![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by becksA on April 3, 2006, at 16:55:41
With all this that Ive been thinking about lately in my previous post, since my bipolar/cyclothemic diagnosis was so tentative, for me to be on 1250mg daily of depakote, could that have negative effects?
thanks
Posted by Maxime on April 3, 2006, at 17:25:54
In reply to bipolar meds for me, if i dont have bp - issues?, posted by becksA on April 3, 2006, at 16:55:41
> With all this that Ive been thinking about lately in my previous post, since my bipolar/cyclothemic diagnosis was so tentative, for me to be on 1250mg daily of depakote, could that have negative effects?
>
> thanksWell yes in that you are ingesting a chemical substance that your body may not need. PLus depakote usually causes weight gain.
You could slowly wean yourself off of it and see how you do! Under your doctor's supervision.
Maxime
Posted by Phillipa on April 3, 2006, at 18:22:06
In reply to Re: bipolar meds for me, if i dont have bp - issues? » becksA, posted by Maxime on April 3, 2006, at 17:25:54
Hi Maxie are feeling any better? Love Phillipa
Posted by blueberry on April 3, 2006, at 19:28:28
In reply to bipolar meds for me, if i dont have bp - issues?, posted by becksA on April 3, 2006, at 16:55:41
I wonder why he put you on depakote in the first place. Did you have anxiety mixed with depression? Did you have bad reactions to other antidepressants? Did antidepressants poop out quickly and raising the dose didn't work? Those kinds of things, and as well as the more obvious bipolar things, lead many doctors to suspect bipolar illness rather than unipolar.
Depakote was a good very fast acting antidepressant for me when I took it. It can be good for both unipolar and bipolar, as it raises gaba and dopamine levels in certain parts of the brain. Except for the fogginess and forgetfulness, I kind of miss it.
I guess it all comes down to whether it is helping you or not. Dropping the dose a bit is probably the only experimental way to find out. When I was on depakote I didn't realize how I had improved because I got used to it. It wasn't until I was off it that I realized it had helped a lot.
Posted by Caedmon on April 3, 2006, at 20:22:21
In reply to bipolar meds for me, if i dont have bp - issues?, posted by becksA on April 3, 2006, at 16:55:41
Depakote seems like a pretty harsh medication if your Dx is only tentative. It's good for certain unipoles and bipoles, esp. with anxiety. But yeah, there are side effects (weight gain being the main one).
Are you on any other meds? Also, I wonder why he didn't try out something like Lamictal, which tends to be more tolerable and effective for these question-mark bipolars.
- C (BP-II)
Posted by becksA on April 3, 2006, at 23:07:14
In reply to Re: bipolar meds for me, if i dont have bp - issue, posted by Caedmon on April 3, 2006, at 20:22:21
the main reason we SWITCHED From lamictal to depakote was because I do have anxiety, which I take klonopin for, but he thought it might help that as well. it seems to have , i was just looking out for warning signs of side effects , mental, not physical, because i have had no weight gain. im working out like i always have, and my physical condition couldnt be better.
thanks
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.