have not tried depokote

I am feeling gulity, no surprise everything I do or dont do leads to guilt.

I have not been willing to try the family of drugs topomax depokote ect. Reason is I already have given up so much to my migraines. The sideffects of theese drugs petrifie me, deprssion { I l already have } insomnia { I have already} Hair loss, weight gain { I have always had trouble with anorexia } I am so afraid I wont have the support of my neourogist as he gave me an rx for depokote and I have not even tried it.

I guess my question is should I be able to say this is not something I am willing to try and be ok with it. Or am I negating any support my not trying.

Depession feels like a dark blanket placed over me.. oh and tremers is another side effect, I work as a waitress in a upscale rest. just imagine working with tremors !!

Gayle,

You have to know yourself and know how you respond to drugs. I seem to get hit with 90% of the side-effects and that family of drugs for me was awful. Topomax was fine at 25mg but not effective - 50mg was a disaster. Depakote - I lasted for 5 weeks. The first few weeks were adjusting to it and the side-effects then I escalated and started over with the effects. It was more miserable and wasn't helping. I have familial tremors anyway and it did heighten them a bit (you couldn't see me shake but I could feel it), but if you aren't starting out with some tendency towards them these probably aren't a concern, especially at the dose they give us for M.

I guess my thought is to give it a try. Just be very aware of any changes you experience (psychological and physical) and notify your doctor of these changes immediately. You may have none of the effects - we are all wired a bit differently. My experience with them is that you notice side-effects almost immediately. If you get side-effects, well you can scratch it off the list of things that may help as not worth it (I've got a bunch of those).

Just my 2 cents.

I guess my feeling at this point is I am on such shaky ground mentally that I am so scared that, a drug so prone to sideffects might be the tipping point in pushing me over the edge.
But am afraid I wont have the support of medical field if I dont do what they want me to do. Does this make sence

I was on depakote for two years at 2000 mg. I had severe trembling to the point where I could not eat in a resturant or around any one who wasn't family because I couldn't bring my fork to my mouth with out dropping food.

I also had a very difficult writing and keyboarding. A large part of my job involves computers so that made it very hard.

I didn't regret going off of it, and wish I had had it in me to tell the Dr's I wanted to go off of it.

I'm really good at telling Dr's "No!" now!

I had severe reactions to topamax. My neuro and GP were pushing me to try Zonegran. I said "no" and found a new neuro. The new neuro said that with my reactions to drugs, he didn't want me trying ANY anti-epileptics. It took some searching to find the right neuro, but I did it with a little help from my Ronda friends. It's worth the six hour round trip drive to get care that I feel comfortable with.

Good luck.

Charlotte has valid points. Although the dose I was given was 250 mg (escalated to 500 mg) not 2000 (that seems horribly excessive and probably the reason why the severe side-effects).

I guess my thought is to give one a try (or if you've tried one in the past with no benefit forget it - they either work or don't and there is a high probability of personality changes - stillhurtin and I were attempting one at the same time and it was interesting).

One thing that is rather concerning - are you taking anything for the depression? I would hesitate to take ANYTHING if that wasn't under control. All the medications mess with our brain chemistry and can make any psychological change WORSE. If you aren't seeing someone about this, please, please do.

Yup, it was excessive. Along with 400 mg. a day of Topamax. Any wonder why I had a psychotic breadkdown? That got me diagnosed as bi-polar (though I had never had any symptoms for 47 years!) and then put on multiple anti-psychotic's for two years. And that my children, is the story of how Aunt Charlotte landed in a locked psych. ward for five days.

Anyone wonder why I'm afraid of preventatives? I had couple of over-prescribing quacks and I was to out of it to help myself.

I am really getting some good input, sometimes I think I need to believe in myself more. I do know I cant take much more and have to be careful. If my dr. feels he cant support me then perhaps we will part. Believing in myself and not taking on the guilt is so important to me. Keep posting its helping

Your doctor and you are partners in your health. If your doctor is dictatorial, then you can't be partners and I'd suggest finding someone else.

As far as Depakote is concerned, I'd give it a try (unless you've had problems with this class of drugs before). I tried Neurontin and Depakote with minimal fuss. Then I tried Topamax and went loopy on it! (although not as severe of a problem as Charlotte).

If you feel you cannot take this medication (emotionally), then I don't see a point in your trying it. You have to have some faith in it in order for it to work, IMHO.

Good luck,
£eslie

I had some success with depakote and that gave me the courage to try topamax. I wanted to explore every pathway and I still do, despite resistant doctors. I always start out with a low dose, if I can break the tablet in half or quarters. I take low doses to monitor side effects and then I ramp up, realizing that the lowered dose may not be effective. It helps if you live with someone who can objectively monitor your moods. Keeping a diary is a good idea, so you can look back on the experiment.
Good luck and as they say here in Oz "good on ya" for holding down a job !

Gayle,

I agree with Leslie....you're in a partnership with your doctor to find something to help. I think you should feel free to tell him your apprehension about drugs. He may very well agree with you. It's important to "follow your gut" and be honest with your doctor.

Good luck!

Becky

I would venture to say to not rule out trying anything. I have been extremely resistent to trying any preventative for years. I too was very freaked out about side effects and am very prone and sensitive to them, having fibromyalgia and all.

After years of sufffering and things getting progressively worse, while working closely with my Dr, which is essential, she encouraged me to try Topamax, starting with a very low dose. I reluctantly and anxiously did.

So, I started about 5-6 weeks ago at 15mg - a pediatric dose. Stayed on that for 2-3 weeks. Went to 25 mg for a couple of weeks and now am on 40mg for the past week or so. So, the key is starting on a very low dose and going very slowly. I am seeing a real difference in the frequency of the migraines since starting the 40mg. I haven't had to take any abortives or rescues for over 10 days!! That is a miracle for me and hasn't happened for a long time.

The side effects have been very minimal. In fact, I am sleeping better. Only some tingling in my hands and feet and the notable cognitive side effects. Not too bad at this point.

So, not everyone has the same side effects and this experience has not been as scary as I thought it would be. My husband thinks my mood is actually better - no signs of depression (which I do have to watch out for and will as I go to a higher dose.)

I am hoping to be able to get relief from the lowest dose possible and stay there. We'll see.

Please feel free to share your fears hopes and I hope you can find a Dr you can do that with. That is essential! If you have a Dr who listens to you, there is nothing to fear. If the side effects are too much, you can always stop. It is your life and health.

So, my advice would be to give the Topamax a try (*it also can reduce your appetite at higher doses which may give some the s/e of weight loss - as opposed to the possible weight gain of Depakote - one reason why we decided to try the Topamax since I am on a weight loss plan as it is....!)
Best of luck!!
Jane

Leslie is correct, as usual. However, Gayle, remember this. Each of us responds to all these medications in a very individual way. I could tell you about MY experience with Depakote, but MY experience tells you absolutely nothing about how YOU will respond to Depakote. Each of us is very individual.

Your post does tell me something about YOU. MY experience when I was feeling as depressed as you are coming across is this - meeting with a conselor helped immensely. And THAT experience of mine IS transferrable to you. Meeting with a qualified counselor will help you deal - with your doctor, with life in general. Find one soon and you will be glad you did.

I'd like to add an addendum. Richard pointed out that we all react differently to different meds. So true! I wouldn't want you to not take Depakote or Topamax based on my bad experience. They are miracle drugs for so many people. Two of my girlfriends at home and many on this forum have had great success with it and wish they would've started it sooner.

I just throw my tale out as a cautionary to watch for behavior changes and to be aware of what can happen in rarer cases.

Had I been aware of the potential problems of Topamax, I may have put it together myself and determined what the problem was and not gone on a two year descent. Now, whenever I start on a new med, I ask my family and a few of my co-workers to watch for behavior changes that I may not recognize.

As for the depakote, like HeelerLady pointed out, I was on an very high dose that you wouldn't be on. One person I know that takes it for epilepsy only has a very slight tremor when he is especially fatigued, and he's on a rather high dose also.

Be comfortable and confident in your Dr., but not blindly so as I was.

Also, counseling is a good idea for the depression. Even if it's only for a few sessions (that may be all you need), it's good to know there's always a unbiased, professional ear to help you.

Good luck.

Personally, I am willing to give anything a shot. If I have intolerable side effects, I come off it -- but you never know whether you will or you won't, because as many others have noted, and as I've experienced in my own life, we all react very differently to meds. Even if you're a side effect queen/king (as I am), you could do exceedingly well on a med -- for example, I have essentially no side effects from Topamax. And it's always possible that the next med you try could be the one that gives you great improvement.

I have tried Depakote. It wasn't the med for me. But I'm glad I tried it, because now I know how I respond to it.