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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Warning: Depakote and high blood ammonia
        
(Message started by: pierrejill on Mar 15^th, 2008, 9:36pm)

Title: Warning: Depakote and high blood ammonia
Post by pierrejill on Mar 15^th, 2008, 9:36pm

Just thought I would share my unusual experience with depakote:

I had only been on it for 10 days and it seemed to be working...the frequency of my attacks had lessened and for 1 night I didn't even get an attack.

My mother was in town and I was tired of her starring at me helplessly, so my wife took her away for 8 hours. My wife tells me that when she returned, she thought I had had a stroke or something because I was completely incoordinated, couldn't speak well, and didn't understand her. When I announced that I didn't know where the silverware was located (we have lived in this house for over 4 years) and asked where the second dog was (I have never had more than one dog and lord help me my wife is a vet and would love to have another dog, so this was almost a fatal error on my part), she rushed me to the hospital.

At the hospital, I didn't know where I was, what my birthday was, the year and a lot of other simple questions. Luckily there was an intelligent doctor there who recognized my symptoms: encephalopathy due to high ammonia blood levels.

For some unknown mechanism, depakote can cause the retention of ammonia in the blood which makes you (as my wife stated) mentally retarded. Interestingly, my ammonia levels were only 3 points higher than normal but by the next morning I was 10 times higher than normal.

The hospital told my wife that if I had taken another dose of depakote, I probably would have been in a coma by morning and might have died.

So anyone taking depakote, make sure someone keeps an eye on you. This is not a dose dependent issue...any dose can do it (my blood depakote levels were low normal!!).

Title: Re: Warning: Depakote and high blood ammonia
Post by Trooper on Mar 15^th, 2008, 9:53pm

You bring up a very important point. ANYONE TAKING THIS DRUG NEEDS TO HAVE ROUTINE BLOOD WORK DONE. The first time I was perscribed Depakote by a specialist, I was required to come in once a week for blood test for a full month, then just once each month after that while I was on it. The second year I was on Depakote it was perscribed by a PCP. She just followed the same script I had been on the year before. She never mentioned the bloodwork but I knew better. If I would not have insisted on it, it would never have been done.

Title: Re: Warning: Depakote and high blood ammonia
Post by E-Double on Mar 15^th, 2008, 9:57pm

Gald you're ok.

If taking preventatives our blood levels should be checked on a regular basis.

some do not develop adverse effects while others lie you or myslef may experience some bad ones.

Title: Re: Warning: Depakote and high blood ammonia
Post by pierrejill on Mar 15^th, 2008, 10:08pm

Good point about the bloodwork monitoring...

I also wanted to point out that my liver values were normal...so make sure they include an ammonia level not just liver levels!!

Title: Re: Warning: Depakote and high blood ammonia
Post by beachmusic on Mar 16^th, 2008, 8:59am

Thanks for that very important information. Been on it 3 months now and nobody has checked mine.
Thank goodness for you that your wife came in time to check on you!!!