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Depakote trial for possible bipolar--what to expect...
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<blockquote data-quote="BusynMember" data-source="post: 12510" data-attributes="member: 1550"><p>Ok, here's my own personal opinion, and obviously I'm just a mom. If my kid was suspected of bipolar (and, in my opinion, ADHD/ODD is exactly what bipolar is), I'd want my child on Lamictal or Lithium. Lamictal is weight gain neutral and is proving to be very helpful for bipolar. Lithium is the drug that has been used the longest and has the highest success rate of any bipolar medication. All mood stabilizers, including Depakote, take up to eight weeks, at a therapeutic dose, to work. Sometimes longer. Weight gain CAN be an issue--with Depakote it can be quite extreme, and a thin kid can get overweight. Some teens or young adults get upset with the weight gain and quit. My now 13 year old son son, when he was misdiagnosed with bipolar (he is actually Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)), gained twenty pounds in a month. He wanted to eat ALL THE TIME. He did eat all the time. He'd sneak food.</p><p></p><p> My daughter who did drugs was also given Depakote. They felt she had bipolar. Now that she's off recreational drugs, I think she does have mild mood issues, but, if she has bipolar, it certainly is very mild. She hated Depakote. I'm being honest. She said it made her feel "stupid", she couldn't think, she felt emotionally flat and she finally refused to take it. At her age nobody could force it and I could see she was miserable anyways. She slept a lot on it and slurred her words. She refused to try another mood stabilizer, or any medication, for that matter. She isn't on any to this day.</p><p></p><p> Bipolar medications can be lots of trial and error. Depakote may be great for your son, or it may be horrible, but, if it's awful, that doesn't mean he doesn't have bipolar. On the other hand, you're smart to wonder. Obviously, he doesn't have extremely manic highs and I'm learning that all these diagnoses are very subjective. The truth, however, is that 80% of people who had mood disorders abuse substances. The ONLY medication that both stabilizes moods and actually helps both substance abuse and lowers the suicide rate is Lithium. No other drug has that bonus. Lithium is also a weight gainer--I don't think it's as bad as Depakote. I have a mood disorder, which is being called Bipolar II. I didn't like mood stabilizers. They blunted my affect to the point that I felt like a zombie. But some people desperately need a mood stabilizer to function. This is just a hodge podge of my own experiences and personal feelings, and I really hope this works extremely well for your son. I know how worried you are about him. You are such a loving mom.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BusynMember, post: 12510, member: 1550"] Ok, here's my own personal opinion, and obviously I'm just a mom. If my kid was suspected of bipolar (and, in my opinion, ADHD/ODD is exactly what bipolar is), I'd want my child on Lamictal or Lithium. Lamictal is weight gain neutral and is proving to be very helpful for bipolar. Lithium is the drug that has been used the longest and has the highest success rate of any bipolar medication. All mood stabilizers, including Depakote, take up to eight weeks, at a therapeutic dose, to work. Sometimes longer. Weight gain CAN be an issue--with Depakote it can be quite extreme, and a thin kid can get overweight. Some teens or young adults get upset with the weight gain and quit. My now 13 year old son son, when he was misdiagnosed with bipolar (he is actually Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)), gained twenty pounds in a month. He wanted to eat ALL THE TIME. He did eat all the time. He'd sneak food. My daughter who did drugs was also given Depakote. They felt she had bipolar. Now that she's off recreational drugs, I think she does have mild mood issues, but, if she has bipolar, it certainly is very mild. She hated Depakote. I'm being honest. She said it made her feel "stupid", she couldn't think, she felt emotionally flat and she finally refused to take it. At her age nobody could force it and I could see she was miserable anyways. She slept a lot on it and slurred her words. She refused to try another mood stabilizer, or any medication, for that matter. She isn't on any to this day. Bipolar medications can be lots of trial and error. Depakote may be great for your son, or it may be horrible, but, if it's awful, that doesn't mean he doesn't have bipolar. On the other hand, you're smart to wonder. Obviously, he doesn't have extremely manic highs and I'm learning that all these diagnoses are very subjective. The truth, however, is that 80% of people who had mood disorders abuse substances. The ONLY medication that both stabilizes moods and actually helps both substance abuse and lowers the suicide rate is Lithium. No other drug has that bonus. Lithium is also a weight gainer--I don't think it's as bad as Depakote. I have a mood disorder, which is being called Bipolar II. I didn't like mood stabilizers. They blunted my affect to the point that I felt like a zombie. But some people desperately need a mood stabilizer to function. This is just a hodge podge of my own experiences and personal feelings, and I really hope this works extremely well for your son. I know how worried you are about him. You are such a loving mom. [/QUOTE]
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