Depakote symptoms and conditions

uhhh I just started taking GEODON 2days ago and i've just got the superrr groggy feeling in the morning thru to mid day....im n bed now and its like 6:30(i cant wait to sleep).... But now that ive come to this website y'all have me scaredddd! ....I was put on PAXIL for my depression and first put on DEPAKOTE for my my bipolar and anxiety but i started hearing the voices and got super more depressed and i called the doc n a panic so he put me on 40mg of GEODON.. my family has no major history of heart conditions and im only 24yrsold...n I dont want to die due to THIS... soooo what do u suggest??anyone pleaseee??im scared??!!

I was put on Topamax for migraines about 4 1/2 yrs ago. I only took it for about 2 weeks. I was already under weight when I started taking it. I had horrible side affects. I could not even drink water without getting sick to my stomach. Every thing I ate soon left my body. I lost about 20 lbs in that 2 weeks. I had extreme fatigue. My mind seemed to be gone. I felt like I was crazy. My drive to work was about 25 minutes. I would get to work and forget how I even got there. I could not carry on conversations with people. My best friend got so worried that she stayed on me until I went back to the doctor to tell her my issues. She immediately took me off Topamax and switched me to Depakote. Depakote worked great but I gained so much weight that I had to buy an entire new wardrobe. So, I stopped taking it on my own and decided to just deal with the migraines. As much weight I have put on, I wouldn't mind getting back on Topamax and using it as a diet pill.

Googled and found this site. Could not believe all that I read! I've been taking Lamictal for several years for Bi-Polar disorder. I also have GAD for which I control with another drug BUT...I guess it's been so long since I began taking Lamictal that I had forgotten, or did I ever even know, the side effects of it. First if all, the memory loss is incredible! Not being able to complete a sentence...never able to find a "word" that should be so simple to remember...going somewhere and within 2 seconds, forgetting what in the world I'm doing or where I'm going...happened today TWICE!
And to top it all off, my eyes are so bad...I didn't even attribute the L to this until I came to this site but it makes PERFECT sense! I feel such a sense of loss in my eyesight that it has begun to really scare me. I have not been to eye doc yet but plan too.
Also, someone mentioned in here that they feel the med just wears off before next dosage and that is exactly what I've been telling my doctor so at first, we just upped the dosage until I was on 450mg a day but even the, it still was not working. SO...now I'm decreasing and the doc added Depakote Er 250mg. But doc says I have to be almost completely off L to get fully on D. So...feel like crap a lot of the time!!
I'm like someone else on here who said, "just start fresh" and that is what I'd like to do but how do you go "cold turkey"? I know it isn't good! Even decreasing this L for the last several months has been hell!
I have been on a roller coaster of meds for 10 yrs. Have yet to find the "combo" that works! Sometimes I wonder if the diagnosis of BP was/is even correct.
Another person in here said he feels like he may have some side effects of OCD and I feel that way too. Nothing major but...enough for me to notice.
Damned either way, right?
One thing I DO KNOW is that I cannot take this eye problem anymore and now that I know my memory and all that other stuff has to do with L, I'm getting off it no matter what! I'm calling my doc tomorrow and we HAVE TO MAKE A PLAN!!!!!!!
I'm only 42 but my memory is that of an 80-yr old (except for my grandmother who died at 96 and could remember details of when she was 4 yrs old...lol) I guess it's good I can kinda laugh at all this but I DEF know it is not funny!!!
Anybody out there with insight to diff. meds...combo of meds?? I really am worn out!!
Right now, I am down to 375 mg of L and this has taken me several months now to decrease from 450mg...don't see the D working that well yet but it's only 250mg so...
I really am worn out!! My anxiety shoots through the roof bc of all of this! Esp. when I feel the L wearing off around 5p or so...
I'm game for any advice ( I did see where the one woman talked about changing the time you take this in the morning but that won't work for me)
Thanks!!

My daughter has had seizures for 20 years. She was on Depakote and Tegretol for about 15 years. We switched neurologists because of the continued seizures and involuntary movements that made her fall. She is now on lamictal (300mg) and topamax . Her seizures seem better, although she still makes the movements. But what is very different is her speech. She is speaking very nasally to the point I almost can't understand her and she repeats her sell constantly. Going to the neurologist next week.

I am friend and caretaker for TBI patient (Traumatic Brain Injury).(he has no short term memory and some cognitive problems. Seroquel is his miracle drug . He has been on it for about 5 years now and it has helped so much with inappropriateness and keeping him calm and functional. He had been in long term care facility for about 6 years and they over medicated with many potent drugs (just wanted to keep him inactive since he was young mobile male with TBI).He has been out and living with me for past 5+ years, it took a little while to change and modify the medication and is now taking daily low doses of meds: (20 mg paxcil, 750 depakote er, 50mg x 3 times a day (total 150mg) of seroquel (using 25mg pills), and 5 mg of lipitor and 100mg docqlace. He does have a weight problem which is a bit hard to control because he does want to eat a lot but having lots of fruits and vegetables around and asking him to wait 30 minutes after eating for his food to digest rather than getting 2nds has helped a lot too. Seroquel for him is in my opinion the most important one.

The first time I took Zoloft, it was a brand new drug with a high price tag and people were just beginning to talk about depression--openly. I had a positive experience with it. I have PTSD and severe depression due to trauma as a child and later from an abusive husband. I had a major depressive episode shortly after the birth of my 2nd child, exasperated by postpartum depression and thyroid storm. I became suicidal at a time when I seemingly had all I ever wanted. It saved my life in that regard.

I had stubborn baby weight that needed to come off. Also, I tend to be an emotional eater. Zoloft helped curb my emotional eating and I lost weight. Some people say overeating or eating disorders are akin to OCD behavior, both anxiety based, so in that way it makes sense. When Lithium was added, then changed to Depakote, I had a tremendous weight gain--I was PUFFY! At that time Bi-Polar was the flavor of the month--not that it isn't real--it just seemed that at the time, everyone was BiPolar. I later went off all meds and was OK for about 3 years when the ugly beast reared its head again.

Zoloft at one point both saved and ruined my life. The first time on Zoloft as a young wife and mother I think the verdict was still not out with all the side effects. I was unable to engage in sex. Not only did I not have any sexual urge but my body couldn't. I talked to a therapist and psychiatrist to no avail--it was MY problem--that the birth of a child brought up abuse issues--men are the only ones with sexual side effects! After being sexually NORMAL my husband and I were told that it was psychological. That didn't do a lot for our relationship. It also made me more distant and quiet. The new Me-on-Zoloft was like my repressed alter ego. The new me was all the more reason to need to stay on meds--just see how depressed and troubled I am. My husband and I divorced due to bad medicine and I didn't know any better. Had all the information been out there at the time, things could have been different.

I went back on Zoloft with mixed results. As a creative writing major at the university, it was like someone flipped a switch and all creativity left me. I found it increasingly difficult to concentrate and recall information for discussion or tests. I was however , more focused in the mundane--dinner, dishes, laundry, regular exercise, all the routine stuff. The anxiety before going back on zoloft made me want to rip my hair out and I was overwhelmed by everyday stuff. I would wash a dish and fight the urge to run around the table before washing the next one. Part of that, I think, was the pressure of being a single mom with 3 small children, going to school full-time and working part-time. Whew! and with little support from anyone, no dad in the picture.

Through the years I have been on many other things and this will probably be the pattern for the rest of my life. Paxil made me a suicidal zombie to the point that my kids cried and made me go to the hospital--they didn't know the suicidal ideation at the time. Effexor caused flabby weight gain and myalgia. Last year I went in the hospital again for depression (job loss, 2nd divorce, mother's death & all at once). The psychiatrist talked me into going on Pristiq claiming it was like Effexor but with none of its bad side effects. BS!!! Once again, I was duped and still weigh 33 pounds over what I did. I am AGAIN back on Zoloft and it seems fine. The devil you know is better than the one you don't know--I guess. I haven't been back on it long enough to know what will happen this time but it can't be worse than the other things out there. I'm tired of being the psychiatric community guinea pig. Everyone is different; my best friend gaied 25 lbs. on Zoloft and takes Paxil (I can't), my sister only does well on Welbutrin, my friend's mom has been on Effexor for years and it keeps her sane. You just have to find your fit. My problem has been from the medical community not being forthcoming with information and the reluctance to listen to a 'crazy' patient.

I have been taking 25mg per day of Lamictal for five days now. I am also on (and have been for five years) 200mg Zoloft per day. I was recently diagnosed bipolar (no surprise) and after seeing a psychiatrist, this was the med I chose, Lithium and Depakote being the other two choices, I felt that Lamictal would be the most appropriate in my case, because it is supposed to help with anger/rage issues, according to the leaflet provided by my Dr., as well as the 'rapid cycling' of my moods. So far I dislike this med, despite the fact I started it with optimism. Side effects are as follows:
Sleepiness - started the first day, I took the first dose the night before.
Lack of energy/motivation - I was doing ok as far as motivation was concerned until I started Lamictal, I was on a positive mood swing at the time, now, it's taking all my effort to stay focused and finish this.
Feelings of disassociation - I don't want to go anywhere, or see anyone, take any calls, etc..this is a problem I have had prior to Lamictal, but it suddenly got worse upon starting it.
Sudden anger/rage - I have felt overly aggravated at times, fast to discipline my son without taking a minute to think it over, it's pretty spontaneous. Day two scared me a bit, I have been making a serious conscious effort to not lose my temper or react suddenly. Today I actually had a spontaneous thought of suicide during a moment of anger, which also alarms me.
Loss of appetite - I'm a skinny guy, can't afford to lose any weight or go without eating, this stuff has pretty much killed my appetite, I'm forcing myself to eat at least once a day...and it isn't easy, I tell you.
Hypersensitivity to noise - Seems like the volume on everything has been amplified, it's making me nuts..
Unpleasant taste in my mouth - since day two. Hard to describe, sort of metallic.
Decreased urge to smoke - I have been smoking for 23 years, a pack per day regularly. I noticed at day two the urge to smoke was dramatically decreased, I smoked about eight cigs total today. Being asleep helped with that too, I'm sure...gotta be conscious to smoke, right? This would be the only positive effect I have noticed thus far.
At this point, I'm really not sure if I will continue with this med due to the above effects. I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped this would do the job and I could avoid the Lithium (icepick up the nose is the only thing left if Lithium doesn't work) and the Depakote, because the effects of those are far more serious by comparison according to what I have read and heard from others who have taken it.
I don't know what to do next, honestly. I have taken nearly every type/kind of antidepressant, Zoloft seems to do the most good, but I'm still having mood swings/cycling while using it, so a mood stabilizer was the plan to fix that...seems like I'm pretty much hosed.

I've been on Topamax (100 mg 2x per day) for 5 years as mono therapy for epilepsy. I switched over from Depakote which was a *nightmare* and it has been great, no seizures. I've had the pins and needles, diminished vocabulary and memory, and intermittent eye twitching but this week my right eye (why is it always the right eye?) has started twitching almost constantly. It is frightening and embarrassing and I am not sure what I should do.. I guess it's back to the neurological drawing for me because I am not sure why it's happening now. Has anyone else had the eye twitching occur after long term use?

I first started on Topamax when I was 20 for seizures 100mg twice daily. But before that, throughout high/middle school, I was on Depakote 250mg twice daily to control my grand mal seizures, and Imitrex 100mg to control my migraines(about 3x monthly). When the switch was converted the only side effects I remembered was weight loss, I lost about 40 lbs in 1 yr. Also I was taken off the Imitrex and the Topamax also controlled the migraines. I am now 28, and in the past 8 yrs I have had only 1 migraine! I work in a health profession now and try to recommend Topamax for migraines as often as I can just from experience, but I can understand that everyone is made differently and it is not always going to work the same as it did for me. And one last note about Topamax, it just came out in a generic about 3 weeks ago(4/1/09) for anyone that is concerned about insurance copays and might want to give it a try.

When I started my little emotional rollercoaster @ age 35, they classified me as being bi-polar with generalized anxiety disorder. I put myself into a treatment center after feeling like I was going to go crazy. I used to work in the medical field and I should have known better. They doped me up on 1000mg of Lithium, and 9oomg of Depakote. Lithium can be hard to regulate and dangerous; coming from a person who can sneeze and lose two pounds Depakote just turned out to be a fat pill (180 to 210 in three months). I went through the guinea pig stage Every SSR they put me on had a very bad side effect, Paxil being the worst. After two days of taking it the racing thoughts and feeling out being out of control made me want to jump out the window. I could not even call 911 as I felt I would go even more insane. I really almost did not make it through it. I discussed it with my new Dr. and he suggested Lamictal. I have been on Lamictal for over 4 years at 300mg a day. It has stabilized my moods but I still argue with the doctor about my diagnosis as I feel I am more Cyclothymic , my mood swings are not as pronounced and can last from a few hours to a few days. Since first taking the med I noticed the memory loss, my train of thought going out the window, bloated, the feeling of having a fever, but not. One of the most important affects, if I am an hour or so late from my regular scheduled dose I get dizzy and my shoulders and neck start to tingle and get numb. Just two weeks I requested an increase in the dosage to 400mg to see if it would help with my underlying depression that every other combo has not addressed. Since then I have been a bit more of a whack job. (Emotionally)Two days after the increase I had a very hyper mania day, I had to leave work early for fear I would lose control of my mouth, do or say something very ADHD. I took two days off and seemed to be fine after that. This Sunday I went downhill as soon as I woke up. I wanted to cry, but couldn’t and I did not know why; I felt void of emotions except for sadness, lacked the energy to want to deal with people, even my other half, wondering why I was even here. (Physically) I have noticed heart palpitations and muscle spasms in my face and arms. I looked up side effects and found this site and wanted to add to it. I have tried just about everything out there that I can and nothing will really work as good as this one. Combos with it do nothing for me either. It really freaks me out that the thing I am taking so I do not feel the way I do is making me feel that way to the extreme. I am letting my Dr. know that I will be taking myself off this dosage.

Abilify was recently added to my medication of Depakote 250 x3 (i have been on this for 10 yrs), Zoloft 40 mgs (8 years), and Buspar 40 mgs (8 years). I started taking Abilify last Tuesday the 17th of March. The first night I took it I had trouble sleeping..(but i also had some caffeine that night)...for the next few nights I still had trouble sleeping...I also noticed an increase in my pulse, rapid heartbeat...and my blood pressure! This past Saturday, my blood pressure was 141/91 which was my left arm, then my right arm was 138/90. My resting pulse was 90+ with my heart pounding. I went into work today (i work in a doctors office) and had a nurse take my BP and it was 153/95...now my BP is normally 120/60...the lowest its ever been is 90/70. So to have my BP this high is very strange. I called my doctor and she advised me to stop it ASAP and to call her if i have any more problems. I already have a scheduled appointment on 04/01/09.

I am a 44 year-old woman. I have been taking Topamax for 13 years! I take 100mg at bedtime (would NEVER take it during the DAY--that's ASKING for sedation). I take it along with 400mg of Wellbutrin & 30mg of Lexapro!!! I've taken various doses over the years. It was initially prescribed as a mood-stabilizer for my bi-polar II, and so happened to control my migraines. Happy Days!

When I FIRST took Topamax I remember having the strange feeling of small miscroscopic "fish" (or something) swimming under my skin, across my cheekbones and over the bridge of my nose. I never got a rash or anything. I did not feel that this passing side effect was anything I "couldn't deal with" as the medication stablized my mood without the HORRID side effects of Lithium, Depakote, Valproic Acid, etc!!!

All this time I have done very well and have NEVER had any health problems from the Topamax. I am VERY confused by folks who claim it gave them "mood swings"--as its effect is to make your mood stable!!! I don't understand how that could happen. Also this is a LOT of people having MAJOR effects from VERY low doses of the drug (50- 75mg mostly). Perhaps folks are medication sensitive OR something else is going on as well???

i had the mirena put in approximately three months ago (nov. 08). i have been thrilled with it! (so far.) i have been on antidepressants (zoloft, depakote er) for years, and although i have never really had any physical side effects from my menstrual cycle, the mental ones were total anguish. basically 2 weeks (or more) of the month i was in misery, severe depression (pre-pms, pms, post pms). since i have been using this iud, my moods have been great! none of the outbursts, depression, etc...that goes along with hormonal changes of a cycle. HOWEVER, i am only three months into using this, and unfortunately have not been keeping up with my "cycles" (since i have had little or no bleeding). this month i am a little more aware and am noticing feeling bloated, ab. pain, a little difficulty sleeping, some cravings, etc...i do notice a vaginal itching that seems to happen mostly around a particular time each month (which i am assuming is my "period".) so far as sex, it seems like it may have improved, probably just because i "feel" good. basically, what it seems like is that i am happy (maybe too much so, perhaps from the antidepressants?), when i am not having my "period" and during my period, i'm just pretty much level. unfortunately, i am enjoying the "highs" very much, and am thinking i may put up with my side effects (as long as they don't get too bad) in order to continue having them. (i have had the paragard in for the past 10 years, 2 children before that). it feels good to feel good, and not have to "dread" and schedule my life around my periods, pms, post-pms. i am soon to be entering into menopause (i'm assuming) which is something i have really been dreading, thinking i will not be in the bed (but under it) for years. i am hoping that mirena will make menopause a little more manageable. another HOWEVER, i have gained weight, probably 10 lbs. that again is almost a trade off. although i have never really suffered much physically, i have suffered mentally for years, and though it's hard for me to judge with no experience, i certainly think i would rather have the physical! (at least when i'm in the throes of it!)

I have been on Lamictal for 8 years and take 200mg every night. I take it in combination with Lithium, Seroquel, & Wellbutrin. My diagnosis is rapid cycling bi-polar. There was also Depakote for about 12 years but that's gone, thank God. The Lamictal, combined with the Seroquel, can knock me on my butt, I feel like a drunk. I stagger and my speech is slurred, and I am very sleepy. I have dry skin in my ears that never resolves and that is itchy & painful. I have bowel issues. I also have vivid dreams but not violent ones. No sex drive but I'm single so that's not a problem. I also need a nap every day. I'm sure that there are others but it's hard to tell because of the other drugs I take. Glad that I'm not the only one with issues.

I had been treated with Depakote, Lamictal, Lithium, Fluoxetine and more (I do not even remember all of them...).
I have been depressed most of my adult life I guess.
My depression caused me to destroy many relationships, loose friends, making me unable to build a carrier and ruining my marriage too. Wasting years of my life feeling always an unworthy mistake. I have had many suicidal thoughts too.
Then this past August I started to loose A LOT of weight, suddenly and for no apparent reason... I would also be so terribly tired and unreasonably nervous (but you know...being a dark depressed looser... that was usual and "normal"), feeling week and exhausted. Being summer and having always had low blood pressure I did not pay too much attention to all that until I did by chance some blood tests...
I AM HAVING BIG TIME THYROID PROBLEMS!
...I am not crazy! My depression had an actual physiological problem and I have been always treated with medicines that would actually make the thyroid gland worse!
I hated Depakote, it made me sick even while I was sleeping, waking up dizzy and nauseous! And I hated all the rest!! These medicines poisoned my liver, my memory and intelligence!
Check this out... to any of you that my have a thyroid problem instead:
*******
That's my experience and I hope it might help you. If it doesn't... good luck. I do understand the pain of being ALWAYS "under the weather"....
(PS. You'd might like to look at this too if you do not already know M. T.... IT DOES HELP! ****** )

I have been on Depakote 1000mg x2 daily for 2 months now. I am experiencing really itchy skin so bad i can break the skin.Also my appetite has increases loads and i'm tired a lot of the time.
I take it for personality disorder and i think i have noticed a slight change in my moods, i'm more stable and not so impulsive and don't feel the need to self harm so much.

my dr. gave me samples today to see if it would help me sleep but i am on xanax, depakote, buspar, zoloft and from what i've read,YIKES! i don't know about this drug mixed with all this other stuff.

I started right out 3 years ago on 100 mgs. and within a couple weeks migraines were virtually gone! I thought it was a miracle! Only slight side affects for a couple years and only an occasional migraine but not a three day long one. So, I figure, small price to pay for all that relief, right? Now, for the last 6 months or so I'm falling apart! My memory is just gone! Sometimes I'm afraid to leave my house because I'm afraid I'll forget my way back home! I can hardly concentrate long enough to put a meal together and it just took me 4 tries to remember how to spell concentrate! Thank Goodness for spellcheck! I've lost 42 lbs. that I can ill afford to lose and I now I have started to have these anxiety things that I've never had before. I feel scared and nervous and no idea why. I was on a couple of drugs for allergies, a couple for arthritis and a vitamin. I dropped everything except the Topamax and the DR. put me on a 1/2 mg. Zanax twice daily for anxiety which seems to do nothing except make me sleepy. Now it seems all these side affects have just bloomed and I have this constant ache over my right eye which isn't a migraine but never goes away. I'm afraid to just stop the topamax because of what I've read about suddenly stopping. Doctors are no help, they won't even admit there is a problem. They just wanted to check my thyroid.It was fine.

I was on a combination of Seroquel and Depakote. My doctor took me off Depakote and increased my Seroquel from 300 mg to 600 mg to compensate. The first time I took the 600mg dose I ended up in the emergency room because it paralyzed me! My blood pressure was 80/40.
And, to add insult to injury, I had to eat the $750 ER bill because my health insurance disallowed it.

I've been on 300 mg's of Lamcital since last December. Great drug, really helps my mania get under control. Lithium wasn't cutting it for me with my depression, in fact the side effects were making me even more depressed. My pdoc decided to try out Geodon (at 100 mg's). In the most part, it has been great. I feel alive and like myself again for the first time in years. But...
I wonder if making me so stable has also given my mind way to much time to over- analyze what I see and do. I see things out of the corner of my eye all of the time. I had something appear right in front of me the other day. I can no longer sleep past seven in the morning. And I have three facial twitches: my lower lip, the arc in my left eyebrow and the very top of my forehead where the first of my hair follicles start on my widow's peak. Those drive me nuts.
I am also on 40 mg's of Propranolol (Anderall) and Cytomel for my thyroid. For having such a severe case of BP, it's nice to be on so few medications. Geodon has been a lifesaver and has given me back my creativity and my marriage. I'll take seeing things and facial twitches any day for those.

The first time I went on Wellbutrin, I had a really bad reaction to it. I had insomnia, horrible tremors, apathy, I felt like I was walking around in a cloud. I went on to try other medications. Now I'm taking a combination of Prozac and Wellbutrin and it seems to be working. My depression is under control. I don't have the apathy or zombie feeling anymore, but I do still have the tremors, though they aren't as bad. I get some mild insomnia, but taking it in the morning helped with that, and lately I've found that a little bit of coffee in the morning (not too much, don't need to be MORE shaky) helps with a lot of my side effects. I do have the confusion and concentration issues too. It hasn't caused any severe problems, it only seems to really happen in casual conversation, where I'll completely forget what I wanted to say. It's annoying, but way better than depression, and not severe enough for me to stop.
To those people who are telling others to stay away from this drug, or any drug for that matter, don't forget that there is a reason there are so many different kinds of anti-depressants. Everybody's body chemistry is different, so their gonna react in different ways. Also, the people who don't have issues with side effects rarely go looking for sites like this....
Just something to think about.

Have been on Seroquel 300mg for about a month now for management of bipolar. Was combined with Depakote, but the doc discontinued the Depakote. With Seroquel *only*.... Works great for getting to sleep, but. significant weight gain (like 12lbs in 30 days), dry/cotton mouth almost like dehydration, fatigue from simple tasks, mentally foggy during the daytime, loss of emotion, poor motor skills/reaction time, and restless legs. The foggy feeling I attribute to a long half-life with a residual effect carry over to the next day. Before this med, I was manic, but now into a mild emotionless depression which is a dreadful feeling. Saw my doctor today, and he said
to cut the dose to 150mg and said it is a wimpy dose. In my opinion, this
is a horrible maintenance drug for bipolar.

Hello All,
I"m a 50 year old Mother and Grandma who takes Topamax as a Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar Disorder. I took it about 5 years ago and about 6 months after I started taking it I was struck down with debilitating diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, extreme weight loss ( 26 pounds in one month ). No one knew what was wrong with me. My psychiatrist actually upped my Topamax dose because I was becoming depressed and having severe mood swings. I was sick for 8 months. I saw a new psychiatrist and he stopped the Topamax because it just was too over medicating at that time and started a different mood stabilizer.

I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I just was happy that the diarrhea and nausea for the most part was gone. I still have nausea frequently but that is from a totally different cause.

In December we discussed that the new mood stabilizer was no longer working so we went back on the Topamax. In April the diarrhea and nausea this time accompanied by vomiting started. I was ready when it started tho even tho I didn't know the cause. I got hooked up with a GI doctor, started probiotics immediately, started eating organic yogurt with as many live active cultures in it as i could find. I would only eat plain boiled rice, boiled macaroni, toast, ripened organic bananas and drink lots of fluid. No gatorade but pedialyte because gatorade has citric acid in it which can be irritating. Pedialyte doesn't. I also drank decaf ice tea with small amounts of sugar.

Now today I read that Topamax can give you diarrhea and if you have a history of diarrhea tell your doctor. Great, just great. Trade my mental health for my physical health but having diarrhea at the most unopertune times does affect my mental health. What am I going to do?

I refuse to take a weight positive mood stabilizer and that is all I'm left with. Like Lithium, Depakote. they will make me as big as a cow. I'd rather have diarrhea to tell you the truth. I don't think I'm gonna tell him.

Missyk10atx

Hi all. My DH has been taking Geodon for 5 months for "delusion - other". The docs don't feel he's bi-polar or schizophrenic. He started up on 20mg and was taken all the way up to 160mg at night until he got ridiculously drowsy on this drug from that dose. He was having issues getting up in the morning (even after 9 1/2+ hours of sleep the night before) and was getting scared of driving to work as out of it as he'd be. The doc took him down to 120mg and it was still bad. So, then they dropped him down to 80mg and he started experiencing severe anxiety. He said he felt like his chest was closing in on him. So, now he's on 100mg and still tired, but not as bad.

Don't get me wrong.. if this was the only issue, I'd be fine with it. The Geodon was a godsend, at first. It really made his delusion dissipate (he wanted to run off and preach the word of God on street corners) and he was able to go back to working 8-hour days after a few months.

But now that he's gotten past that (he's had this once before, 6 years ago, and they had him on risperdal and depakote until the delusion was gone and then took him off of everything completely) he is BEYOND depressed. He has no history whatsoever of depression and has never felt this way before.Our family has never seen him like this. It's increasingly interfering with our relationship, as he just stares at me blankly if I happen to get upset about anything. He's just completely dead inside and feeling worthless. He can't even have an emotional conversation with me anymore and he used to be the most attentive, wonderful husband and friend he could ever be before he got on Geodon.

He also has zero interest in sex. I mean, he can go through it just fine, but he just doesn't want it on his own. And that's depressing for me!!

All in all, I want him off this drug as it seems that, once it did its job, it's eating away at his cognitive and emotional sides. He has a hard time reasoning and, of course, then ends up getting depressed because he feels worthless at his job. I just don't get it.

My question is: if he should happen to be bi-polar ( I mean, if the docs have all gotten it wrong) and he's going through a depressive phase, shouldn't the Geodon be helping? He just seems to get more and more depressed as gets further and further away from being delusional.

We're going to the doc on Thursday and I'm going to tell him that I want DH off this med.. no matter what he thinks. We just can't keep going through this crud anymore. I'd appreciate any feedback/advice/empathy you all can give.

I just miss my husband and I feel like this drug is running him into the ground and wrecking our marriage. :(

I have been on Topamax for 2 1/2 years at 250mg for migraines and have decided to get off because of side effects. I have had all mentioned: mood swings, dehydration, not sweating,tingling, dizziness, loss for words, short term memory loss,numbness, fatigue, GI problems, anorexic weight loss,rage... And this all began from the starting 25mg dose!
The migraines decreased from 24 a month to 12, at best down to 6 or 7, but I seemed to hit a plateau then back to 15.
I saw three different doctors and all wanted to simply increase the Topamax or add another med (Depakote, beta blocker, etc.)
Finally, I found that a problem with my neck may be causing the headaches and treating that has reduced them enough for me to try and get off the Topamax. I still rely on the Relpax to get me through the bad days, but I'm hoping I can get free of the Topamax for good!
I just encourage anyone thinking of starting Topamax to investigate all possible migraine causes before starting!! Topamax doesn't cure the migraine, it only blocks the pain! And the side effects are not worth it if you can find another way to alleviate the problem!