at what dose does it start helping and does it help or is it just a med that makes the person taking it tired?
I am on Depakote ER now and am very familiar with this effective mood stabilizer.
Yes it tires me out but it’s also helping to keep me out of the Hospital.
750mg to 1000mg is the usual effective starting dose.
Blood tests are required with this medication.
it wasn’t a psychiatrist that put her on the med it was her family doctor. she stopped going to the pdoc when she got into a fight with the pdoc over hospitalization. so i worry that the family doctor may just be prescribing stuff on the whim. she is also on trazodone at night. @Wave are you on any anti depressants?
No @cbbrown Antidepressants make me manic.
they prescribed her trazodone when she started having trouble sleeping at night. she hasn’t been manic in a while.
Trazadone doesn’t always cause mania.
It’s prescribed for sleep many times.
I just wanted to mention (since it hasn’t been mentioned) that the FDA put a “black-box warning” (its most dangerous warning) on Depakote several years ago due to its severe detrimental affect on the liver.
I took Depakote for several years, but my pdoc discontinued it due to liver damage. However, I’m not saying that you should stop taking Depakote on your own, but you may want to talk to your pdoc in regards to Depakote and liver damage.
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I received some liver damage when I was on 2500mg of Depakote years ago.
Depakote is real hard on the liver, I am fully aware and getting frequent blood tests to check on my liver enzymes etc…
My recent liver test showed no damage.
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i think her doctor is keeping an eye on her liver but i’m unsure since its a family doctor not a psychiatrist.
A regular doctor usually orders blood tests to check the liver.
She should be fine @cbbrown