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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 TriedEveryMedication on April 18, 2011, at 11:46:16
Hi,
I've been trying generic depakote sprinkles for a few weeks for add+depression (or maybe it is bipolar).
I was instructed to ramp up to 375mg at bed time. Been at that does for a couple of weeks.
Nothing. Was reading some bipolar psych's website that claims depakote won't do anything util 1g/day min. Is this true?
Also - This stuff keeps me up until 3or 4am. I thought it was supposed to knock you out. Is this an unusual reaction?
Thanks.
Posted by morgan miller on April 18, 2011, at 12:43:00
In reply to Depakote sprinkles - insomnia and dose question, posted by TriedEveryMedication on April 18, 2011, at 11:46:16
It's possible depakote could have an idiosyncratic and paradoxical reaction. I would try doubling the dose and see what happens. I seem to do fairly well on 750 taken at night time. You should also try magnesium glycinate and a little melatonin, maybe 1 mg. Holy basil is great stuff too, the most potent holy basil out there is by New Chapter. You should be able to combine all of these with depakote without any problems.
Posted by Phillipa on April 18, 2011, at 12:54:25
In reply to Re: Depakote sprinkles - insomnia and dose question, posted by morgan miller on April 18, 2011, at 12:43:00
Just wanted to say why are meds so complicated? It's like Russian Roulette isn't it? Good luck. Phillipa
Posted by morgan miller on April 18, 2011, at 13:33:34
In reply to Depakote sprinkles - insomnia and dose question, posted by TriedEveryMedication on April 18, 2011, at 11:46:16
Just a thought, if depakote has this reaction on you, lithium may have the opposite reaction.
Posted by TriedEveryMedication on April 18, 2011, at 13:47:57
In reply to Re: Depakote sprinkles - insomnia and dose question, posted by morgan miller on April 18, 2011, at 13:33:34
> Just a thought, if depakote has this reaction on you, lithium may have the opposite reaction.
hi, thanks for your reply.
no - lithium made me have these weird anger flashbacks and I smashed stuff and generally was extremely agitated
Posted by Phillipa on April 18, 2011, at 21:27:53
In reply to Re: Depakote sprinkles - insomnia and dose question, posted by TriedEveryMedication on April 18, 2011, at 13:47:57
Now I realize that you can't rely on what you hear on TV but Dr Phil has a show we taped that there is an anger gene and you can be tested for it. Might want go google anger gene? Didn't finish the program Phillipa
Posted by Christ_empowered on April 19, 2011, at 3:12:43
In reply to Depakote sprinkles - insomnia and dose question, posted by TriedEveryMedication on April 18, 2011, at 11:46:16
hey. Depakote is dosed based on blood levels, not dose per se, so its hard to say when you'll hit an effective dose. It depends on how your body handles the depakote, what you're treating, and other medication(s) you're taking.
Some people process depakote better than others. I was put on 1500mgs for acute psychotic mania; I had to reduce to 1gram b/c my blood levels were too high. I've heard that docs aim for lower blood levels for milder bipolar-spectrum disorders than they do for anti-manic action in Bipolar I.
As for the insomnia...I don't know what to tell you. Depakote didn't help me sleep, but it didn't keep me up, either. It did, however, make me even more anxious and jittery, which supposedly isn't common, but I've heard from other people that they experienced that, too. If you're not experiencing nausea, taking meds that could push the blood levels higher, or generally a slow metabolizer of meds, you might want to try pushing the dose a little higher to see if you can get some sleep. You should also have your blood levels done soon so your doctor knows how you process the depakote.
This is the end of the thread.
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