Divalproex sodium for Epilepsy User Reviews (Page 2)

• Eddie
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 31, 2022

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I'm epileptic I have been having seizures since my early teens I’m 52 now I was born with a tumor in my brain. The tumor has been removed but the damage of the scar tissue is causing me to have seizures. I have been taking Depakote 2000mg a day and I take with it Keppra 1000mg a day for 2 years and the side effects suck, I can’t sleep, I stutter, I’m always anxious and have tremors. I have my ups and downs mood swings, I lost my hair, I’m easily angered or frustrated and nervous. I also have high blood pressure now and have to take high blood pressure meds. I smoke THC and CBD to help. I’m usually nauseous and I have digestive problems if you know what I mean. I still have seizures mainly blackouts I haven’t had a grandmal seizure for a bit. But I would like to know if anyone came down with high blood pressure when started taking the meds?"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 23, 2012

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "On the morning of June 23nd, I awoke with a terrible seizure (my first). Throughout the day I got progressively worse, went into the doctors office and the following morning, had slipped into a deep coma. In this coma I apparently continued these seizures. Depakote was used through my nasogastric (NG) tube and it seemed to help a lot. My only issue now is some trembling which is more noticeable when I'm weaker or more tired. Overall, the use of this medicine has been very beneficial. "

• APeli...
• September 20, 2015

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I was on Depakote for 1 year following 3 Grand Mal seizures that had been brought on by starting fluoxetine. Fluoxetine, and most SSRIs, carry the risk of seizures. They hit me hard and without warning, so I was on Depakote for a year after the final seizure and after stopping fluoxetine. It does what it is supposed to do. I had no more seizures; however, I gained over 20 lbs quickly. The weight came back off once I was off the Depakote, but you will most likely put on weight with this medication."

• Lisa
• April 18, 2018

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have been epileptic since birth. I have been on Depakote ER for over 20 years. I am now on 2500 mg a day(1000mg in the am and 1500 in the pm) for nearly a year at this dose. Thought there was just something wrong me not meaning my epilepsy meds or my epilepsy. I was reading all the comments here and I am definitely going to speak with my neurologist about taking me off my Depakote ER and possibly put a different epilepsy medicine. I was reading through here and many side effects others was or is having with Depakote. I was like oh my goodness that is the same as me. I have much confusion, literally loosing my memory, can't concentrate or focus, migraine headaches have got so bad since I been on this medicine - I cant remember a complete week with no migraines .Everything always so hazy looking, I still have seizures back though they didn't go away the whole time of about 2 years of being on Depakote. I always feel weak and drained, tired all the time ,I switch back and forth from sleepin gway to much to being tired but not able to sleep at all."

• rainy...
• November 3, 2016

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "Insurance covers generic only. The generic medication changes from manufacture to manufacture, the different brand changes from month to month can lead to breakthrough seizures. In order to prevent that I must either pay out of pocket about $450 or find a generic about $10 that works. I found one generic that works well and go from pharmacy to pharmacy tracking that one down."

• Danie...
• September 22, 2009

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have been on Depakote for about two years now, and it has certainly been effective in stopping both Grand mal and Petite mal seizures. I was diagnosed with localization-related epilepsy when I was 21, but this drug is great in that it treats many types of epilepsy. Still, I did experience negative side effects, such as hair loss, a little weight gain, and drowsiness, although all of these were slight enough that they didn't really affect my life. Because Depakote isn't ideal for young women like myself, my doctor suggested I try another drug. After a brief stint on Keppra (which made me feel like I was walking in a haze - awful!), however, I switched back to Depakote, only this time adjusting was way harder - I was incredibly emotional."

• drewg...
• October 28, 2009

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have been on Depakote for 13 years after I had 2 grand mal seizures in one year. After being placed on the Depakote delayed release I have been fine ever since, there was a time that I tried the extended release and my legs started to show some spikes so I switched back to be on the safe side which was the better call. I also use the sprinkles. As for the weight gain I never really gained more than about ten pounds but I stay active and mainly keep it off, my doctor also put me on Topamax which helps balance out the weight gain because Topamax makes you lose weight and Depakote makes you gain so they both kind of cancel each other out. Topamax also helps with seizures so it was an addition, and I have been seizure free for 13 years."

• Jb316
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 30, 2020

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have been taking Depakote a while now I've been seizure free for years however I feel this drug has some side effects I feel depression can't sleep most nights . I'm thinking of talking to my doctor and get off this drug honestly I don't want any drug . I wanna try to go drug free and hope for the best."

• Anonymous
• April 28, 2010

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "Depakote was the first epilepsy medication I ever took, and it did work in controlling my seizures; I never had a single one while on it. However, every single "lesser" side effect on the drugs.com description sheet happened to me. I became depressed, I gained weight, my body clock went totally haywire, and my periods, which were already irregular, became even more so. I attributed most of this to me just being in middle school (I was in 7th grade at the time), but most of it stopped after my doctor switched me to Lamictal a few months later. "

• peewee
• November 5, 2009

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "My daughter (8) was on Valproic Acid (liquid) for a year. About a month ago she began the pill form Divalproex. Both medicines stopped her Gran mal and Petit mal seizures. Fiends and family have commented for the last year about her personality change. She is no longer a joyful and energetic child, but has become very lethargic and depressed. We are currently researching different medicines to give her."

• Anonymous
• March 26, 2010

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I was put on Depakote originally to control my seizures. I loved it. Then when I found out it also was used as a medicine for bipolar disorder, I was thrilled. However, then the love affair ended. My husband and I went to a Reproductive Endocrinologist and found out that it commonly caused women to have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or PCOS. I now have it, and am taking medicine for diabetes, which PCOS can lead to. I still wish that I could take it because it really helped with my seizures, and also helped with my bipolar disorder."

• Lepre...
• August 24, 2009

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "As far as control, this drug has been a God send. In way of weight gain, this drug has been a nightmare. I have gained 90 lbs in the 10 years on this drug. I have tried switching medicines, but have had two seizures doing so. I am healthy other than the weight gain. The drug has done what it is meant to do, stop seizures. I call it being Fat and Functional."

• addys...
• August 6, 2009

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "I have been on Depakote ER for about a year. I have had JME since I was 14 and tried Lamictal from about age 25-30 and had seizures every 6 months. Since I've been on Depakote ER, I have not had any seizures, jerks, or funny feelings in my head! It's been a year, but the only bad thing is I've gained 20 pounds."

• Dale...
• March 3, 2008

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "I have had no gran mal seizures now for 4 years. I was on regular enteric coated Depakote since 1989 but always seemed to have a break through seizure every 2 to 3 years. I am on 1750 mg of Depakote ER now per day and I weigh about 175 lbs and am a 5.5 foot man. I was once diagnosed with complex-partial seizures because I had a psychomotor seizure and petit mal once or twice, but most of mine have been gran mal/ tonic/clonic."

• Mbap
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2021

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "WORST EXPERIENCE. I suffer with epilepsy and was prescribed this with various medications due to my active seizures that regularly happens 2-3 times a month when I was still in high school (age 14-18) This medication didn't help at all. Instead it messed up my mood. I was a teenager when I was first prescribed with it and it drove me crazy as I wasn't able to handle the side effects. My friends and teachers felt bad and most can tell the sudden mood changes when I'm taking it. One time the teacher actually thought I was consuming an illegal drug / alcohol. Side effects: 1. Didnt help with my seizure at all 2. Super Aggressive (Reduces depression but makes you aggressive) 3. Weird sleeping patterns 4. Bad memory. Really effects your memory 5. Increases heart rate and anxiety 6. Hallucinations For those suffering with epilepsy, I recommend another drug because I think depakote focuses more for moods (bipolar n depression) instead of seizures."

• Houst...
• April 1, 2008

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "After trying 4 different meds this one was the first I was able to tolerate for a longer period. The seizures came under control and all was well. Unfortunatly my amonia levels (a very rare side effect but one that you need to be aware of) began to rise to scary levels so I had to quit ASAP. However if I had not had this issue I would have gladly stayed on the drug."

• Survi...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 19, 2021

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have been on depakote since 1990. It is the one and only drug that has managed to stop my grandmal seizures. I had brain cancer in 1989 and was put on several other anti seizure medications that didn’t work or had horrific side effects before finally being put on depakote. It has saved the quality of my life immensely. I highly recommend it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 27, 2022

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have been taking 1000mg daily (500mg every 12 hour), for 12 years since I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Epilepsy. I had both petit mal and grand mal seizures. This was the first medicine the doctor prescribed to me and it is working. The only time I had a seizure was when I tried reducing my dosage to half without talking to my doctor. Once I got back to my regular dosage I got no more seizures. I do consume chocolate and caffeinated tea liberally, coffee (no more than a cup a day) and occasionally alcohol (but never in large doses) and this has not caused any seizures in my case while taking this medicine. Although I do have a milder form of epilepsy and most certainly I do not recommend or believe that doing this is safe for every epilepsy patient, this could be very dangerous or fatal for some, I just know my limits well. I had mild side effects from this medicine, such as the occasional tremors when tired but nothing more. I am satisfied with it."

• Anonymous
• May 5, 2009

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "I've been on Depakote for 11 years and it's worked pretty good. I was on Zarontin as well for a few years but I stopped that about six years ago. Just Depakote ER since then and I've only had 1 grand mal seizure. Works pretty well. "

• dskel...
• June 13, 2008

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I was on Depakote for 17 years with little to no breakthrough seizures. Then I suddenly developed leukopenia and had to be removed from the drug. I have not found another medication that has been as effective as Depakote. I am presently on Carbatrol and have had breakthrough seizures monthly and after 7 years have again developed leukopenia from it."

• fishy
• April 14, 2011

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "I'm on 1750 mg of Depakote which was fine for the longest time but when the doctors add other medicines unpleasant side effects and sometimes more seizures occurred. The only side effects I've experienced were weight gain and thinning hair but I can help control and minimize the effects on those. It's the effects I can't control that worry me; just like it confuses me why most of my seizures coincide with my menstruation."

• 1teppy
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 16, 2020

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have had epilepsy for 40+ years now. About 15 - 20 years ago, my neurologist switched me from Dilantin, to Depakote, Zonegran, and Phenobarbital (I used to get fever con- vulsions.). I have been seizure free since."

• sjm
• July 27, 2010

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "I have no problems with this medicine not working, unless I forget to take my medicine! I am not sure if it causes you to have seizures - that you normally wouldn't have had, (if you hadn't forgotten your dose), or not? I think for me, yes it does. So, for myself, if I miss a few doses- a seizure is bound to happen!"

• tn2nj...
• April 9, 2009

Depakote ER (divalproex sodium) "I have been diagnosed with absence seizures and have had several Grand Mals for 6 years now, but have been seizure-free for 4 years, after being put on Depakote ER. I went through 2 prior doctors and twice as many medicines before finding the right one. If taken in the morning, I get nauseous and I'm always tired, but otherwise, no problems. 155 lb female on 500 mg once daily."

• katie...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 22, 2019

Depakote (divalproex sodium) "i was on depakote when i was 16 or 17 for my epilepsy i started having suicidal thoughts 2 weeks after starting depakote it really freaked me out. i told my parents and my doctors and they took me off of depakote as soon as it was out of my system the suicidal thoughts went away"