Posted by susan C on January 23, 2002, at 17:34:42
In reply to Re: Depakote Side Effects, posted by Robert Johnson on January 23, 2002, at 14:37:58
> > Length of time on Depakote EC, 14 months: for me, yes, but there is some anyway so regards mental slowness it is hard to say.
> _______________________________________
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> Susan,
>
> I'm inferring from your above response the following:
>
> 1. Appetite increase tended to diminish with time;no, I never gained weight (tho I was already 30-40lb overweight). my peadoc struck the fear of god in me when starting, so i vigourously walking, drinking water and watching diet (I loose 5lbs if i stop cheese and butter 8;) I also saw him a couple or one times a month and he asked about my weight. So from about month 7 to 14 i lost 20lbs. This is complicated by starting another antiseisure med during month ten which resulted in a complete loss of appetite which resulted in a loss of 10lbs over a period of a month or so , oh, and dont forget menopause...hmmmmm
> 2. Sedation tended to diminish with time;
The first 4 weeks of starting,I charted my mood and noticed an overall difference to previous months (other trials of Mood Stablizers)improvement about 25%. For me, not dramatic, but enough that the swings (I rapid cycle sometimes within each day) were and are not as severe.
Note, during the initial months one and through four I was increasing my dosage...to a high of 1500mg a day (750 2x a day) in month four. During those four months I was dizzy, disoriented, fatigued. I realized I really didn't see any difference in mood, so we agreed to go to 1000. I have been there since month four, so, ten months at one consistant dose. I am a vetern med trial patient. Perhaps too patient. Now I think four weeks is maximum to try a med. If it isn't showing help by then, out it goes.
I cant remember when the result of staying at the one dose of 1000mg evened out as far as fatigue/drowsiness, i will need to think about that. I do know at month nine (so I had been on 1000mg for five months) I had a terrible agitated episode. We talked about me having the option to go up in dose, but, because of the way my blood tests show the use of depakote. I can not/do not utilize more.
> 3. You are unsure whether the mental slowing has improved or not.
Mental slowing, cognitive dullness, is a part of my puzzle. It is why as I understand it, that my peadoc thinks my mood disorder is seizure related. It comes and goes. It has always come and gone. Now, maybe always, it is clearly a daily experience, stress triggered and genetic.
>
> Is this correct? If yes, how long were you on Depakote before you started to notice the improvements?I noticed mood stabilization within 4 weeks of initially starting. I would say, when I finalized my dosage, results have basically (some "break throughs")been consistant.
I qualify all this with the caveate (sp?) that i have heard from all bipolar two. I love part of the 'up' part of my illness. It is the uncontrollable swing, up, then crashing afterwards with no even in between, that is so frightening.
There is a quality described as 'flatness' to taking this medication, that I am still trying to understand. It isnt drowsiness, it isn't fatigue, but, at this point I prefer it to the agitation, mixed moods. It is in a way, that i need to learn "me" again.
< Thanks.
you are welcome, thank you for getting me to think about this particular combination of things. This is why I come here and participate.
Please feel free to ask me more questions.
Mouse with her thinking cap on
poster:susan C
thread:91119
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020116/msgs/91305.html