Posted by Ritch on February 18, 2005, at 21:45:42
In reply to Re: Depakote side-effect is it normal?, posted by catmint on February 18, 2005, at 10:23:17
> Hi,
> I have been on 250 ER for about a month. I do notice the muscle weakness and because I am athletic, I think I might take it every other day.
>
> Twice now, I have been having a strange thing happen to me at work. I will be walking along and all of a sudden it feels like the floor drops under me or like their is mild tremor, or like I'm going to faint. I did also have some nausea while this was happening.
>
> Do you guys think i'ts the Depakote? Have you ever had anything like this? I'm also on Lamictal.
>
> Thanks,
> Amy
Wow, that's hard to say what is causing what. I've never taken Lamictal so I can't propose that it is a smoking gun in that respect. There are for *sure* things musculoskeletal-wise that happen adversely with me and Depakote, however. It causes a *left-side only* hand tremor. It is fairly light, but if I increase dosage it starts becoming visible-if I try to hold my left hand out straight and still. If I try to hold a phone with my left hand against my head, my hand starts to "flutter" and makes it difficult to hold there. Also, my *left leg* gets nerve zaps, where it feels like a cell phone on vibrate mode is going off in a stream from the top of my leg down through my left foot. Annoying, but not debilitating. Also, on the *RIGHT* side I get a generalized "fluttering" in my right eyelid area. I looked it up once and it's called "chorea". Certain OTHER meds taken with Depakote seem to enhance these "tremors" or "flutters". Cymbalta caused an outright eye stye (in the right eye). Celexa (esp. at higher doses) aggravates all of the left-sided ones. A lot of the musculoskeletal things I've experienced over the last few years are probably attributable to Depakote.. mostly interacting with the other meds. If it is a tremor thing... I would guess the Depakote. I also get "twitchies" from it. Sudden flurries of muscle movement (mostly in the legs). Just an FYI, but lithium would give me big twitches in my legs and some cramps (deep tendon reflexes). Just a guess, but I suppose it is sodium channel blockades. Wild speculation there, don't know.
poster:Ritch
thread:457547
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050217/msgs/460175.html