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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sickObeingsick on August 26, 2003, at 17:56:47
I hope someone can provide an answer to this question for me as it will be some time before my Dr. and all the other Dr's getting involved will be able to help me.
I currently take 1000mgs of Depakote once a day for Spinal Myoclonus and have been taking it since 1998 but it seems that the original Dr. that I had never told me I was suppose to be getting my blood levels checked.
Now I have a new Dr. and the first thing he asked was when was my blood levels checked and when I told him never he immediately sent me to the hospital for testing. The results came back within an hour and they told me that I was:
"ACUTE SUBTHERAPEUTIC DEPAKOTE LEVEL"
And when I asked what that meant they told me that the level showed I didn't have ANY Depakote in my blood and that a person who never had taken Depakote would have shown a higher level than what my results showed. (scary huh?)
Does anyone know what might be causing this to occur?
Posted by djmmm on August 27, 2003, at 8:17:20
In reply to Depakote blood-tests show NO Depakote in my blood?, posted by sickObeingsick on August 26, 2003, at 17:56:47
> I hope someone can provide an answer to this question for me as it will be some time before my Dr. and all the other Dr's getting involved will be able to help me.
>
> I currently take 1000mgs of Depakote once a day for Spinal Myoclonus and have been taking it since 1998 but it seems that the original Dr. that I had never told me I was suppose to be getting my blood levels checked.
> Now I have a new Dr. and the first thing he asked was when was my blood levels checked and when I told him never he immediately sent me to the hospital for testing. The results came back within an hour and they told me that I was:
> "ACUTE SUBTHERAPEUTIC DEPAKOTE LEVEL"
> And when I asked what that meant they told me that the level showed I didn't have ANY Depakote in my blood and that a person who never had taken Depakote would have shown a higher level than what my results showed. (scary huh?)
> Does anyone know what might be causing this to occur?Are you on any other meds?...there are a few meds that will cause this (including some anti-viral medications) There could also be other metabolic problems going on...and you can't overlook the possibility of a lab mistake...I would get the test done again.
For what it's worth, "ACUTE SUBTHERAPEUTIC DEPAKOTE LEVEL" doesn't necessarily mean that there is NO depakote in your system. A lot of people "respond" to depakote and have subtheraputic serum levels of the drug in their system.
Posted by sickObeingsick on August 27, 2003, at 14:15:51
In reply to Re: Depakote blood-tests show NO Depakote in my blood?, posted by djmmm on August 27, 2003, at 8:17:20
> > I hope someone can provide an answer to this question for me as it will be some time before my Dr. and all the other Dr's getting involved will be able to help me.
> >
> > I currently take 1000mgs of Depakote once a day for Spinal Myoclonus and have been taking it since 1998 but it seems that the original Dr. that I had never told me I was suppose to be getting my blood levels checked.
> > Now I have a new Dr. and the first thing he asked was when was my blood levels checked and when I told him never he immediately sent me to the hospital for testing. The results came back within an hour and they told me that I was:
> > "ACUTE SUBTHERAPEUTIC DEPAKOTE LEVEL"
> > And when I asked what that meant they told me that the level showed I didn't have ANY Depakote in my blood and that a person who never had taken Depakote would have shown a higher level than what my results showed. (scary huh?)
> > Does anyone know what might be causing this to occur?
>
> Are you on any other meds?...there are a few meds that will cause this (including some anti-viral medications) There could also be other metabolic problems going on...and you can't overlook the possibility of a lab mistake...I would get the test done again.
>
> For what it's worth, "ACUTE SUBTHERAPEUTIC DEPAKOTE LEVEL" doesn't necessarily mean that there is NO depakote in your system. A lot of people "respond" to depakote and have subtheraputic serum levels of the drug in their system.Hello, thanks for responding.
The only other med that I take occasionally is Ambien when I feel I need it and I recently began taking Alleve for the pain from Fibromyalgia & Arthritis.
Re: "other metabolic problems" ???
Any suggestions on what symptoms I might look for with regards to the above mentioned?
Recently (2 months) I have begun to experience my right hand being numb all the time, about 3 times a week or so I get faint headed/stomach upset/vomit and have this bright flashing strobe effect going on in my eyes at this time.
The only way to get rid of it is to go to sleep for about 4-5 hours, except for the numb hand that is 24/7.
Posted by bookgurl99 on August 27, 2003, at 17:28:30
In reply to Re: Depakote blood-tests show NO Depakote in my blood? » djmmm, posted by sickObeingsick on August 27, 2003, at 14:15:51
> Recently (2 months) I have begun to experience my right hand being numb all the time, about 3 times a week or so I get faint headed/stomach upset/vomit and have this bright flashing strobe effect going on in my eyes at this time.
> The only way to get rid of it is to go to sleep for about 4-5 hours, except for the numb hand that is 24/7.Two thoughts --
1 -- the numb hand could be related to your spinal condition; i guess your dr. could decide that. there are other, more serious conditions that could cause your hand to be numb, and you might want to rule those out.
2 -- episodes of strobe lights, nausea, etc., sounds similar to certain migraines i get. i even have numbness in one arm -- this is called familial hemiplegic migraine, because you have weakness or numbness on one side -- the weird thing is, Depakote is a common, effective treatment for it. The hemiplegic symptoms (i.e., numbness) can last longer than the actual migraines, especially if they're frequent.
3 -- it sounds like the nausea, vomiting, etc., and the numbness might be caused by separate things -- migraine and something that's affecting your CNS. but blood flow changes due to migraine can cause some weird things.
my advice? go see your dr., and get referred to a neurologist. they know about the migraine variants, and CNS, and should be able to help you nail this. I wouldn't attribute any of the symptoms to the meds you're on at this point.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 28, 2003, at 8:38:31
In reply to Re: Depakote blood-tests show NO Depakote in my blood?, posted by bookgurl99 on August 27, 2003, at 17:28:30
As djmmm suggested, you should absolutely get the test done again. But even if this next time it comes back with the same results, what does it really matter as long as it's working for you (and for the past five years, no less)?
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 28, 2003, at 12:50:07
In reply to Re: Depakote blood-tests show NO Depakote in my blood? » bookgurl99, posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 28, 2003, at 8:38:31
Posted by galkeepinon on August 30, 2003, at 2:26:58
In reply to Re: Depakote blood-tests show NO Depakote in my blood? » bookgurl99, posted by Ame Sans Vie on August 28, 2003, at 8:38:31
I was on a pretty high dose of Lithim this summer and my level was right at the low end>>.08 and I was feeling great. However, I started to experience extreme side effects and I went off it. My point-I agree, if you're doing well on a medication-try not to worry if you are at the 'level' required by a drug statistic;)
Good luck!!!
> As djmmm suggested, you should absolutely get the test done again. But even if this next time it comes back with the same results, what does it really matter as long as it's working for you (and for the past five years, no less)?
This is the end of the thread.
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