Divalproex sodium for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Lif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2017

"I've recently gotten married to my partner of 6 years. Last year, he was diagnosed with bipolar. He has tried all different kinds of medicine, but he’s started a new one called Depakote 5-10-17. For the last 2 weeks, he’s had 2 personalities: Mr. Nice and Mr. Horrible. It can change within minutes. Do you think I should contact his doctor or bear with it? He’s never been like this. I can’t talk to him, I can’t even look at him without him asking me what my problem is. This is really out of character. He is normally down, and I know when they are coming, and I can take time out, and after 3-4, he’s back to his normal happy self. But this, I’m not sure how much more I can cope with! We have a 5-year-old who keeps saying, will Daddy get better? I’m just in desperate need for some help."

• Sti...
• March 19, 2018

"This review is on behalf of my 16-year-old son. Manic ups and downs for years, between over-the-top excitement/happiness (rare and short-lived) or anger/violence or full depression/sadness. Just trying to help him level out. Has been moved on and off many different medications to try to find a fit. Most recently, the doctor added Depakote to his 900 mg lithium & 15 mg Abilify. First four days started with Depakote 500 mg; then added another pill to 1000 mg. Started to have digestive issues and tremors but pulled through. Increased to 1500 mg 4 days later, which led to more tremors and violent vomiting. The doctor suggested splitting the doses am/pm. Within 2 hours of taking the am dose the next day - same violent vomiting. Confirmed no stomach bug. His body was unable to handle the level of Depakote. Now, no longer taking. I've read many positive reviews on this medication, but sadly ours is not one of them due to his adverse reactions."

• Sar...
• December 13, 2014

"I have been on Depakote ER for 4 months. My dosage is 1500 mg a day. I went untreated for many years (18 yrs) because I didn't have health care and failure to accept something was wrong even though I was a lot off the wall. After 3 weeks of Depakote, my moods were pretty even and stable. I also felt a little numb, I missed my highs, but it was better than being psychotic one minute and crying another. But at the 4-month mark, my hair has started falling out in clumps, that was my only side effect. So I'm now transitioning to lithium. Fingers crossed."

• Ash...
• January 26, 2018

"I have been diagnosed as bipolar for 20 years now and just a month ago listed as bipolar 1 severe with mixed moods. This is the only medication that REALLY works to help control my manic moods. ONLY side effect for me is a little bit of shaky hands after taking for a few hours."

• Rai...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 20, 2019

"I take 1000 mg at night and 500 mg in the morning. And I'm always tired. I slept 15 hours last night, and I'm still tired after drinking 3 cups of coffee. I have bipolar disorder 2, and I don't have manic episodes anymore. Still experience delusions, but certainly less. I seem to have gained about 15-20 pounds. I also take 300 mg of Seroquel, which can cause weight gain and drowsiness. If it weren't for weight gain and drowsiness, things would be good."

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 19, 2018

"Started a few days ago with this medicine. So far, I'm okay, no side effects. I can sleep all night and wake up rested. All my body pain is almost gone. It calmed my mania and anxiety. I've been on Lithium before, but it was awful with the side effects and the worry about hurting my kidneys. Hoping this medicine works for me."

• jes...
• August 9, 2010

"I have been on Depakote ever since I was diagnosed (finally) with bipolar disorder. I am currently on 1000 mg per day, but have taken as high as 2000 mg per day. On 1000 mg per day, I am (or have been) somewhat stabilized, which leaves me somewhat hypomanic, which seems to be the best level for me. I say somewhat stabilized because I started to go hypomanic in the past 2 weeks, have no idea why. Going to see the doctor tomorrow. For the 2 years or so when I was on 2000 per day, I was also taking 40 mg per day of Paxil. My moods were stabilized all right, but I turned into a zombie. I have never taken another mood stabilizer, so I cannot make comparisons. Depakote makes me gain weight big time!"

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

"Depakote was a nightmare. Besides having acute, non-stop stomach pain with chronic diarrhea, 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."

• fif...
• August 10, 2013

"Could not afford Abilify out of pocket, started back on Depakote. I had no problem with gaining weight. I do, however, find I tend to be a little more moody, but less frequently. I take it with bupropion XR. Seems to be a decent cocktail. Not too potent, and not under-effective. I like how it does not create a sedative effect like antipsychotics."

• tro...
• March 6, 2010

"Took Depakote for almost ten years (300 x 3)... now I will admit I had three minor episodes in that time. Super, yes, I know, but I started at 140 lbs, in six months, I bottomed out at 206 lbs. I slept 12 hours a night, plus a nap of 2 hours in the evening. Someone finally caught the Depakote/Paxil fiasco, and lithium and Wellbutrin became my friends... more importantly, I feel like I 'woke up'. I lived the life, but it seemed so surreal looking back on it... It completely controlled me. It's not the Wellbutrin and the Paxil, it's the lack of Depakote (and for a large part, Paxil) that made me almost another person. I'm sure Depakote works for thousands of people... it just took me out of the equation too much."

• Anonymous
• November 14, 2019

"29-year-old male with bipolar 1, 10 years on Depakote. Depakote was the first medication I was prescribed during a manic episode, along with Seroquel, which I discontinued or use only for emergency mania/sleep at very low doses <25 mg. Depakote worked excellently for me for about 6 or 7 years as I was predominantly manic. The last 3 years or so, I have become depressed and hypomanic, and I have found Depakote to be much less effective. I switched to Lamictal, and it appears to be working much better for depression."

• Exc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 25, 2024

"I’ve used Depakote for 10 years after having two severe manic episodes. Since being on this medicine, I have not had another manic episode, and I’ve been in very stressful situations. I barely had side effects - some tremors a few years ago and a slight stomach ache as my body was adjusting to it. I definitely recommend this medication to anyone wanting to stabilize."

• qwe...
• July 12, 2011

"I use Depakote 500 mg twice daily, and felt improvement in the first 10 days. My mood is stable, and my severe anxiety has disappeared. Also, I see improvement in OCD, and I now can better focus. I'm also on Seroquel 100 mg twice daily."

• Ala...
• August 2, 2011

"I take 2500 mg Depakote per day for rapid cycling bipolar disorder, and it works very well. I've been taking this dose for 4 years. Few side effects apart from the inevitable weight gain and some hair loss. Depakote keeps the mood swings away for good and doesn't impair my movements or thoughts. I prefer this mood stabilizer."

• Anonymous
• November 18, 2011

"I have been bipolar for 20 years and have tried many medicines, with Depakote and lithium being the worst. I also needed antidepressants too. I went from 117 lbs to 225 lbs in 2 years on Depakote, and being a zombie, I did not notice the huge weight gain. I switched to Lamictal and Effexor and felt so much better. I started a daily exercise program and was able to cut down on food and lost over 100 lbs within 2 years."

• Ock...
• December 28, 2010

"Been on Depakote for 6 months and gained 30 pounds, now with the disorder I worry about my weight like crazy. I also take Geodon, which has slowed me down, with no motivation at all. Beginning to wonder if it's all worth it. I do notice I never want to argue with anyone at work, and at home, I'm quiet 24/7."

• Joh...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 29, 2019

"I had a very rapidly fluctuating merry-go-round of symptoms, particularly psychotic-type symptoms, and Depakote didn't seem to have any effect. Cycling continued. It also made me physically slow and caused weight gain that mostly dropped after going off of it."

• Yes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2022

"I have been mentally unstable nearly all my life. I am a rapid cycling manic depressive. Multiple drugs and alcohol-related problems from trying to self-medicate. I can rapid cycle between moods so quickly it can be scary. Also, when I am having a manic episode, I feel like the world is ending and nothing is worth living for. I tried many medications. To name a few: Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Deplin, Mirtazapine, lithium... none worked, in fact, a couple made me literally freak out, and I got Baker acted. When I was in the hospital, the psych had me stop taking lithium and start Depakote, and I thought - here we go again, I'll probably be in jail or dead soon. Within 1 week, I had my emotions back, was actually feeling happy, and could feel that my mood was stabilized. This medication has saved my life. God bless Depakote. I recommend giving it a try when nothing else has worked. This one is different. Best wishes to you all. Love and gratitude."

• Anonymous
• May 29, 2011

"I started taking Depakote 500 mg with Lexapro about 2 years ago. It made me feel like a zombie all day but worked well on my swings from extreme anxiety to deep depression and crying spells. I was very tired all day and had a hard time waking up for work, so we reduced to 250 mg daily. That seemed to be the sweet spot for me. I don't think I have many side effects from it besides maybe trouble losing weight. I'm very active and eat well but never seemed to get any weight off. I would also occasionally feel disconnected and distant from the world, but this was rare. I can't imagine life without Depakote, it has its problems, but I can function again."

• jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 13, 2016

"Depakote has worked great for me. It totally helps with mania. The only medication that clears up my head and makes me feel normal. Also, it gets rid of my migraines. The only bad thing is a few side effects. I gained weight, and my hair fell out. And I was pretty lethargic at first. Takes a while, but once it kicks in, I felt like a whole person. I was off of it for a long time and recently was put back on it, so going through side effects again, but felt a difference right away."

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

"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."

• Pep...
• December 10, 2011

"When I started this, I was 135 pounds. When I ended this, I was 198 pounds. Went to the gym all the time, ate healthy, and didn't eat fats, and I still gained. And this was not working to stop me from sleeping too much. I was also on Seroquel that made me sleep like 12 to 14 hours. When the doctor took me off this, I went from 198, and now I am 145 and went off Seroquel. Now I don't sleep too much."

• ble...
• March 11, 2016

"Have been taking this med since 1992, with some breaks here and there. I too have been on what would seem every med for bipolar diagnosis. I take 1750 mg and also take 400 mg of Lamictal (another mood stabilizer, which seems to help with the depression). My only issue had been weight gain, which remains a problem. Ten years stable after being hospitalized for 8 months due to a manic episode and psychotic break (was only taking Topamax at that time). Would highly recommend."

• LAG...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 14, 2017

"I started Depakote ER 2000 mg at bedtime about a year ago after decades of ineffective treatment for depression and anxiety. Depakote proved that I was misdiagnosed: it quickly alleviated my psych symptoms and allowed me to reduce Xanax XR dose by half and eliminate PRN Xanax. I haven't experienced the weight loss side effect, but did lose a lot of hair at first. The hair seems to be thickening up now. I would give it 10 stars except for the hair loss."

• Eko...
• July 11, 2011

"I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder early this year after spending most of my life not knowing what was going on with me. I was prescribed Depakote at 750 mg a day to start with. I'd never had any other medication, so I cannot compare it to anything else, but without it, I don't think I would be here now. I got that bad with my mood swings becoming so severe. Yes, I've put on a little weight, but I'd rather that than go back to how I was. Yes, at times I'm still hyper and then exhausted for a few days, still better than being erratic and bouncing off the walls for days/weeks on end. I know it won't work for everyone, but I'm doing much better with it."