Posted by fluffy on July 26, 2003, at 16:33:15
In reply to Depakote » fluffy, posted by katia on July 26, 2003, at 15:52:26
Katia--
Your medication history is almost exactly the same as mine. Add some Paxil and Trazodone, then subtract the Serzone. In fact, you are fairly medication naive compared to some people I've read about. It's still frustrating though!!--esp. if you are depressed. I felt the same way.
The first mood stabilizer i was put on was Tegretol. It wouldn't lift the low grade depression that was lingering. I switched to a new doctor who specializes in mood disorders. Sometimes older and more conservative psychiatrists opt for the "gold standards" (lithium, depakote or tegretol) before anything else.
Now as for the reputed rash. Your doc is being rather skiddish if you ask me. In fact, Depakote can also cause this rash. (same probability) If you are having body image problems, and you gain weight or get depressed again, then Depakote may not be the best bet.
Keep a mood chart if you aren't already. It's kind of a drag, but it illustrated for me if a drug was working or not. When my chart went to a straight line (for a number of normal days instead of jagged ups and downs, I knew the drug was working).
Let us know your progress. Lots of luck!
Katy
poster:fluffy
thread:9730
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030723/msgs/245617.html