Posted by Wilkie on September 28, 2000, at 22:22:16
In reply to Re: Does Depakote cause depression?, posted by SLS on September 27, 2000, at 21:55:29
> > I have been on Depakote for Bipolar II treatment since May of this year. I have gained a good 25 pounds at least, am losing more hair than normal, and experience depression and lethargy and extreme fatigue. I take antidepressants to counter the latter symptoms. I was on effexor for a while but it was affecting my sleep (crazy intense dreaming) so i went off of it (went through brutal withdrawal by the way) and am now on wellbutrin for depression, which has also been shown to increase sex drive and induce weight loss. Since with Bipolar II depression is my primary problem I have found it necessary to have antidepressants, but I definitely experienced marked depression and fatigue when I started the depakote that subsided greatly when I went on an antidepressant.
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> Hi Wilkie.
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> Have you considered using Lamictal as a substitute for Depakote? It is a mood-stabilizer that has antidepressant properties. It has been demonstrated conclusively to effectively treat bipolar depression. It is not sedating.
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> - ScottScott -
My shrink told me about Lamictal as a future option if needed. He said it has to be started extremely gradually (2-3 months to reach a therapeutic level sometimes) because it can cause a deadly rash. This scares me and I would like to avoid it if possible. Also, I hate to think of what would happen to me in 2 months without much of a mood stabilizer. Any response to this?
poster:Wilkie
thread:11686
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000926/msgs/45451.html