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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Depakote and New Neuro Update
        
(Message started by: justin on Jun 18^th, 2002, 4:23pm)

Title: Depakote and New Neuro Update
Post by justin on Jun 18^th, 2002, 4:23pm

well i went to see one of the suppossed best neuros in new york for headahces and clusters. i've seen a number of articles written by him and on him including a recent one in new york magazine. he was great. he knew a lot and was very supportive and optomistic that we were gonna find the right thing to make the pain go away. Dr. Lawrence Newman at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital if anyone wants to know.

basically he suggested that i was on the wrong formulation of depakote and too low a dose. so he raised me from 1000mg ot 1500mg and switched me to the extended release formulation. so i just take 3 pills at night. the short release was wearing off and letting CH's through in the afternoon and at night, he thought. i'm also on 600 mg of diltiazem (it's similar to verapamil) per day, but i'm hoping to wean off that if the depakote shows to work.

anyone else have varied success with short or long form depakote? was 1500mg enough. he seemed to think 1500-3000mg was needed for clusters.

Title: Re: Depakote and New Neuro Update
Post by Linda T on Jun 18^th, 2002, 6:54pm

Dear Justin: I started with 500mg depakote. I don't know whether it was long acting or not, sorry. After 5 weeks I went to 1000mg. I'm sorry to say that it did not help me. I felt like the attacks were getting worse. Of course there is no way to tell if I would have gotten 8 attacks per day without the depakote.

The depakote has some really funky side effects - like your inability to speak properly. I'm sure many people must have thought I was continuously stoned. It also made me extremely clumsy and uncoordinated. My neuro also warned me of weight gain, tremors and hair loss. Guess it beats the ch anyway.

Good luck - hope it works for you. Wishing you PFDAN always, Linda T

Title: Re: Depakote and New Neuro Update
Post by simpson1974 on Jun 18^th, 2002, 9:39pm

I'm having luck with Depakote 1000 mg ER right now. I was also taking Midrin, inderal, and I was on a cycle of prednisone, as well, but I'm basically just on Depakote, now. Either it's working or my cycle has broken... hard to say, but I think it's the medicine.