DEPAKOTE ER Reviews (DIVALPROEX SODIUM)

Average Rating: 3.2 (181 Ratings)

Filter Results

Compare DEPAKOTE ER with similar:
 ANTICONVULSANTS

 Type: Rx Drug

  

DEPAKOTE ER  (DIVALPROEX SODIUM):  This medication is used to treat seizure disorders, mental/mood conditions (such as 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: 2000-08-04 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)

  

Results are sorted by Date added.

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

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10


More on DEPAKOTE ER: Reviews Summary  |  Drug Safety Information

RATING  REASONSIDE EFFECTS FOR DEPAKOTE ERCOMMENTSSEXAGEDURATION/
DOSAGE
DATE ADDED
 
 1  Bipolar / depression Severe tremoring in hands, insomnia, memory loss, increased saliva Severe tremors/shaking in hands. Also taking lithium & abilfy, so completely unsure which drug is causing this. My short term memory is horrible and I find myself pausing to think about what I'm talking about. Severe saliva which is completely embarrassing if you're talking to someone. I was told to give everything at least 4 weeks but from these comments it doesnt sound like it will get better. I havent experienced any hair loss thankfully and I have no appettie (and I can't spell either anymore). Total insomnia. F 35 14 days
1500 1X day
9/7/2010
 5  Migraines and Anxiety Wow, what a difference! I am so happy I have maintained this drug. I quit once and was quickly reminded how it is without it. It really does work. F 39 3 years
500mg 2X day
6/1/2010
 3  mipolar, mood stabilization unsure yet. acne, diarrhea, EXTREME irritability and tearfulness, dnagerouse thoughyts.... just went off lithium that i had been on for 4 years...not sure if these changes are from this, b/c they kinda came on before or b/c my hormone levels are severally out of whack. I take progesterone and have for years as well...but was off it , then back on etc...when i first began depakote it was good, these recent abnormal things have occurred in last month, around my cyle F 37 4 weeks
1500mg 1X day
5/30/2010
Email
 1  schizoaffective disorder I literally slept 2 1/2 yrs of my life away and gained 135lbs i could not get out of bed this medicine was not for me i didnt benefit from it i had no life behind my eyes my family said i didnt laugh cry or get angry no matter what that was when i was awake usually i took my morning dose at 8am slept 12 hours then took the night dose and there went all my hope until one day i missed my morning dose and sat on the couch i sat there till bedtime and realized it was the medicine and not my mental diagnosis i begged my doc to lower the dose she did after 8 months she put me on 500mg a day down from 1000mg i was able to bath again and watch tv and enjoy it do laundry cook badly and all kinds of stuff i told her this and she said looks like were gonna have to raise it again but by that time i was down to 125mg i said ok to her but went home and split the 125mg tab in half took it for a month and split half a tablet in half took that 4 a month and i havent been on it in a year but this medicine is dangerous it can make you convulse if you quit cold turkey so do it slowly if you decide to well thats my story good luck and bless you F 31 3 years
500mg 2X day
5/2/2010
Email
 5  Epilepsy from car accident This drug is very good for epilepsy. i've tried so many others like Tegretal, Keppra, Trileptal they all caused chest pains but this drug does not. Depakote does have tolerable side effects compared to chest pains. Causes weight gain, everything tastes like a gourmet meal, hair loss is very thin and wispy. So fatigued in the afternoon. a lot of stomach issues, gas, bloating, diarrhea then constipaion. Ugghh ! But I'm seizure free! You must do some kind of exercise on this drug to keep the weight down. Was on regular Depakote for 20 years and had more weight gain. F 49 3 years
500 mg 1X day
3/19/2010
 5  Migraines 15-20 lbs of weight gain, extreme tiredness in the mornings, seems like you never get enough sleep. Calms your nerves however, makes me more relaxed during the day, helps me speaking in public. Prevents the daily headaches I was experiencing and reduces the severity of my migraines. Only migraine preventative medicine that worked for me, I have managed to decrease dosage down from 1000 mg per day and the medicine is still effective. I've experienced withdrawal symptoms coming down on dosage, takes weeks to taper down, very edgy during this period. M 39 3 years
250 mg 1X day
3/5/2010
 3  Migraine prevention Lost a lot of my hair, gained 20 lbs, hands shake. F 48 9 months
1000 mg 1X day
2/24/2010
 1  bipolar Memory problems (left food cooking on high and left the house to go shopping), constipation, muscle and joint pain, painful inflamed rash on lower abdomen and itchy over entire body, hair & eye lashes falling out. My mind felt calm and ok but my body was reacting strongly negatively to the medication. F 57 7 days
250 mg 1X day
2/21/2010
 1  mania I was prescribed 500 mg ER in the a.m. and 1,000 mg at bedtime. The night dose really made me tired. I could barley function at night to get up with up with my one year old son. So his father stayed up all night and took care of him while I slept. She lowered the dose at bedtime to 500 mg. I really like that they help threwout the whole day. Certain times of the early afternoon or night I get worked up. I dont like that it causes weight gain though. I will see if there is another medicine that I can take for mania that doesnt do that. I also take Buspar 20 mg twice daily and 300 mg of Wellbutrin Xl. The combination is helping so far. My mother took Depakote and Serequol and Lithium for Bipolar Disorder. It helped her with the racing thoughts and frequent outburts of rage. F 22 1 weeks
2/3/2010
 1  Bipolar/Severe Anxiety Disorder Going against my better judgement, I agreed to start Depakote from my new psych. even after I had heard countless of horror stories, thinking maybe it would be my "miracle" drug....and I was dead wrong. I was started on a medium doseage of 1500mg and within a week I couldn't leave my house. I was so detached from the world. I had no emotion, no connection to reality. And even worse, it didn't treat my anxiety. So I was trying to function in a zombie-like-state with a constant high-anxiety. I didn't even want to talk. And I'm one of those annoying girls who can't keep her mouth shut. My friends were literally scared of me. I called my Dr. crying at the end of the week before I was supposed to get my blood levels drawn, crying, the only emotion I had, telling them that they either medically had to take me off of it or I was just going to flush the pills dow the toilet myself. PLEASE STAY AWAY!!!! PLEASE, I BEG YOU DO NOT TAKE IT! F 19 1 weeks
1/29/2010
 3  JME/Epilepsy Hair loss, insomnia, constipation I started taking it when diagnosed with JME (turns out it was permanent) and have had chronic constipation and insomnia since (on Ambien for sleep). When my MD decided, without informing me) to up my dose from 750 mg of regular Depakote to 1000 mg Depakote ER I started to experience constant, abnormal hair loss. I'm seeing the MD soon to get switched to something else and hopefully get rid of some of these symptoms. F 27 15 years
1/4/2010
 5  Anxiety Some initial heartburn, mostly minor stuff that passed. I am an executive that needs to make quick decisions and remain calm. I have been taking 750mg of Depakote ER since the year 2000 (when it was introduced). It has saved my career. I work out and remain active and have gained no weight. I also have a full head of hair. M 37 10 years
12/29/2009
 1  Bipolar INCREASED HUNGER, Lethargy, Drowsiness, CLOUDY THINKING, Irritated I work in a job that requires quick accurate thinking and deals with finance numbers. On this drug not only am I ready to sleep all day, I am more irritated and can't think straight. my doctor is taking me off of depakote and starting zyprexa which based off of everything i have read is not good either. I was diagnosed as bipolar at 16 but have not been on meds for the past 7 years. I was stable until 12 weeks ago when I decided to quit smoking. since then I have had uncontrolable rage and my mood swings are changing within hours. My husband actually left for 3 days to force me to get help. I need a medication that will not impair my thinking or I am going to lose my job. F 31 7 days
12/9/2009
 1  Depression/Anxiety SEVERE Fatigue! Flattened me like a mack truck! 1000 mg dose for two weeks then weaned off to 500 mg for a week. Took another week to start feeling more normal. Withdrawal headaches, shakiness and felt like crap for a few days. Don't know why the doctor put me on this for depression after a suicide attempt. It made me miss 3 more weeks of school. I usually work out twice a day (athlete) but couldn't do more than flop on the couch or sleep the 3 weeks I was on it. Currently on 10 mg Lexapro and 2 mg Abilify which is working GREAT! M 17 21 days
11/2/2009
 1  BiPolar Disorder The major side effect I was experiencing constantly was insomnia. Not a very good issue when you are a BiPolar patient. F 30
10/15/2009
Email
 5  Bipolar II Some sleepiness at about the 4-5 hr mark, some gastro effects (i.e. constipation, diarrhea, mild). Vivid dreams, though not bad. Just, well, animated at times. A great drug when the right dose is found. I'm currently on 2000mg/day at bedtime, and this is the first time in years I've been able to sleep pretty well. Very helpful with the mania. I am much more relaxed and in control of myself. Can think more clearly without all of the "mental clutter" that I had before. Overall a very good drug. F 37 2 months
9/24/2009
 2  Migraine Increased sensitivity to my nerves! Anyone else feel like nails on a chalkboard after taking this for a while?! Or sensitivity to touching paper? Also, very tired in the morning. When I first started taking it, I got severe stomach cramps for a few days, but then it subsided. Some hair loss, and probably no weight gain only because I've been very careful to keep it off. Didn't work for my migraines. Onto the next med... F 25 3 months
9/22/2009
 5  Anxiety/Mood Swings When I switched to the Extended Release version none There is no question this medicine helps me a lot. It's effects on anxiety are hard to explain. I just know I will be stable regardless of what the situation is. It stabilizes my mood, which is what I want. I take 750mg per day. M 28 4 years
9/19/2009
 5  Seizure disorder weight gain The only seizures I've had were when I was off Depakote. Battling weight gain and paying its steep price (until it went generic recently) are decent trade-offs. M 50 21 years
9/7/2009
 1  Bipolar I Obsessive suicidal thoughts I was fine until I reached the low therapeutic level. My thoughts ALWAYS involved suicide after that. M 32 1 months
8/17/2009

Previous Page       Next Page

BACK TO TOP