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Share your experience: submit a drug review
Below are Depakene (Valproic Acid) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 2 ratings/reviews, Depakene has an overall score of 5. The effectiveness score is 6 and the side effect score is 5. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence. | | Depakene review by 25 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | |   |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Severe Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Bipolar Disorder |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500 mg taken two times per day for the period of 5 months |
| Other conditions: | | Post Traumatic Stress |
| Other drugs taken: | | None | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Initial benefits were comparable to the brand name version of this drug, Depakote. I had been taking Depakote for several months and experienced great results. When I went to my psychiatrist for an evaluation and re-fill, he accidently prescribed the generic version, Depakene. When I discovered the error, I was told by this doctor that I would experience the same results as Depakote. The positive side effects of the Depakene: balanced mood, improved concentration, improved logical cognition, mental clarity, lessened anxiety and irritability, improved sleep, increase in pleasure about activities |
| Side effects: | | Depakene has a very thin coating, which caused severe heart burn and stomach upset. The discomfort was so unpleasant that it made me not want to take my meds, so I was not taking them consistently as prescribed. This caused my mood to fluctuate again. Even after I switched to the Depakote, my stomach was still uncomfortable for several weeks afterwards. My appetite decreased and food was very unappetizing. Certain foods that I normally enjoy, such as chicken or fish, made me feel extremely queasy when I ate them. I did not like the physical side effect of the drug, and decided to quit my psychiatric drugs altogether - because I was no longer stable anymore! |
| Comments: | | Depakote was prescribed to me by a Kaiser psychiatrist in Pleasant Hill, CA in 2006. The medication was given to help treat the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder, Type II. My disease was misdiagnosed for several years as depression, since I was never seen by a professional during hypomanic episodes, and when I did see a professional, I did not think that my manic symptoms were signs of a serious psychiatric problem. Anti-depressant drugs were prescribed: Prozac in 2001, which had minimal effect and I stopped taking them a few months later. Wellbutrin was prescribed again for "chronic depression" in the spring of 2006, but this medication slowly spun me into an intense manic period. After the manic episode, I fell very hard into a severe, suicidal depressive state. I was voluntarily admitted to a psychiatric ward in June 2006 to keep me safe and to properly diagnose my condition. The symptoms I was experiencing before being prescribed the Depakote/Depakene: rapidly cycling mood swings between intense activation and irritablity/excitement and crashing lows and depression, suicidal thoughts, poor logic and decision making, racing thoughts, anxiety, poor concentration, and poor sleep. |
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| | Depakene review by care giver of 14 year old female patient | | | Rating |
| Overall rating: | | |
| Effectiveness: | | Moderately Effective |
| Side effects: | | Moderate Side Effects | | |
Treatment Info |
| Condition / reason: | | Tonic clonic seizures |
| Dosage & duration: | | 500mg PM 375 mg AM taken twice a day for the period of 12 years |
| Other conditions: | | autism, developmental delay |
| Other drugs taken: | | clonazepam, nitrazepam | | |
Reported Results |
| Benefits: | | Moderate seizure control, seizures controlled during the awake hours, however, still uncontrolled during sleep. Patient has multiple, short seizures, nightly.
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| Side effects: | | Side effects were at first loss of appetite, then later, increased appetite. Also some irritability which we cannot be sure but may be related to the drug. However, it could be due to the nighttime seizures which are still occurring. |
| Comments: | | Take 500 mg of Valproic Acid before bed, daily, and 375 mg at breakfast, daily. This dose was titrated up slowly and eventually stopped at this level. Blood work is done to check the blood trough level. We are instructed to contact the physician should the seizure pattern change. |
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