DEPAKOTE Reviews (DIVALPROEX SODIUM)Average Rating: 3.0 (584 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare DEPAKOTE with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
More on DEPAKOTE: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR DEPAKOTE | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 3 | Bipolar | weight gain, forgetfulness, hand tremor Lithium also caused weight gain and hand tremor, but I had no forgetfulness. | If you have the choice, take lithium instead. I was on Li for 19 years and because you cannot take it longer than that (poss. kidney problems), I got stuck with this pill. My psych. said that Li has some antidepressant qualities while Depakote does not...just a mood stabilizer. | F | 45 | 300 4X day | 7/26/2011 | 3 | Bipolar/Migraines | No sex drive, weight gain | F | 22 | 8 years 500 3X day | 7/18/2011 | 1 | Siezures and headaches | Weight Gain, Hair loss weight gain, low motivation and lower back pain | Stay away and do not take generic form That I had to switch to since insurance would not cover and over $100 difference | M | 45 | 12 months 1500 1X day | 7/11/2011 | 5 | migaine | Been a wonderful! No weight gain or hair loss. It does take a little while to build up in your system. | If I had to pick paying for food or Depakote, I would pick Depakote! Made a huge difference in my life. | F | 41 | 5 years 1000 1X day | 7/3/2011 | 4 | Bipolar/anxiety/migraines | small amount of hair thinning, loss of appetite | Had to switch from Lamictal when I developed a rash after being on it for two months. Very minimal side effects so far. I take a generic form of the ER version. The manufacturer is Wockhardt. So far I am very pleased with the results. | F | 44 | 10 days 500 MG 1X day | 6/25/2011 | 3 | manic depression | hair loss, heartburn, tired, lethargic. | At first, I really thought it was a wonder drug. No anxiety or sadness at all for the first 2 weeks. Now, I have put back on 15 lbs in one month, I have 0 energy, am lucky to leave the house. Some days I think this is worse than before. She just keeps upping my dosage. She took me off the geodon, which was hell, but now she wants to put me on lithium. I am 40 years old, with 2 teens, and I need something to cope with this lifelong battle of depression. | F | 40 | 4 weeks 500 3X day | 6/13/2011 | 2 | take this for mood swings | i have been taken this along with 100mg of zoloft(which i take for ocd) . I cant sleep, moods are not any better i would say worse. My back hurts, cant stand to hear people talk or noises around me. And i also have really bad menstral cramps whether i am or not.... | F | 34 | 30 days 250 2X day | 6/10/2011 | 3 | PTSD , head injury , seizures | Weight gain 30 lbs , tremors, have about no sex drive. | I am at least not being aggressive and combative. Have not went after someone physically in a year or more. | M | 52 | 370 days 500 3X day | 5/28/2011 | 2 | Hypomania | Memory problems that get worse the longer I take the med. Severe lack of motivation.Sleep problems,hair loss,cannot concentrate | I have been taking Depakote for 6 mos for hypomania. At first I had some minor memory issues but now I am having severe problems with abstract thinking, completing a sentence or a thought. The first 3 months I slept well but now I only sleep 4 hours a night and I am tired all day. I have always had a little paranoia but this is more severe now. The minor things like reflux and hair loss do not bother me. I do not get as anxious or irritable now but the trade off is that I feel foggy, my family notices it. | M | 49 | 6 months 1000 mg 1X day | 5/28/2011 | 2 | Migraine Maintenance | - gained 20 pounds - developed terrible hand tremors - always tired and sleepy - terrible memory & scattered thoughts - bladder leakage - muscle aches, cramping | I still have severe migraines which require infusions and/or pain intervention shots. I asked my neurologist who prescribed this medicine what was causing the tremors and she tested for diabetes twice and NEVER mentioned they were a side effect of depakote. My internist had to help me figure it out. I'm disabled due to gentamicin poisoning and was told that I would never get any worse than I was at the time of poisoning. I was afraid that the doctors were wrong about that but everything I've read hear fully explains why I feel worse since beginning this last August. | F | 47 | 9 months 1500 mg 1X day | 5/18/2011 | 1 | Bi Polar | MASSIVE HAIR LOSS began about two weeks after stopping the high dosage of 3 time 500 mg. per day (on in the AM, two before bed). I stopped because I was lethargic. I also gained weight but thought it was the Wllbuterin. The hair loss is making me more stressed, anxious and depressed than I was before I started taking it. I am told the hair loss is "Telogen Effluvium". Ive had every possible blood test and seen a dermatologist, acupuncturist and holistic doctor. Im taking Biotin and Prenatal vitamins. My hair is still faliing out and I have lost about half of it. The hair loss started four weeks ago. I am MISERABLE!!!! WHEN WILL IT STOP???? | I was taking Wellbutrin for extreme anxiety and depression. I was angry and very irritable so the Dr. perscribed Depakote to offset those effects. I had no emotions, no laughing, felt like I was in a fog. I could not find the appropriate words to speak. It was like being in a bubble. I stopped taking it - cold turkey. I am told the hair loss is "Telogen Effluvium. | F | 50 | 2 months 2000 1X day | 5/11/2011 | 1 | Bipolar II | Weight gain, anxiety, paranoia, lack of sex drive, no orgasm, always tired; was put on bi-pap therapy still tired all day, scattered thoughts, attitude of "screw it" did not pay bills, etc. got fired from 2 jobs for lack of work perfomance | was prescribed for mood stabilization to counter cymbalta high end effects, always felt drugged, I stopped taking them both. | M | 54 | 5 years 1,000 mg 1X day | 5/7/2011 | 5 | seizure disorder | weight gain | I've been on Vimpat, Keppra, Lamictal and Zonegran ALL with most or all of the awful side effects described about DEPAKOTE. My doc wanted me to take 1000 mg. per day. But instead of starting high I TOLD HIM that I wanted to start low and dose up if needed. 500 mg has been keeping my seizures under control! What I've learned?? At least for myself, I had to have some control over my meds. I fear now that maybe one or more of the other above drugs would have been helpful but that I was taking too large of a dose that caused awful side effects. You know yourself better than your doctor does. For instance, one drug was causing severe shortness of breath and I went months having a very difficult time breathing. When I told the doctor this his response "that's not listed as one of the side effects". It may not be "listed" in his journals but when I got on-line to investigate plenty of other people on the same drug had shortness of breath! TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR MED DOSAGE under the watchful eye of your doctor. About the weight gain. I had lost 15 pounds on the other meds and have gained it back since being on Depakote. I do seem to crave sweets more now though. We'll see how this goes. GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU! | F | 48 | 3 months 500 1X day | 4/23/2011 | 2 | er | Weight gain, tremmors still headaches and blurr vission. Feel weak all the time | Dr tried to reduce and switch and felt worse and had siezure and They feel the side effects out way benefits. | M | 44 | 1 years 1500 1X day | 4/22/2011 | 1 | Bipolar/mental health | dementia / weight gain / muscle aches-burning / bladder problems / | depakote is good for some, but it seems reading around on the internet it is an absolutely awful drug with dangerous(underlined) side affects. | M | 55 | 4 years 1000 3X day | 4/21/2011 | 4 | seizures | wieght gain, severe memory loss (short term) anger,agression, very tired avg. 10-13 hrs sleep/night,vivid nightmares, paranoia, seeing things out of the corner of my eye, increased worry | along with the dreams goes the paranoia and seeing things in the corner of my eye.... it scares the crap out of me its been getting worse in the last nine years but i have been seizure free sence i have started taking the medication, the overtiredness has greatly effected my life, having to depend on people to make sure im awake for my job. has cost me quite a few good jobs... i never found out what my seizures were from and god willing i wish somday i could get off the medicine cause i cant remember what someone has told me 10 minutes later.but for fear of having another seizure i will just deal with the side effects i guess... | M | 25 | 9 years 1000 1X day | 3/28/2011 | 1 | Head Injury | Memory problems, blurred vision, do not care about anything,very lucid vivid dreams, extreme anger, dizzness, spacey feeling, trouble verbally communicating, and can not hold onto anything | I was put on this medication after a head injury. The EEG showed numerous abnormalities on the left side of the brain, very quickly put on med and even recieved a $75 dollar off coupon from the doctor. I suffered from extreme headaches that dropped me to my knees. To be honest, I would rather take the head aches and everything else than live like this. In addition, I am a Type II Diabetic and have a hard time controling blood sugar levels on this medicine. So much that my Endocrinologist has had to add a few new medications, and if they do not work have to go to straight insuling injections. I start freaking out having to give myself an insulin shot. Before taking an insulin maybe once in 6 months from going out to dinner with friends and eating a little more than usual. The dreams that I have are so vivd and feel real. I hate going to sleep, because I keep reliving the death of a close friend as I do everything to get to him to keep him from passing away. Neurologist says not to worry it will pass. I ask how long that will be. I get a get a dial tone. | M | 37 | 1 months 1000 1X day | 3/19/2011 | 1 | Bipolar II | weight gain, constant hunger and craving of sugar, hair loss, mental "fog", clumsy, exhaustion, lack of motivationn. | I was prescribed Depakote for Bipolar after a brief hospilitization. When I first started taking it, I was on several other meds and pretty "out of it", so I was unaware of all the potential side effects and failed to notice them gradually creeping up on me. I even began to feel somewhat positive for the first time in years. I was tired all the time and started gaining weight very rapidly, several pounds a week. I have always been overweigyht and had a problem with food, but had lost weight for Military entrance in 2005 and was able to keep it off until I started this medication. My life sucked. I lost my job and seemed to turn off my friends and family. My anger probelems seemed worse than ever within a few months. Now I am very depressed and have packed on 30 lbs. My roomate moved out, I am broke, and hating life. I begged my Dr. to take me off this crap. I have been very physically fit for years and still work out 5-6 days a week and lifeguard pt. My Dr. and I keep butting heads, he claims weight gain is not a factor and I tell him all the time its making me more manic. I don't have many options beacuse this is all through the VA and this is the only health insurance I have as I am no longer employed full-time. I am dieting now in addition to the excersize and the scale is pretty much stuck. I think I will start weening myself off. My nuero suggested Topomax instead. | F | 36 | 11 months 1000 1X day | 3/14/2011 | 3 | Bipolar disorder | I gained 40 pounds while taking this medicine. | It helped my mood sometimes but the weight gain made me real depressed. My doctor took me off of it. I'm already losing the weight and its been 3 weeks since stopping it. | F | 23 | 9 months 500 mg 2X day | 3/9/2011 | 3 | bipolar 2 | feel a little more human like today,but still feel sick,have no appetite.tried eating samll amounts.little light headed too.with slight heavy head .... | F | 43 | 6 days 250 3X day | 3/7/2011 Patient History |