Depakote

[Art_girl216]

Ok, so I've only just been diagnosed with Cyclothymia and I'm already afraid to take drugs.  I've had issues with depression ever since I was 15, and I stopped taking drugs for several years because I was sick of wasting money on drugs that didn't work.  I'm just afraid to go back on any drugs because the side effects scare me and I remember how difficult it was to find the right combination, and usually it didn't last long, I literally hit a point where I had hardly any options left for my depression medication.  I'm a very natural person, I hate drugs, and I'm only doing this because I can't handle school and it's destroying my relationship with my boyfriend.  The only thing I will take is ibuprofen for when I'm feeling achey.  I don't know how to calm myself down, I keep thinking I'm going crazy because I feel different from one day of taking medication.  I'm having anxiety that it will block out my artist passion like when I was on ADD medication and I'm afraid I won't feel my intense emotion for when I saw a beautiful piece of artwork or just something that emotionally touched me.  I'm freaking myself out thinking I'm going to gain weight or lose my hair....*sigh* I'm also anxious because my doctor told me to take it before I go to bed and it didn't help with sleep at all, I actually only got 6 hours of sleep, which makes me feel even more anxious.   Drugs scare me....*sigh*

[Geister]

I've sort of gone through the same thing you have and I know how you feel. It took me a week after getting a prescription for zoloft to actually start taking it and I was scared to death of the effects it would give me. I'm having the same problem with my current meds as well.

If you need something a little more natural for sleep maybe try taking melatonin instead? http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/940.html

I've had to drop out of high school because of my anxiety so I can guess how you're feeling.

I'm sorry I can't help more but a lot of people here are a lot more experienced with medication they can probably help you. Welcome to the site by the way.

[Art_girl216]

The worse side effect so far is my stomach hurts like hell, I need something to relax it .  I'm sorry you had to drop out of highschool, my depression got so bad when I was 17 that I had to do that as well, I got my adult diploma.  I took some melatonine drops last night, and it kind of helped, but I only got like 6 hours, which isn't terrible.  Hopefully I'll see what I'm to expect in the next two weeks before I go into my pysc appointment, I feel a bit more calm about things, and I can focus a little bit more, and not everything feels hazy.  I haven't felt ravenous for food, but my tummy hurts and I have to keep a heat pack on it. Does anyone have experience with this drug?  All I read are terrible things about it, but then again, the people that have problems tend to hoot and hollar the most. 

[LadyAshley]

I just wanted to say that I'm excited that you decided to join! <3

We're all in this together and trust me, I understand the fear of meds. I've been going through that a lot lately. I keep going on and off because I start getting paranoid about all the bad things that could happen.

Have you tried any relaxation techniques for anxiety? I just started learning about mindfulness, progressive muscle relaxation and abdominal breathing and I really enjoy it! You can actually buy cd's that they help you through the exercises. I think you may like it!

[Art_girl216]

Yes, I do Yoga 4-5 times a week, and it helps ALOT, especially at the studio.  It's such a clean and relaxing environment.  I'd recommend Yoga to anyone that suffers from anxiety, especially with the great breathing techniques you learn.  It's been my savior for a year and a half.   

[Art_girl216]

Yoga also helps with mindfulness because it's about being aware of what your body is doing, while breathing, and relaxing, it's being conscious while meditating.   

[Dreamline]

Depakote is one of the few drugs I haven't tried.  I thought about trying it in a low dose as an ad on to lithium.  That way I might be able to reduce the lithium and its side effects.  I'm not sure if I wanna try it or not.  Its supposed to be effective against mania and mixed episodes I think. 

[dm52]

I tried Epilim which is sodium valproate. I think Depakote is a mixture of sodium valproate and valproic acid. I don't know how much difference there is in the two in terms of their effectiveness or side effects,or how it would work for cyclothymia as opposed to BP2 which is my case. I know Epilim was not good for me, I was only on it for maybe 2 weeks.
For me it seemed to change my fairly happy hypomania into more irritability and I was probably quite critical to those around me. One thing my Dr said when I started on it was that I should not be alone it can sometimes lead to suicidal tendencies, and this was my experience, I never tried, but the urge was definitely there. I really don't want to freak you out, as it seems you already are worried enough, but please try to stay around people you love for the first while of taking it.
I agree with your statement

the people that have problems tend to hoot and hollar the most. 

and I have read that this drug has worked for a lot of people, so I hope that it works well for you. It would be good if someone here could tell you about the positive experience they had to put calm your fears a bit.

I don't know if it is helping to post this or not, because you are already worried about it, but I also just want you to be be careful.

Welcome to the forum also. I have not been here for long either, but everyone here seem to be very helpful and supportive. All the best, and let us know how you get on with it.

[Paz]

  Hello and welcome to the Site! 

  I used to take Depakote along with Lithium to control my mania {I'm BP1}  it works really well, I felt very calm when taking it. After taking it for awhile, the side effects became too much for me. It gave me tremors [and I already had them from Lith, so they were 2x as bad] it also caused me gastrointestinal distress, and made my hair start to fall out. I am very sensitive to meds, so what happened to me may not happen to others. It did help me to be calm. I take a different mood stabilizer, an anticonvulsant. Depakote was the first anticonvulsant that was used for Bipolar, but there are a few others.
 
  See if the tummy troubles go away after a few days, if not then maybe see if the Doc will give you something else?

  I am glad that you found the site. Thanks for joining and I hope that you visit & post often.
 
  Peace.   

[Art_girl216]

Thanks, I heard the hair falling out is just because the drug blocks something and if you take a multi-vitamin, it will stop/help with it.  I hope it starts to work eventually, I'm having one of those days.

[Kensho]

i was on Depakote for about 4-5 months before i demanded to be put on something else... during that shot time i was on it i experienced tremors, pretty intense dizziness and aggressiveness almost immediately... at about the three month mark i began to notice my hair shedding much more rapidly then normal... my step sister on the other hand significant relief but months down the road her hair began falling out so bad it got to a point where you could see her scalp in some places causing her to stop taking it... it's a shame too because out of all the medications she was on Depakote was the only one that actually helped her... by the way, her hair did grow back eventually so if you begin to lose your hair keep it in the back of your mind that it will grow back...

diet is EXTREMELY important for everyone but even more so for someone with mental health issues... eliminate ALL processed foods... eliminate ALL sugar(including/especially alcohol), cutout coffee and tea(drink herbal teas), drink plenty of water and consider taking a good high potency vitamin twice a day...

since you're not on ssri's i would encourage you to pick up a bottle of 5-HTP and take 100mg-200mg one hour defore bed... 5-HTP is a precursor to serotonin, your brain(pineal gland) uses serotonin to make melatonin... so you see, by taking 5-HTP your insure higher levels of serotonin and melatonin with one supplement... 5-HTP will help you sleep better and give you a sense of peace throughout your day(because you've raised serotonin levels)...

also consider taking valerian root in the evening one hour before bed or drinking one or two cups of valerian tea during the early to mid evening hours...

six hours of sleep is OK for me, sometimes i'll get as much as eight now... some people need more, some people need less... go figure...

Kensho 

[Dreamline]

Depakote depletes the nutrient carnitine (can cause severe muscle loss).  I would definitely take a supplement if I was on depakote.  Lithium depletes inositol, so I take 2 grams everyday.  I figured out the right dose on my on.

[Art_girl216]

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.  I really do NOT want my hair to fall out, I'm trying to grow it down to my mid back at this point in my life, so far it's down to shoulders lol.  It's hard for me to find supplements and stuff to take because I'm vegan and pretty picky about what I buy, but I'll look into everything you suggested.  Thanks. 

[Kensho]

my family and i are vegans too... currently i'm on a high dose supplement program at the moment so taking vegan vitamins isn't practical, with the dose level i take i'd go through a bottle that should last a month in just over a week... but my wife and children use "Deva" vitamins and minerals... they're specifically manufactured for vegans and vegetarians... our health food store is a distributor but if you have problems locating Deva in your area you could buy direct...   http://www.devanutrition.com/

Kensho 

[Paz]

 
  Raw One is an excellent vegan supplement, it's made from whole foods and they have a Women's, Men's and Kid's formula. It's what we take and they are awesome!!! You can find them in the USA & Canada.