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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bookgurl99 on September 13, 2003, at 11:22:18
Hey all --
Looks like I'm gonna be starting Depakote this week for migraine prevention. Not sure of the dose yet, but I expect it to be about 250 mgs 2 or 3 times a day.
I'm already quite overweight. How can I fight weight gain on this med? Is it that taking it leads one to feel hungry, or is the weight gain due to the distraction of the liver?
Posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 11:53:26
In reply to Depakote weight gain question, posted by bookgurl99 on September 13, 2003, at 11:22:18
It makes you lazy and want to eat. Don't give in to wanting to eat. Use your rational mind to determine what the approprete amount of food and calories is.
Posted by bookgurl99 on September 13, 2003, at 13:05:57
In reply to Re: Depakote weight gain question » bookgurl99, posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 11:53:26
> It makes you lazy and want to eat. Don't give in to wanting to eat. Use your rational mind to determine what the approprete amount of food and calories is.
Thanks for this feedback. I'm subscribing to ediets.com, for an objective 'diet.' I've already started talking myself out of eating more when I don't have to as, as a result.BTW, I'm thinking of doing an Atkins-based diet, but am concerned about my liver on this med. Is it a concern? I'll bring it up to my dr. . .
Posted by galkeepinon on September 13, 2003, at 15:12:59
In reply to Depakote weight gain question, posted by bookgurl99 on September 13, 2003, at 11:22:18
Hey bookgurl99, glad to see your post:-)
I wish you the best with the Depakote. Maybe you can ask your doc about Topamax to fight the weight gain if you notice any, you may not even gain weight. But you may not even lose weight if you did go on Topamax, I was lucky. But if you don't want to add Topamax just to 'fight the weight gain' you may get from Depakote, Seb had a great idea!
Just my humble offerings to ya!
Take care.
> Hey all --
>
> Looks like I'm gonna be starting Depakote this week for migraine prevention. Not sure of the dose yet, but I expect it to be about 250 mgs 2 or 3 times a day.
>
> I'm already quite overweight. How can I fight weight gain on this med? Is it that taking it leads one to feel hungry, or is the weight gain due to the distraction of the liver?
>
>
Posted by Sebastian on September 13, 2003, at 15:13:13
In reply to Re: Depakote weight gain question, posted by bookgurl99 on September 13, 2003, at 13:05:57
Does your doctor know about liver problems? If you do you should tell them. Atkins diet won't affect your liver. If you use the atkins diet try to stick to lots of lean protein, like almonds, chicken, seafood, veggis. Its best to cut bad cholesterol and bad fats. Cut all the carbs (bread).
Seb
Posted by WorryGirl on September 15, 2003, at 17:22:29
In reply to Depakote weight gain question, posted by bookgurl99 on September 13, 2003, at 11:22:18
I've been taking 1,000 mg of depakote a day for about a month now, up from the 500 mg initially prescribed. Because my body metabolizes this drug pretty quickly, I'm probably going to end up taking 1,250-1,500 mg a day eventually.
As a bulimic desperately trying to recover I was concerned about the potential weight gain with this drug. But my anxiety and depression and overwhelming sense of isolation was encompassing me to the point where I couldn't hold a normal conversation with anyone anymore, including my husband (in other words I was getting MUCH WORSE as time went by). So I decided it was worth a try.
On depakote I feel calmer and am not nearly as manic. I hold conversations now without people starting to give me the blank stare after a few minutes. There is some "laziness" I guess you could call it associated with taking this. I was having a hard time winding down at night and was suffering from the sleep deprivation. This helped with that tremendously. I do often feel sleepy during the day but as long as find a way to stay active (mentally or physically) I'm usually OK.
As for the weight gain and eating, I haven't gained weight and the only thing I can think of is that for me, I am not as fixated on food as I had been. I'm almost too lazy to bother fixing food for myself. I just feed kid stuff to the kids while I chomp on a carrot stick or an occasional pb&j sandwich.
A word of warning however; since you are taking this for migraines I don't know if this would even apply to you, but when I go out drinking with my husband (I usually have 4-8 drinks), I feel completely out of sorts for the next 2-3 days. This has nothing to do with a hangover - it really alters the effect the medication was supposed to have on me and I am weepy, anxious, irksome and loathsome, and basically, a terror.
Good luck and I hope you migraines go away on this.
This is the end of the thread.
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