Depakene (valproic acid) Side Effects, Uses Dosages
Side Effects for Depakene (valproic acid)
Insatiable hunger. Gained weight immediatly due to not feeling full after eating thus eating way more than my usual.
It just did not work for my vestibular issues at all. At the 8 week mark I discontinued use.
Increased seizure activity,1 year regression, lost of ability to walk, communicate,and rash around neck/chest
weight gain, general slow metabolism.
This was added to my phenobarbitol and took my seizures down from once a month to complete control. But nobody told me about the interaction between these two drugs. Evidently the dep potentiates the pheno increasing its blood level so if you try to step back your dose on the dep or the two together it's like a crash cold turkey on the pheno levels.
One of the most miserable experiences in my life was taking this medication. To me Depekene never really felt right from the start with it giving me feelings of mild fogginess and never really controlling the seizures to well. But the real problems didn't really start occurring until I had a breakthrough seizure at 14.5 years old and the neurologist increased the dose to 1750mg causing me to become extremely sleepy and sleep for 12-14 hours every day and even when I wasn't in bed I would still fall asleep at school to a point where the teacher even had to call my parents. It wasn't until last year when the medication actually started triggering more seizures than if I wasn't taking it that the neurologist requested a blood test and discovered toxic levels of Depakote in my blood and told me to come off it asap and I immediately started to feel better about a week after totally coming off it, but to be honest I've never really felt the same as before.But stopping all my complaining about all the bad stuff I've gone through with this medication my bottom line is that I highly suggest not giving this to anyone under the age of 16, this medication is dangerous to children and should be a last result for there is a much higher chance of OD'ing at a young age that could possibly cause permanent brain damage. So if you notice being extremely tired on this medication call your doctor asap and insist on a blood test.
10 lbs weight gain from 155 lbs to 168 lbs. Border line raised liver enzymes (blood tested). Other than that, tolerable.
There is a BIG different between Depakene (capsules) and Depakene ER (Extended Release) tablets. Depakene ER did not produce as much weight gain.
EXTREME weight gain (60lbs), foggy headedness
This medication worked well to control my mania, but maybe a little too much..my doctor is now taking me off of it because I can never seem to have a clear head. I sincerely hope that by going off the medication I can loose the unhealthy amount of weight that I have gained.
When first taking this medication at the dosage prescribed I was very tired until my body got used to it.
Some heartburn on occasion. Nothing major.
I am not on a high dose but this is much cheaper than Depakote ER and it works. Not as good as ER but it helps.
hallucinations, nausea, vomiting, severe depression
My daughter's migraine became worse on this medicine by day 3. I would now hesitate to put a child on such a powerful drug unless other drugs have been tried first.
My 5 year old daughter that has Epilepsy will be taking this drug starting Sunday.... any one can tell me what she may feel???
increased appetitie, weight gain, confusion, tiredness, blurred vision, decreased sex drive, hair loss
dizzyness in the first month some mild behavioural changes
My son had managed with Depakene to be seizurefree 6 weeks until he caught a virus
grand mal, absence, nigh time szs
weight gain, severe hunger at all times, dizzyness, upset stomach, headache, lethargic
i took it since i was 13 yrs old and it has gotten worse around 18 yrs old. Now I take this and lamictal and phenobarbitol and feel much better
the usual problems thinking etc...also a syndrome that looks like polycistic ovaries (without the ovarian cysts). so weight gain, abnormal hair growth, very irregular menstrual cycles.
Extreme weight gain, extreme appetite increase.
Helpped a little with mood fluctionations but did not hold my bipolar.
DEPAKENE (VALPROIC ACID): This medication is used to treat seizure disorders, mental/mood conditions (such as manic phase of bipolar disorder), and to prevent migraine headaches. It works by restoring the balance of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain. (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)
Related User Reviews
Nausea, tiredness, bone pain, joint pain, hot flashes, constipation, insomnia. But it beats the alternative, so far Femara has given me a lease on life.When i was diagnosed i was given 18-24 months to live,that was in October 2004
I have added this with Pristiq. Pristiq has helped me but was ready to up the dose a little due to added stress. Dr advised that upping the Pristiq wouldn't double the effect much, but would double my side effects. (Night sweats, nausea when taking without food)So we decided to add the Buspar. She prescribed 15 mgs' 2 times a day. But I started with 7.5 mgs twice a day. Starting full 15mg twice a day today....
I'm obviously not happy with these side effects. However I understand that my condition was life threatening and that's there's a trade off.
Some drowsiness at first and still occasionaly. Other times it will actually increase my energy in a methodical way.
thinning skin, hair loss, mental fogginess and most recently, severe headaches.
Terrible stomach pains, heartburn and intestinal cramps. Writing this at 4 a.m. because I can't sleep. Cannot BELIEVE how awful these side effects are. Beware!
I would recommend this drug. It took about a month to work but really helped.
We have not seen any side effects, though my wife think he sometimes has incontinence more frequently when on it. He is actually very tall for his age and is typically healthy and well behaved. Usually we'll see behavior problems when he's starting to have a flare up (check peak flows). This has worked very well for him.
I have been suffering panic attacks since a teen and have been prescribed ativan,zanex,alprazalam and others with little help. I use 1mg.3x daily and use only 2mg. as much as possible. If there was anything natural I could use to relieve my suffering I would. I ran a healthfood store for several years and have researched and tried natural remedies to no avail. most likely because I have used prescription meds. for 20 years plus. I am thankful for this medication all though, if I could go back in time, I would never have used prescribed meds for my anxiety. What I have found over time is a kind of numbness that comes with anti anxiety meds. What bothers me most is it does interfere with my spirituality. It is hard to explain but, the numbness does take away a part of me that I miss. To those of you looking to use clonazapam, I would like to encourage you to consider healthier alternatives. Breathing exercises, yoga, hypnotherapy etc. I use these in conjunction with the my med. My life
Ive had toe nail fungus on my left foot infecting 4 of my toes for about 10 years now. It got progressively worse as the years went on and it became painful to run or wear closed toe shoes..not to mention embarrasing when wearing sandals. I tried every over the counter remedy. I finally visited my Dr. and although he didnt really recommend it bc of the side affects I figured I had to try bc I was desperate. I took it like the pill..7 days morn/night, three weeks off for 4 months. It dramatically changed the appearance and feeling of my infected toes. However, I didnt have money to continue it and I believe my toe hadnt fully grown out yet. It was healthy for about 6 months then came back. I am now on it again bc it went generic.