Posted by robertjohnson on November 12, 2003, at 9:03:28
In reply to Re: Depakote all at night » Robert Johnson, posted by anniebananie on January 25, 2002, at 14:26:46
Here is a November 2003 follow-up to my original post:
My wife has now been taking Depakote for just short of two years now. Although she still has some problems getting out of bed in the mornings, this side effect is not now nearly as pronounced as it was 12 to 18 months ago. She is now averaging about eight hours of sleep each night rather than the ten to eleven hours she was averaging when she first starting taking Depakote.
She was on Depakote ER for a brief period of time, but reverted to regular Depakote within a few weeks since she seemed to sleep more soundly on the regular Depakote.
She takes all her Depakote for the day at night to help ensure that she does get a good night's sleep. If she's concerned about not getting her sleep on any particular night, she will occasionally also take a Benadryl tablet at night. This virtually always does the trick.
For any new users who are struggling with Depakote's initial side effects, I'd encourage you to hang in there. The side effects diminish the longer you are on the medication.
poster:robertjohnson
thread:91119
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031111/msgs/278975.html