Is weight gain inevitable on Depakote?

In clinical trials only 1-10% of patients experienced weight changes including both weight gain and weight loss.
It may cause an increase in appetite which may be the cause of weight gain in some cases.

I started off on a pretty hefty dose of Depakote. 1000 mg in the morning and 1000mg in the evening. I was battling some pretty serious migraines after a brain surgery and seizures to boot. I gained about 60 pounds. I was also less active because I had a stroke and my body was still adjusting. But eventually it got to the point where I all wanted to do was sleep. I couldn’t even keep my eyes open. The doctors determined that my dose was too high. And they lowered it. Which was the right call. I became more active and I started losing weight. But it wasn’t until a year ago when they dropped down to 500mg in the morning and evening that I was able to lose 90 lbs. I had put on a ton of weight. I also have the have the hair loss problem. Which makes me upset but my health is more important than vanity. I did weight watchers while I was on high doses with no luck. Something about the drug I think.

My PCP had me on 500mg Depakote per day as a migraine prevention, which worked great. The doctor who approved me for medical marijuana then decided to increased my Depakote to 1250mg per day, to see if it helped with my chronic pain disorder, and over the course of less than 3-months, I gained almost 50 lbs. - I am livid! I have never been this heavy in my life, including my two pregnancies! My clothes don't fit me, I'm irritable and more depressed than ever! This doctor just doesn't get it - I don't want to take this medication!

Is anyone else on vyvAnse it’s a great appetite suppressant. I am on saphris and vyvAnse has helped a ton.

I have battled overeating for years. I take depakote for bipolar. Since taking it my weight has gone up and down since I have been struggling to eat healthy and lose weight. I'm morbidly obese. I have cut way down on sugar, sodium and decreased how much dairy I consume. I feel taking depakote is making the weight loss more difficult but I am losing weight. I also know that other medications for mood made me absolutely crazy. I feel like I am trying my best to get healthy and hope I can continue to lose weight despite taking depakote. I go to a support group at my church which helps me be around others with similar struggles to me some of whom struggle with weight and making good food choices. I think that there's many helpful ways to control calories. I have little containers for each food group I bought that help control portion sizes. You can find them in stores.

I was on this med myself and although it was an excellent antidepressant it had its side effects too.
Mine were weight gain even though my eating habits stayed same other was hair loss now coukdnt handle that one so had to come of it when hair started getting thinner and could see pink scalp scarry stuff..all grow bk though quickly.
Not everyone gets same side effects but I imagine weight gain is pretty high up the list. Sorry i don't have many positives but is a brill antidepressant.

It can go either way:
"Common (1% to 10%): Weight loss/gain, increased appetite/decreased appetite"
After losing the 35lbs I gained on lithium (which was my wonder drug!) I had to start Depakote. Been on it for 6mos and have lost another 9lbs.

i have contributed to this thread in the past. i have been on Depakote as well as Nefazadone and Buspar for over twenty years. when i began taking these medications i weighed 105 lbs. in three months i gained 15 lbs. my doctor added Topamax and i was easily able to lose the gained weight. Topamax is a medication similar to Depakote in that it was initially developed to control seizures and is now used as a mood stabilizer.
you might ask your doctor about adding Topamax after seeing if Depakote works for you.
Please keep in mind that i am NOT a doctor. this is not professional advice, this is what works for me and not necessarily what would work for you.

If you tend to gain weight be assured that you will gain more on depakote.
First you might loose weight then later when your body gets used to it you'll start and keep gaining it unless you go on a strict diet and vigorous exercise routine.
On depakote for 3 years.

I wish someone had given me all of this helpful advice when I started the drug. I love what the drug has done for me in regards to being bipolar and I LOVE my doctor but, he kept insisting no weight gain. I’ve gained 7-10 pounds every year I’ve been taking it and I’ve been taking it for six years.

I take Depakote as a mood stabilizer and gained minimal weight on it alone. Once Seroquel was added to the mix, I gained a total of 35lbs taking both. I've always been on the smaller size and this was really significant for me and understand your concerns. I recently titrated off of Seroquel and still take 500mgs of Depakote (down from 1000mgs) and lost 6 lbs in the first week coming off Seroquel. While many do gain a mixed number of pounds on Depakote, many of the 2nd generation mood stabilizers have significantly more weight gain issues than Depakote alone. This was my experience as well as a common theme reported by doctors. Good luck!

In pre-market clinical trials only 9% of patients reported weight gain as opposed to 4% of patients who reported weight gain while taking the placebo.
Keep in mind that 91% of patients reported NO weight gain and a few actually reported weight loss.

I have the same problem

I bet if everyone who answers this post tells you their experience, that 99.99% of the posters here will tell you that Depakote makes them GAIN WEIGHT - LOTS AND LOTS OF WEIGHT!!!

I have to totally disagree with the comment that less that 10% gain weight on Depakote. Bah Humbug!!!