I've been recently diagnosed as Bipolar type 1, and the shrinks want me to take sodium valproate. Anyone have any personal or even indirect experience of this stuff?
Did it help? Did it have any side effects? How did it make you feel? How long were you on it? Has it helped? Did it block your creativity?
Thanks guys.
Also, does it make the dressive episodes worse? Is it likely to have to take other meds with it, after a while?
It made me gain weight and I had a problem with hair loss. Also lots of crying - like bad PMS all the time. I swapped to lithium which is better for me, but at a low dose. Neither have had an effect on creativity, which many of us do worry about. However, everyone is different so if your shrink is suggesting the Depakote it may be best to give it a try. Good luck. It can take some "experimenting" but it is SO worth it once you fond the right med for you. They all have side effects but people have such different experiences that you just cannot be sure without personally trialling.
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