Posted by theo on February 26, 2005, at 7:18:11
In reply to Re: will DEPAKOTE sedation go away?? » theo, posted by Ritch on February 25, 2005, at 21:54:27
> > Does Depakote help at all with mild anxiety and depression? My doc was suggesting 250mg ER version or 125mg regular Depakote for mild anxiety and light BPII.
> >
> > Any input would be appreciated
>
> All I can say is that it *does* for *sure* settle you down IF you are agitated due to mania or mixed manic states. IF you are anxious as a spinoff from being manic or "mixed", then it should help. IF that *IS NOT* the SOURCE of anxiety/mixed situation, then I would look to other meds (sedative TCA, trazodone/serzone, MAOI, SSRI, benzo, etc.).
I'm a little afraid of TCA's because of all the heart disease issues, and SSRI's are only so so with many unwanted side effects, mainly loss of work ethic and sex. I thought Serzone was off the market for causing liver problems?How does one know? It seems the approach these days for meds is like trying on a pair of shoes, try them on until you find one that fits.
I think I'm anxiety/mild depression, my pdoc suggests I'm BPII and my anxiety is mania. Now, I have NEVER had a true manic state as far as euphoric, not sleeping and talking non stop. I'm usually always on a low end and have a mild fear/anxiety feeling running in the background, especially around crowds.
I tried Lamictal which does nothing for anxiety. Neurontin and Topamax made me feel more withdrawn, and Keppra helped but made me a little angry and blunt plus with it's short half life a had to take it 3x daily. The PI says twice daily for Keppra but also says it has a 6-8 hour half life. I could take it at 7:00am and feel it wearing off around 2:00pm.
Paxil works great, but I can take it only knowing sex will not be a part of my life, girlfriend won't appreciate that to much!
So, enter Depakote. Do small doses give you much side effects? The hair loss side effect scares me a little. What about cognitive difficulties/memory issues?
Benzos work great, but I'm trying to find something I can take long term to keep that excessive worry and fear feeling I have when I have no reason to feel that way at bay.
poster:theo
thread:462295
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050222/msgs/463649.html