Depakote User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 21, 2021

For Migraine Prevention "I was using this drug for my insane migraine attacks. Before taking this medicine, I had migraine headaches with stomach ache, nausea, being sleepy, feeling extremely fatigued that I wasn't even able to get up out of bed, trouble in speaking and understanding the others, trouble in reading and writing. Started Depakote 250 once daily. Then gradually increased to 1000 daily. Worked great! I didn't have all that symptoms after being on this drug. Instead of having migraine, all day all night 7 days of week, I had like once a day for like 2 hours with mild symptoms. I was amazed by the result and it helped me so much. But I was still having migraine everyday. So my doctor prescribed Propranolol alongside Depakote. After that, I had migraine like once a week. But over time less and less migraines happened. After 2 years of being on this medicine, I quit and didn't have migraine even after quiting the drug. So I'm really amazed by the result. I didn't gain any weight. No serious side effect"

• nonenn
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 8, 2020

For Bipolar Disorder "Was given a choice of Depakote or Lithium when diagnosed with bipolar three years ago. I chose Depakote while knowing nothing about it. I've had three manic episodes in my life and Depakote's brought me back down from every one. And since I have mixed episodes, they get really dangerous, so I probably owe Depakote my life. Only downside I've experienced is nausea and vomiting, it can hit pretty hard and out of nowhere sometimes. Made me want to stop the drug at one point, but for me the pros outweigh the cons. You have to get your blood tested every few months and it interacts with some other medications (like Lamictal) so take care."

• J A J
• July 24, 2017

For Epilepsy "I used to have a wonderful smart son. About 12 years ago, I noticed changes starting to take affect in his life. He was becoming agitated, he was loosing his memory, he had no energy. I was told this was due to his having so many seizures. I just this week, after having a really bad week a few weeks ago, the doctor decided to take him off of this medication in a hospital controlled setting. After one day of not taking this medication, I am starting to see the personality of my son come back. He had gotten to the point that he made terrible decisions, he was depressed often, he was confused and was loosing his memory and his ability to talk and remember words. I'm sorry, but the benefits of controlling seizures was not worth this."

• Manuel
• May 15, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Noticed that depakote improved stability of mood and reduced depression. However, it did not help with mania mood swings. This drug also totally removed my libido. I have never experienced such an inability for sexual activity than while taking this drug. A week after stopping the drug and sexual libido is back. I would avoid this drug if male."

• Build...
• August 26, 2014

For Epilepsy "Started with Depakote upon being diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy in my teens. I took it for years without issue. I decided to switch to Keppra XR because of potential liver issues with Depakote and the somewhat tiresome redundancy of labwork related to Depakote use. Keppra XR did not work for me as my memory began growing progressively worse and I could not think clearly. I also began losing my train of thought mid sentence fairly often. Switched back to Depakote ER, and am feeling much better mentally. The quarterly labwork is not a big deal when compared to being in a mind fog for over a year. That's my experience, hope everyone finds what's right for them. P.S. I do not take generics, noticeably more side effects."

• Gage...
• October 6, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I honestly don't know how many stars to give this medication as much as I've never had such an experience. I was in a coma light sleep when my therapist came, I heard myself say "we need to go to the airport" when actually I never said anything at all. I felt drunk waking up, started losing my hearing, it got cloudy. I only took it a month but being in that state of mind frightened me.I gave it up and my hearing is mostly back about 98 percent but my balance and coordination still suffers from the medication but has improved since I stopped it. I was so upset that I called the FDA and reported my experience, I would hate for anyone to go through that.On the plus side? When I was awake and aware and not "drunk" it did help my manic episodes."

• Anonymous
• June 20, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "Manic bi-polarism for 7 years. Know I'm a type "A" person, Depokote, Effexer, zanix. I come from the medical field, lab and had seen people come in for blood work on everything from lithium to thorazine. I have (with M.D. agreement) backed down from 500mg ER Depokote, to 250mg ER every evening along with a sleeping pill. The sleeping pill is new, so next time I will give the name. When "they" found me, I was so gone into what we call our "BLACK HOLE". I truly have no idea what all they tried....BUT the Depakote, according to my wife (Nurse for 34 yrs) was my marriage and life saver."

• Medbag
• December 2, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I've taken a lot of meds in 19 years and took Depakote for around 1 yr. Weight gain about same as Lithium. This drug gave me hallucinations at night and freaked me out big time. Beware. I didn't hallucinate before the drug and now that I've stopped it 6 months ago - no Depakote = no hallucinations"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2016

For Epilepsy "This medicine took 3 weeks to fully kick in. I had the side effect of increased appetite, but I haven't gained any weight because I eat a low carb diet and workout 4 times a week. I do not have any side effects anymore and this mostly controls my temporal lobe epilepsy."

• P I S...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Depakote has proved a good med to keep me from being manic, has twice Brought me down from mania, both times with increased dosage. Much more effective than antipsychotics alone, namely abilify, zyprexa and seroquel. Now I am on 2 grams a day, split into 1 gram doses twice a day. Great for mania, not for depression. I'm currently in a depressive episode, recently started another med for that, alongside the depakote. I struggle to control my appetite on Depakote, but eating healthy, wholesome meals helps me not to give in to unhealthy cravings. Good outweighs the bad for me :)"

• Yellehs
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 7, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I've taken depakote for 13 years along with citalapram. 250 mg depakote with 10 mg of citalapram. It helped with my intense excitability, my severe depression and suicidal thoughts which happened to me 2 weeks out of the month. It was so bad. After taking these meds I felt so much better like a "normal" person. I had no side effects. My symptoms were down to 3 days instead of 3 weeks which I could deal with and didn't want to kill myself anymore. I'm an bipolar and/or pmdd. They are not working for me anymore so I'm going to have to change to something else. Hope this helps someone. :)"

• Rusty
• June 17, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "Since 2006 I have been on some sort of med for my depression or what my family doctor thought was depression. First med was Lexapro and boy did it send me into a manic stage. Never felt so high in my life, a cloud was lifted. That drug worked for a while but soon after it lost its effectiveness. Tried about every SSRI on the market until we ran out and at that point I did not want to live anymore. Family dr sent me to a psychiatric hospital in which I saw my first pyschiatrist who said my OCD was the root of my depression so he put me on Luvox along with my Klonopin. After a while I seemed better but not for long. Been on Depakote ER 1000MG ever since and everything seems fine, except weight gain. Mood better."

• Anonymous
• April 6, 2008

For Mania "i have been using depakote for over one year and it has helped me with my manic episodes, i have not had any since i started the medicine, it does not however do much in regards to racing thoughts and helping me stay positive. hoping for a cure : )"

• Manny
• March 10, 2016

For Migraine Prevention "Started having migraines about ten years ago. The only treatment that has ever worked for me is Depakote. Everybody is different, but for me this was a Godsend. Nothing worked and Topomax was only a temporary solution. The thing is that after a two month regiment my headaches completely went away. I stopped taking the medication for two or three years before my migraines returned. I went on another regiment and again I went several years without a headache. Yes, I did have slight weight gain, and yes it did affect my ability to perform sexually, but I did not have to continue taking it for more than 3 months. Cysticercosis as a child and a catalyst of factors cause my headaches. Depakote works."

• Heron...
• July 14, 2017

For Epilepsy "Have taken this med for 28+ years with no seizures during this time. I have experienced no side effects except that my hair has become very curly. Lots of compliments! No down side. I am seizure free. No other med has worked for me."

• Melanie
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 2, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I am not very fond of Depakote. When I took it it didn't improve my moodswings that much. In the beginning it made me nauseous & caused my hair to fall out. No, I didn't go bald, but it thinned out my hair enough that my hairstylist noticed. Eventually, my hair stopped falling out, but I gained a lot of weight & I had very bad tremors & bad coordination. If you do decide to take this medicine make sure your doctor tests your blood regularly. I think you are supposed to have your blood tested every 6 months."

• Patient
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 12, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I started up on 250mg and ended up at 1500mg. I noticed very subtle effects if any. Hard to remember, I went through a lot and was on Seroquel also at the time. Seemed to have a slight calming effect. However after time it raised my liver enzymes and lowered my platelet count (which is a potential side effect) So I went off of it. I don't have many hypomanic episodes and never a manic episode so I don't know why my dose got that high. Didn't notice anything significant. Gained 20 lbs, made me sick and tired. Wasn't for me."

• Nick
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 30, 2015

For Epilepsy "Before I came to the US I was taking other medications for epilepsy but upon dealing with a US doctor he recommended 2000 mg of Depakote daily. I immediately went to the library and checked the side effects, which were considerable. I asked the doctor if I could take a smaller dose but he didn't think it wise. I decided to take matters into my own hands and reduce my dosage. I have been taking 250 mg now for 35 years with no seizures. Early on I found that when I took long flights to Asia and missed sleep and became dehydrated I would increase my dosage and then when I came back home I would slowly lower it again. I don't believe I am suffering from any side effects of this drug."

• Velve...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 1, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Depakote was a nightmare. Besides having acute, non-stop stomach pain with chronic diahrrea, my hair started falling out in clumps. Good thing I have thick hair or I could have been bald at the end of this drug. I don't recommend this to anyone. It was like taking poison."

• Anonymous
• November 5, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "I have Bipolar Disorder. This is the only drug that's worked with out breaking me out in rashes, or making me feel so drugged I couldn't work or function. The only problem I have with it is it makes me a little hyper. I controls my temper well, without making me sleepy."

• Kbano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 15, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I’ve noticed no change in my mood swings or manic tendencies on this drug. I still go through both; in fact, I’m concerned it could be causing me some insomnia. I’ve taken it for about a year, and in the last month I’ve dealt with major depression and mood swings, which bring me swiftly to paranoid thoughts and delusions. All in all, it’s done literally nothing it’s prescribed to do. Everyone will have different experience on different drugs, so take this with grain of salt."

• Karyn...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 9, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "Didn't realize how great it was till it was gone. After 4 years of failed cocktails until I found Depekote with Zoloft. I was on it for 3-5 months @1250mg and had Excessive Weight gain, insatiable hunger,,,BUT Worth it! I was productive, positive, stabilzed, making plans and following thru. Then Liver enzymes high @ 6 mo. and abruptly taken off ... Horrible move by panicked Doctor. On my third medicine since and all bad results. Any opinions on Depokote retry while protecting my liver with Milk Thistle & Turmeric? My last blood work was best its ever been. I have no faith in my Dr and am seeking a new."

• Pizza...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 17, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "HORRIBLE!!! I tried taking this for 4 months and I had to cut it cold turkey. The side effects- Unmanageable, it made me manic, it made me HUNGRY all the time, for carbs carbs and more carbs, irritable at things I never would imagine being angry at, bloated, screaming, crying daily, it made everything so overwhelming. I couldn't take it anymore. Now I never recommend cutting cold turkey I just never have physical side effects from doing that, my whole life. I just could not do it anymore it made me feel like I was going crazier than crazy."

• 40...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 1, 2013

For Bipolar Disorder "I took Depakote for bipolar and the very first night I had very vivid dreams which turned into nightmares and audio visual hallucinations. It's been 3 days and my dreams are not back to normal yet. I've read the reviews and it seems to work for most people. I haven't gotten a good night's sleep. My doctor put me back on Trileptal 300 mgs twice a day."

• socce...
• April 3, 2015

For Migraine Prevention "I have been having migraines for 3 years. I took a beta blocker that didn't work. Then got put on Depakote for migraines. I was on it for a month with no big migraines unless I had my trigger food. Then I realized I gained 5 pounds, was tried all the time and broke out like I had never been before. Medicine works for migraines but has terrible side effects. Had to stop taking"