Posted by Ritch on May 10, 2002, at 21:41:27
In reply to Re: So, who likes depakote?, posted by tina on May 10, 2002, at 16:38:09
> I only take 250 mgs a day too. Seems to help with the bipolar tendencies. I mostly get the irritability and rages and as long as I remember to take my depakote, I stay even instead of riding the rollercoaster.
> No side effects that I know of. Well, maybe a little trouble losing weight but i'm not trying that hard LOLHi Tina,
I may have said it somewhere who knows else, but there is ONE unique positive thing about this medication and that is the anti-irritability activity of it. I have dropped to 125mg a day the last few days and I have gotten comments at work like "good grief, I didn't realize you were that upset about that-why?". I have charted intensively and found that when I go up to the 250mg level (the "migraine" dose), nearly *all* my grouchiness dissappears. Over the last few years of taking it off and on-it really hasn't helped with depression or anxiety or even sleep that much-it is just plain grouchiness is what it works on. It doesn't even help much with agitation associated with my recurrent major depressions. It is just the grouchy, fussy, hostile thoughts/feelings that crop up whether I am depressed or hypomanic. I doubt its utility as monotherapy for bipolar more than ever nowadays. OTOH, I wonder how useful it might be for unipolar folks that never get hypomania (in any shape or form), but get very mean and grouchy when they are depressed?
Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:105761
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020510/msgs/105937.html