Posted by ST on January 20, 2002, at 17:39:02
In reply to Re: Depakote...An ugly Beast or gentle friend? » mr.scott, posted by ivoovi on January 19, 2002, at 14:10:33
I think doctors tend to over medicate bi polars with their mood stabilizers - god forbid they become hypo manic or manic! They'd rather have us numb than suicidal or, on the other side of the spectrum, bouncing off the walls. I understand their thinking; they'd rather be "safe than sorry". However, my mental acuity rose considerably with each dose reduction of Depakote. Really keep after your pdoc about slowly lowering your doses. If your pdoc has been seeing you for awhile and begins to trust you, he/she may agree to lower it. When I get my levels tested, I'm way off-target for the recommended therapeutic level of Depakote. Yet, regardless of the numbers, I'm functioning fine and have not been manic in years.
This may not work for everyone and needs to be done with close supervision.
Sarah
> I'm on Depakote 1000mg. I haven't noticed any weight gain yet...but I've only been back on it for a week (stopped it after being on it for two weeks...I thought I was gaining weight). It works very well, however, I know longer have the extensive vocabulary I once had. I also feel mentally foggy, as if I can't correctly work my brain...It's hard to conceptualize and understand more abstract things...
> So...the only real side-effect I've noticed is cognitive trouble...does anyone know if this goes away with time?
poster:ST
thread:90695
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020116/msgs/90893.html