)

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 ANTICONVULSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

DEPAKOTE  (DIVALPROEX SODIUM):  This medication is used to treat seizure disorders, certain psychiatric conditions (manic phase of bipolar disorder), and to prevent migraine headaches. It works by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain.   FDA Approval Date: 1983-03-10 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

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Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.)
5=HIGH (this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal.)

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More on DEPAKOTE: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR DEPAKOTECOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 3  anxiety disorder 20 pound weight gain, increased appetite--feel anxious if I don't eat. Probably should not have been prescribed this stuff by my Dr. M 31 1 years
10/15/2007
 5  Bipolar Nothing really Really helps with anxiety and mood swings F 40 2 years
10/9/2007
 4  Bipolar II Taking 1000 mg a night with Welbutrin and adjuncts. I have been on this dose of Depakote for a little over 10 years. At times when my anti-depressant wasn't working I have experienced extreme mental and physical exhaustion. Now my hair is falling out like crazy and I likely only have about 2/3 of it left, and the rest is going fast. I do zone out at times and have had short term memory problems and feel like I'm in a haze at times as well; but it smooths out my cycles so all in all the (noticeable) side effects are worth it. It has to be paired up with the right medications. I'm also on a subthreshold dose of lithium and amino acid tryptan (l-tryptophan) as well as wellbutrin. I wish there was something else that would work, but I've tried many that were much worse. M 28 10.5 years
10/7/2007
 1  bipolar 1 brain atrophy, loss of iq http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=9578009 F
10/6/2007
 3  Bi polar disorder F 22
10/2/2007
 5  Anxiety Mild heartburn once or twice a week after taking it. Works great. M 29 3 years
9/27/2007
 5  JME seizures Weight gain, loss of coordination (can't ride a bicycle anymore), extreme hair thinning and loss, fatigue, swelling on left side of my body (esp. in feet and fingers), manic depression Despite all the crappy side effects, it is the only medication that has ever worked on me. I have tried Keppra, Lamictal, and Toppamax because of the possible defect risks if my husband and I decide to try for a baby, but have had seizures on all of them. F 22 8 years
9/25/2007
 1  bipolar II Gained 15 pounds, 2/3 of hair fell out roots and all, severe tooth decay resulting in over a dozen fillings and two crowns Be absolutely sure to check in with your dentist frequently when taking this medication. Hair loss and weight gain I was warned about, but nothing regarding what this can do to your teeth. The damage is going to cost thousands to repair. F 28 4 months
9/25/2007
 1  bipolar weight gain, hair loss, no energy,depression caused by side effects i stopped taking depakote after about 6 months. i'm now taking topamax and i'm much happier. i think depakote is just a very harsh drug. it's very toxic to the body especially if taking the large dose that i had been taking it in. though at first it made me feel great, the 40 pounds it made it gain made me so upset and depressed aside from being bipolar, it counteracted itself. this is not a good drug. it made me feel like i was in a haze all the time too, never really fully awake. F 21 6 months
9/20/2007
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 2  bipolar disorder uncontrollable weight gain, hair loss Depakote is not the only weight gain drug I was ever on, but was probably the worst offender. I was on, at the highest dose, 4000 mg (4 gm) a day of Depakote. (Don't get me started.) At this almost toxic level, I was gaining weight so fast another doctor thought it was water weight and put me on a water pill. (It wasn't.) I eventually hit somewhere over 300 pounds (I'm 5'5"). I was also so bald that I bought hats because I didn't have enough hair to cover my head, really, and it is SO uncool to be female and bald. My weight also physically disabled me -- I was on oxygen 24/7. After dropping the Depakote, 9 months later I am down 100 pounds and no longer have to make excuses about my hair. Oh yeah, in April of this year they hauled away ALL the oxygen equipment and I turned in my permanent handicapped parking tags. F 39 5 years
9/19/2007
 1  bipolar disorder Gained around 20 pounds in less than two months, no energy at all, I couldn't move, it hurt to exert myself in anyway. I felt like I was trapped in my body. I don't know how to explain it but I couldn't move. It hurt to get up and walk to the bathroom. It hurt mentally and physically to get up in the morning. I was very confused all the time, couldn't think of my name, the day, where I was going, what I was doing. I was very emotional, cried at everything, wasn't rational and flew off the handle. Worst time of my life. Three days after I stopped taking the medicine all the afore mentioned stopped. F 32 2 months
9/8/2007
 3  Seizure disorder Weight gain, drowsiness, unsteadiness, and nausea Has anyone experienced unsteadiness, imbalance while on Depakote. Does the side effect eventually disappear? I didn't experience this side effect until now, a long time after starting the drug. Any ideas/guidance? M 41 18 years
8/28/2007
 5  Anormal EEG/Mood An occasional strange combination of my brain being very calm/tired but my body wanting to walk and move around. Occassion tremor which is mild and short. Conciously stare and think for long periods of time once in a while as if I was zoned out but increased alertness day to day. I like this drug a lot because it works without creating crazy rashes or mood swings like other AED's I have taken. I never have to worry about being nervous. Have not gained weight in years. M 33 9 years
8/26/2007
 4  migraine hair turned curly and dry, hair loss, always tired, trouble concentrating/thinking clearly. I'm taking 1000 mg daily. I had been getting 5-6 migraines a week, now I'm down to 3-4 per month. The side effects aren't great, but it's worth it to not have migraines. (My neurologist said that the changes in my hair aren't from depakote) F 28 1 years
8/25/2007
 3  Bipolar None so far I'm still learning what the stabilizing dosage is going to be, but right now i'm on 500 mg am and 500mg pm. i've gotten some relief over that last few weeks, but i'm hoping to get more. still have anxiety, which i'd like to get rid of completely. i'm hoping my doc increases my dose to 1500mg at my appt tomorrow. M 51 3 weeks
8/21/2007
 5  Migraine My usual dosage was 250mg a day and it was excellent at preventing migraines. In the summer I had to take 500 mg. Very effecive. I was on it for 15 years--Depakote in the States for 5 years and Depakene in Canada for 10 years. (I was never diagnosed as Bi-Polar.) However, when I went off of it, I had what turned out to be a transient manic episode. I had a bad couple of weeks. For the first three days after getting off the drug, I was manic but not severely so--running around doing things and hap-hap-happy. But a few days later my brain was making extremely strange connections i.e. I lit a lighter under my dog's neck thinking it was a leash and I thought a garden trowel would quench my thirst. Also, I pulled into traffic when I consciously knew it was not the time to pull out but my brain told me it was. Luckily, I "came to" before I got hit by a passing car. It was very scary and extremely upsetting. It has now been about 2 months and all the scary stuff is over with. Migraine patients, take care when stopping the medication. F 55 15 years
8/18/2007
 1  child onset bipolar My son is 6 and taking two 250 pills a day and had become Extremely aggatated,aggresive,hyper,uncontrolable thirst,talking about death and wanting to die M 6 14 days
8/17/2007
 5  Bipolar disorder Drowsy and foggy, especially at the beginning, but quickly adapted. Slow, steady weight gain of about 40lbs (first time overweight in my life), but with lots of exercise and some mild diet-watching (must... resist... carbs... ) have been able to reduce that down to about 10lbs. Also my straight hair turned wavy about 10 years ago. Now I know why. Works very well on my bipolar disorder. I take 2x500ER right now; once the pharmacist screwed up and halved my dosage, and about 2 weeks later I bought a Lamborghini (I'm serious). Still have relatively controllable hypomania but manageable so long as I don't skip meds. M 40 11 years
8/9/2007
 5  Anxiety No weight gain or hair loss. Nothing negative. This acts almost like a modulator for my brain. When I start to maybe get anxious, it brings be back to normal within minutes. If I am ever depressed or obsessing, I can come out of it within 24 hours. I could not ask for anything more. I have never felt 'high' though or buzz like so if that's what you are looking for I don't see it with Depakote ER. M 40 10 years
8/4/2007
 5  Chorea/anxiety Stability of mood. Nothing really negative This med crushed the anxiety that plagued me for over 10 years. I have energy and never get nervous anymore. It's eerily good. My Dr. says there is a big difference between men and women taking this drug. In his experience, women have more side effects ie; weight, hair loss. I love it. 750mg ER per day. M 35 8 years
8/3/2007

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