Anyone using the medication depakote for seizures?

Deedee - posted on 11/16/2012

My daughter Kenna was on depakote, but she hae suffered from severe night terrors and we had to remove her from the medication quickly. She has been on Keppra and it subsided her seizures and she has only had a few of the side effects. We have just been giving her a B6 vitamin and it seems to help.

Malinda - posted on 11/08/2012

I just made a {post about Depakote. My son is on that and seems to be working good for him now. The Dr's said that it is try and see. We may have to try many before we find the right one. I hope that everything goes great with your son.

Kerry - posted on 11/02/2012

My son was diagnosed with infantile spasms at 6 months and was on so many meds I won't even write them all but we are now almost 2 years in seizure free on deployed sprinkles 3 a day just got dropped to 2 a day a month ago and are feeling very nervous they may come back. For alish I thought 3 was a lot but I'm no dr. My son is significantly delayed but I'm not sure if it is the meds or thd seizures. He is crawling finally getting up saying firsts words feeding himself all in thd last 8 months. My question is could it be the depakote slowing his develop will we see more of him after the wean. Thanks and good luck to everyone.

Alishs - posted on 10/20/2012

Thank you for the encouragement...it is just so difficult as he is only three and I don't know for sure if some of the things he says is him just being young or if it could be the medication. He will complain one moment that he doesn't feel good but the next sentence he says he is fine....so frustrating.

Elaine - posted on 10/19/2012

My son has just started depakote last month, is currently taking both depakote and keppra. He's seizures started at 16, the cause was not identified. He is now improving a lot. I hope you experience good improvement also!

Danielle - posted on 10/19/2012

My husband has taken depakote for 28 yrs. He is 43 and has been seizure free since age 18. He does continue a maintenance dose now. However our daughter inherited the seizures and she was tried on depakote a few years back. She had awful vomiting the whole 3 weeks she was on it! We were hoping that it would work for her as it did him, but no luck. She takes topamax, lamictal, and keppra, and still has a cluster of seizures every 2 to 3 weeks.

Alishs - posted on 10/14/2012

I know that you posted your question a couple of years ago but I am in the same boat....last month our son went in for a three day EEG, which went to four days, and was diagnosed with complex partial seizures. His seizures are midline and the doctor has been unable to determine if it is right or left side. Our son was put on Depakote - 4 capsules ("sprinkles) a day. I have read up on all the potential side effects, which in itself is frightening, but haven't been able to determine if this is a high or standard dosage for a child who just turned three. Any advice? Thanks!

13322 - posted on 07/02/2011

I have a problem with seizures when I was pregnant with my youngest now 1 1/2 I had 108 seizures they had a hard time trying to control them. they were looking at so many meds and the side effects but the ones they picked for me were zoneagran and topamax after I had my daughter and well it took a few months to get my levels under control cause of the weight and blood levels and hormones I have been seizure free I have had tried other seizure meds in the pasted and the the side effects on some of those are pretty bad and as an adult my body took a big hit from them and is trying to recover from it. also I did not see any one of you mention about vitamins with these meds cause any seizure med will take a toll on the bodys vitamin level some of them are vit b-12 some are v d other well you get the idea these have to be looked at by not your neuro but an endo just to make sure we had no clue about that until I was 4 years with my seizures so I wish all you parents the best of luck and also please keep a seizure log at all times with all info

Lynn - posted on 07/02/2011

Depakote worked great for my boys! Keppra never worked! our combo was depakote, phenobarbital and we also had lamictal for about a year in a half.

Sue - posted on 01/15/2011

My daughter just started on Depakote for her absence seizures. The hunger thing is so true. She always ate so little. Now I carry a snack bar for her just in case. It is believed she has absence seizures.

Depakote has helped her processing speed in school as well. At this point, not too many side effects, hunger, occasional irritability, occasional dizziness.

BillieJo - posted on 02/25/2010

My daughter who will be 8 tomorrow has been on depakote since she was 2.5. This medication has worked great for her. At one point she even went seizure free for 2 yrs.The major side effect she has had is mood swings worse than a teenage girl on PMS. I have told her Dr.s this from day one. As she has gotten older her mood swings she has gotten under control for the most part. She was diagnosed with atonic and absont seizures orgianlly. She had been through 3 Dr.s in Michigan. We moved to Charlotte NC in July. The last Dr she seen in Michigan said it was just atonic seizures and that most kids will out grow them. We did try weaning her off her medication last yr after 2 yrs seizure free and then 6 days completly off her med she has 14 seizures 4 days before we moved. So we put her back on her med and she has had 1 seizure since and that was 1wk before Thanksgiving. Amber does also have social hearing loss. She has struggled in school and we are homeschooling for the first time this yr which has been going wonderful. Amber tells me all the time thanks for loving me enough to homeschool me.

Tamera - posted on 02/19/2010

My son who is 9 now had his 1st one in aug2009 and 2 one just mins apart .they said his left centerl part of brain wasnt fireing correctly . so they put him on depakote er 250mg 1 time aday . But I also have seen a big change in my happy go lucky boy he is so hyper & goes off in blink of eye ,says things like i wish i was dead and is always hungry,rushes homework that is a battle anymore never use to be .He told me when he takes his pill it makes him feel like everything is moving fast.I just dont understand why they put him on it when he only had the 2.I'm thinking of asking his dr to take him off or try something else .anyone please help!

Katie - posted on 02/18/2010

My son was on Depakore, for almost 2 years...it was awful. He was depressed talked about wanting to die( he was only 5) He got super angry and had insane fits. He completely lost his will to live. He didn't want to eat, play with friends, his school work suffered and the light went out in his eyes! It was awful! He didn't have seizures though. We just weaned him off in December..finishing in boxing day, and he has become totally normal again, no sadness, full of life and he has been completely seizure free. If he starts to seize again, I will NOT let him use Depokate ever again!

Courtney - posted on 02/18/2010

Our daughter has been on depakote since she turned 2, she will be 9 next month. We saw the best control. When we tried to wean we realized she was having migraine's so we upped the back up and she is doing well. The only side effect we ever saw was tremors when the meds were too high.

Julia - posted on 02/17/2010

My daughter Akaliah has been having seizures since she was three years old. She alos mostly have seizures at nights whilst she is asleep. They are still investigating and has not yet determined either the type of seizure or why she's having them. She started on Tegretol and then moved on to Depakote. This did not help so she was put on liquid epilim. She is now 13 and on epilim tabs with topomax and barbifed. She now has two or three seizure per month. A far cry from six per day. I just want to see them all go though cauz she is depressed from all the meds , very talkative and easily agitated.

Monica - posted on 02/17/2010

my daughter was on this med for awhile and when the dr. increased it, it was not good! she ended up in the hospital for a week and a half and her ammonia levels were very high.suppose to be a 40 or 50 i think and hers was a 340!!!

Lindsay - posted on 02/15/2010

My son is 2 and had to have 6 seizures for someone did something about it he has been on depakote for a couple of months now and I can see a change...
Lindsay

Pamela - posted on 02/15/2010

My daughter, Casey, was on Depakote for years and it was wonderful. But then they increased her dosage. In large doses Depakote has to be administered with other meds or it can have severe side affects. It can cause depression, agressiveness, and suicidal thoughts. We experienced this with Casey after they upped her dosage. She became very agitated and would attack her brother and me with physical force. This was not my sweet gentle girl. We didn't make the connection for a few weeks and it got really bad. Once removed from the Depakote she became herself again.

Renee - posted on 02/11/2010

I hope that your son is doing better, I know this is hard for him, but, being a child, I hope it out grows them.

Angela - posted on 02/11/2010

our neuro is trying to aviod using depakote. we're trying to get my daughter on name brand Lamictal as it works when then generic doesn't. She said that in girls it can cause weight gain & hair loss. It make not effect boys the same though! Good luck! I hope it helps Jacob!

Shirli - posted on 02/11/2010

Have been having seizures since I was 11. Used to be able to tell when they were coming on, but not anymore. There was not much I could do about them because the time between the "tingling" sensation and the seizure was extremely short. Now I have no warning whatsoever. Was on Dilantin and Phenobarbital for years, but finally got off the Phenobarb. Dr. prescribed Zonegram, and the Dilantin did not stop the seizures. Tried to take me off of the Dilantin too, but seizure activity picked up. Started the Keppra while in the hospital with pneumonia and they were not giving me my seizure medications. Had a seizure, of course, so they started me on Dilantin and Keppra.
No side effects to either medication that I'm aware of. Do know that after a seizure, had a terrible headache, and no memory of who anyone was, or where I was. Brain seemed to be wiped of everything, and I had to be reminded of month, day, year, and the people around me, family, etc. Total amnesia in fact, until my brain started working again. Scary at any age, even now. I will be 57 this month and they still scare me. The best thing to do is talk, and keep talking. And if they want to sleep, let them. I always wanted to know what happened, so my family always told me, and I was never shy about talking about it to people who had seen me have one. It seemed to ease them a little, and you could do some teaching about it at the same time. Stress seems to be a trigger for my seizures as well, so I try to be as stress free as possible.
Don't know if any of this has helped, hope so. If your child has seizures, just be sure to let them know that you love them just the same. That's important. And knowing as much as you can about your child's condition, and letting the child know. That way they learn that there is nothing to be ashamed of.. My oldest son has epilepsy, and they are watching their children, just in case. My youngest son is o.k., but his son has had seizures, but may grow out of them. Again, are keeping a close watch on him. Knowing that their mother has epilepsy helped my son get diagnosed and on medication much quicker than it would have taken. The only injuries I have gotten have been scrapes, bumps and bruises. I have been very lucky, but do not drive anymore. And make sure that I have taken my medication before walking my dogs. Good luck to everyone who has seizures, and to their families. It can be stressful for all, but you will learn to deal with it, and live with it.

Nicole - posted on 02/10/2010

My son is 5. He has been taking Depokote sprinkles for 2 and 1/2 years. He has never had a seizure since taking the medicine. I was very scared about the side affects at first-which is kidney failure but if we followed the dr's dosage and had his blood drawn twice. He is fine.

Wydna - posted on 02/08/2010

My daughter Candice is 27 years old. Candice is on Depakote for afew year. During her pregnancy the Dr weans her off and after delivery he puts her back on them. She is also on Keppra. Lamictal was not good for her because once her body would adjust to the dosage she would have a seizure.

Desiree - posted on 02/08/2010

Hi colleen,
My son started having seizures at about 9 yrs old, he was steady on depakote for about 3yrs now. The doctors had to combine it with keppra to control the big seizures. This sat that just passed, his depakote level dropped so low that he fell face first into the tub and went into a seizure. I had to call for paramedics and we are snowed in, so they had to walk up the hill to the house and then carry him back to the ambulance. It took us almost 45 mins to get to the hospital from my house. It was a scary experience. My son had a knot on his head and a gash in his tongue from the fall and seizure. Make sure that the depakote stays dormant in his system.

Amy - posted on 02/03/2010

My 7 year old has been on Depakote for 2 years and was on a study which found that most kids side effects were most of them were always hungry. Some experienced problems with ADHD. My son also is one that has to take ADHD medication.

Praise the lord today they said were gonna try to wean him off this dapokote cause her had been seizure free with medication for over 2 years.. Praying the lord allows him to not need it anymore. Good luck. Hope it works for him.

Jess - posted on 02/03/2010

my son has been on depakote for 2 years and has not had a seizure since being put on it. he gained quite a bit of weight at first but has now lost most of it. he is also on two other meds for behavioral problems and adhd so not sure if its the combon of the three or not. the only other side effect is that he sleeps @ 12 hours a night

April - posted on 01/28/2010

My son Cody was on Depakote for about 2 years but was taken off of it due to the time a person needs to be off of it during surgery. If your child has lots of surgery's then Depakote may not be for them. It works for seizures but from what my surgeon said it doesn't allow the blood to flow properly. Works great other than that. We were taken off that and felbatol. Now on Banzel and a Canadan drug called Clobazam. That one works the best soooo far. Good luck.

Lindsey - posted on 01/26/2010

My daughter was on Depakote for four months and in the first month is was great. The "honeymoon" stage as her doctor put it. I noticed she started slurring her speech and got frustrated so didn't talk much at all. Be very careful. It is a very powerful drug. She also couldn't seem to remember anything.

Christy - posted on 01/24/2010

My son was on Depakote for awhile and I have done much research on it and the effects that it has on memory. It does work wonders for the seizure activity- but it also effects memory- just be careful!

Fran - posted on 01/24/2010

Does anyone in this group have a child with Sturge Weber Syndrome? I have a 39 yr. old son.

Angel - posted on 01/24/2010

they have my daughter who is 13 has ahd seizures since she was 8 mths she has been on different meds through out the years and they have had her on combination meds and up til jan1 2010 she was seizure free for 2 1/2 years with the meds keppra,depekene,and trileptal she was on 5 meds 3 times a day and we also went to hospital and stayed for 2 weeks in epileptic center in Nashville,tn and she has seizure activity all the time.I have researched alot of meds and this combination seems to hold her she is doing well in school note she also has behavioral problems but keeping keppra levels low and dpekene levels high 120 she is a b student.

Miranda - posted on 01/24/2010

I have a 20 year old son with Cerebral palsy. He's been on Depakote sprinkles since he was 5. He still has at least 2 seizures a week but the doctors feel that that's ok. He takes 6 capsules daily. I feel the Depakote works well other than the 2 seizures which are petit mal.

STEPHANIE - posted on 01/23/2010

MY DAUGHTER WAS ON DEPAKOTE FOR A SHORT TIME AND IT NEVER HELPED.THE ONLY MED THAT HAS HELPED IS LAMICTAL. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH DEPAKOTE IS WEIGHT GAIN AND MOOD SWINGS.BUT THEN AGAIN EACH CHILD WILL RESPOND DIFFERENTLY

Michelle - posted on 01/23/2010

My son (4 years old) has Frontal Lobe Epilepsy and also MOSTLY seizes at night. He is on a combination of Depakote and Lamictal. It's working great! No major side affects, except for the hunger,and most important...no seizures! Depakote alone, however, did not work for my son. He's been on seizure meds since he was 8 months old and so far this is the only combination that has worked. He also takes Levocarnatine to protect his liver from the meds. Good luck!!!

Wendy - posted on 01/22/2010

Hi Colleen,
My daughter was put on Depakote (Valproic Acid) at 13 months old. Today she is 7 1/2 and has used it this entire time with great seizure control and the only side effect being that maybe she gets a little tired at the end of the day and she has seemed to have poor appetite control. She can't really seem to know when she is full so we watch that closely. In these 6+ years she has only had 3 mild breakthrough seizures. She has done so well that we have recently been given the green light to see if she can go seizure free without meds. We'll see how that goes. What i really wanted to say is that my husband is a chemist and he did a lotof research before agreeing to put her on Depakote and it seems to be the anti convulsant with the least amount of side effects and the most amount of study data. It has been used on very young children for years so it is very safe. Your son will still probably have to have his liver values and Depakote levels checked regularly for a while but once he goes a while with no negative indications he won't have to have blood work done except annually (another upside)

Nicole - posted on 01/22/2010

My 12 year old daughter has been on 500 mg of Depakote daily for almost 3 years. She has Lennox-Gastaut Syndrom and her seizures are intractible. We have a combination of medications as well as a VNS and - until the VNS hit the 5 1/2 year mark - she was down to only one seizure every few nights and no drop seizures for almost 2 years and the only time there was "extra activity", her Dep levels were low from either missing a dose or weight change. Just don't forget to check your son's liver levels as directed by your doctor! I hope you find that Depakote works well for you!



By the way, don't be afraid either if your neuro develops a cocktail of meds. The combo of Keppra, Felbatol and Depakote seem to be my daughter's miracle in conjunction with her VNS. She's slightly delayed (about 2 years) due to the years it took to fully diagnose her disorder, but she's a vibrant, talkative (almost too much!), pre-teen (13 in 2 weeks) and you'd never know that before she was on that cocktail she rarely spoke or interacted with others, slept her days away, and had no interest in life.



Commenting on Debbi Bauer's alert that a side-effect of Depakote is hunger - SO TRUE!!! Combining it with a buffer med helps, though.



Wishing you all the best as you continue on your journey to better health for your son!

Marcia - posted on 01/22/2010

My son is on Depakote ER and has been on it for about six years. It works wonders only if he takes it. He's 14 and you have to remind him to take it. It controls his seizures very well. If he takes it properly it works wonders he hasn't had a seizure in a long time. He has three different types of seizures and the medication works wonders. I hope your son and you have a good expericne with it as well as my son and I have had. Good luck

Rachel - posted on 01/22/2010

We have been using Depakote (both extended release and the sprinkles) for years with good success. Our 12 year old started using the sprinkles at 22 months. We have had good success. We needed to add the Depakote ER three years ago to help keep his therapeutic levels up and steady, and it seems to be working. We also use trileptal, and this has really helped to take care of the complex partial seizures breaking through. Our son has multiple seizure patterns, and I can't imagine where we would be without Depakote. We have not experienced any side effects, and he was on fairly heavy dosages for years prior to adding the Trileptal. Good luck, and I hope that it works as well for Jacob!

Debbi - posted on 01/22/2010

Depakote is wonderful. For years it was the only medication that prevented her seizures. Watch out, one of the side affects is you always feel hungry. She would eat constently.

Zulema - posted on 01/20/2010

My dauther is 10 years old and she has been doing great with Depakote only on seizurein one year but I think she was taking it ones a day it 2 times a day.She said she forgot to take it.

Elspeth - posted on 01/20/2010

Reilly-10-has been on Depakote since he was 6. It didn't work great at first, but when we combined it with clonazepam at 6 1/2 the seizures stopped completely. He didn't have another one until Halloween time of 2008. This is because we tried to wean him off the Clonazepam. We put him right back on the original dosage and he's been fine.

Shelly - posted on 01/18/2010

my son brandon is on depakote for seizures- he has been on it for awhile- and it helped him tremendously- he was diagnosed with tuberous sclerosis 6 and a half years ago.