Bipolar Support Group

Has anyone managed to avoid gaining LOTS of weight while on Depakote through exercising? I pedal 27+ miles every day while doing ab isometrics and then a 33-35 minute upper-body workout. I eat a lot of food in order to maintain my 150 something lbs. I'm currently taking lithium 1200mg and klonopin 1mg X3, but I've been suffering rapid cycling and mixed states a whole lot of the time. I scheduled an appt with a new pdoc to get his take on my situation and I see him 03/28/2011. I understand that depakote is good for both rapid cycling and mixed states whereas lithium not so much. I've taken Depakote before and I was completely unable to resist the compulsion to eat. I've also had type 1 diabetes for over 28 years. I was obese when on Depakote and Seroquel and a bunch of other bad meds. Anti-depressants are very bad for me whether I'm on a mood-stabilizer or not. I was on 2 of them during that time period. Anyway right now I'm miserably depressed, highly energetic, and just feeling like crap, but I don't want to lose the only thing that I've done right in my life. I'm tempted to call the new pdoc's office next week and cancel, but then I think about how badly I feel. I really wish that there were a simple answer. Lamictal caused 23 months of chronic severe insomnia so it's out. Oh yeah, Depakote also causes insulin-resistance for me as well as for many other people.

I was taking Lithium for over 12 yrs now i'm off of Lithium and am taking Depakote. I gained weight on Lithium but did not let that bother me b/c stabiity is number one for me and lithium provided that for many yrs. I'm so sorry you are not feeling good, your med mixture does not sound like its doing much good and you are workng out on top of that which should relieve much stress/anxiety for you. You may want to contact your pdoc and mention this mix in meds aren't doing the trick, you sound like you are taking quite a bit.

Maybe these munchies you are referring too are not all due to Depakote, maybe its from a comination of things like your other meds causing cravings for it, or when we are depressed we sometimes want to eat, or anxiey can do that too, idk yu may just be right too with this specific med causeing it.

I've lost 15 lbs in 6 wks comingoff Lithium and starting Dapakote. I'm also taking other meds with this, antipsych/md stab, antidep, klonopon too.

I hope things look up for you soon, glad you are posting keep telling us how yu are feeling we are here for you.

I agined a lot of weight when I was on depakote...it was the kind of weight gain where I gained evenly through my body, like someone blew me up like a balloon. Eventually I told my doc I wanted to try something that didn't cause weight gain...he switched me to Trileptal, and I lost weight. I have problems with mania and anxiety. Later another doc took me off trileptal cold turkey, insisting it didn't do anything for bipolar - now I am on seroquel and zoloft only...I lost most of the depakote weight but I am struggling to lose the last 20 pounds I'd like to...I DID lose about 20 pounds since coming off depakote though...

As of right now I am only taking 1200mg lithium and 3mg klonopin divided into 3 doses. I took Depakote for a long time with Seroquel and others. I weighed 256lbs when I quit all of that back in 2007 and now I weigh 151lbs after getting all the way down to 132lbs this past October when I had to be hospitalized since my ocd was leading towards anorexia. At 151 I look good(only to me, everybody else sees me as completely unattractive). I've already cycled fully today and I am working on another. I'm really depressed right now, but I am not tired or fatigued. I walked to the store a little while ago and I was walking just as hard and fast as I usually do. A lady at work calls me the Arizona Road Runner.

I'm just fearing what Depakote will do to me. I took it briefly back in January and my appetite increased dramatically for junk food mainly and I caved right in. And like all the other anti-convulsants(I've tried them all) it causes me very bad joint pain as well as insulin-resistance. Lamictal and Topamax caused me the joint pain, but they caused extreme sensitivity to insulin.

Right now I am hoping for death, because it is my one complete answer. I have no one to call and speak with. I'm really frakin at my wits end. Peace out.