Depakote for dementia? Seems wrong for my Mom, but curious as to others' experience.

The most useful thing about asking an online chat forum for stories about experiences with drugs is that it reminds you how variable reactions can be. Don't take advice from it about what to do -- use it to inspire you to pay close attention and ask good questions.

Depakote is very dangerous for the heart has caused serious conditions with the heart even in patient with heart trouble it can cause hallucination and dreams so horrifying that it can kill them I have heart conditions and they put me on it within 1 month my conditions worsened mentally and physically I checked with another cardiologist and we took me off go on web md and read carefully all u can about it and see if there has ever been recalls or llamas suits partaining to the drug. If u don't like what u find tm to doc about the concern. Glad I did
Good luck and good caring

IBlank5255, my Mom was put on Depakote and it was a dream come true. She was so aggitated, agressive and moody and this calmed her right down beautifully. I have never heard anything bad other than the message above. My Moms neurologist is the chief neurologist at our hospital and said depakote is the safest drug for dementia/alz patients and doesnt believe in antipsychotics like seraquel, says they are black labeled as dangerous for dementia . The first month on depakote she was very tired, then fine. She was a totally different person on it, calm and happy, even laughed and sang on it. I retired as a teacher and had many students on it with adhd who were on 3 times my moms dosage. Its an antiseizure medication to calm the brain, also used to calming dementia/alz brains. My Mom was on the sprinkles, I opened the capsules and put in pudding 3 times a day. Each time after about a year I tried reducing it and within days that anger was back and I put her on it again. Eventually I weaned her off to 2x a day, then nightly, then off, and she was fine as that agressive moodiness stage had passed after about 2 years. Mom lives with me so I watch her 24/7 in my home. There is no rhyme or reason for good and bad days with dementia, you will have that forever but on this med you wont see anger and she will be calmer, it takes a while to kick in. I didnt want to use any medication but to my surprise my Mom was happier on pills, than off pills. Dont be afraid, its very commonly prescribed for dementia if you have a good neurologist. Ask any adult daycare worker nurse how often they give it and you will see. Good Luck, this stage will pass and she will not need the klonopin anymore, which can make them unsteady on their feed and lots of ups and downs. The stares are also common, just hold her hand and be with her, put on music or sing, just be with her and she will be okay.
ps change of environment for dementia patients can be devastating and scary ! They get lonely, depressed and more confused. My doctor told the closest I can have Mom with one face/one place is best.

Depakote is used to treat aggression in dementia patients it works well for some and not for others this is true for all medication and if you read up on any medication there will be potential side effects to them most not good ones you then have to decide if the "sugar is worth the sweet" in other words is the benefit worth the possible side effect. There is no "magic pill" out there that will work on all issues and patients with dementia.

Depakote was originally used for seizures, then when people began taking it, doctors saw that it also acted as a mood leveler for some patients.so they began prescribing it for mood problems. My son took it for seizures and it did have this effect on him which was a great side effect to experience.

I guess we didn't give the Depakote a fair try; apparently it takes awhile to work up to a dose that fits. I hated the way mom was on it and felt she was not angry/out of control enough to keep her on it plus didn't care for the way we were treated by the snotty know-it-all nurse the neurologist had taking care of us. My solution was to ditch the neurologist for a gerontologist with the goal of getting mom off some of her meds. We did this and for now, at least, things are better. Not sure what the gerontologist when and if mom gets wild and crazy again and stays there, will just have to see. When she is extra hyper, I still have a ton of the mirtazapine. One of those will give her a decent night's sleep, and that works for both of us.

Depakote is an anti-seizure drug, but used also in bipolar disorder. Having tried this once, I would not recommend it at all! Suggest trying Lithium in small doses if the NP thinks your mom is having mood swings. Try something that is an ion before giving a medication that is really going to change the way the brain reacts with many side effects. Lithium evens out moods, is non habit-forming and might help your mother, however, unless this NP is well-educated in mood disorders, I would get your mother to a geriatric psychiatrist to help. I've taken Lithium for over 40 years,get a dry mouth, have to check my kidney and thyroid functions, but it does the trick (for me). I just drink lots of water which is a good thing. Lithium is also the most studied, longest prescribed med for mood swings throughout the world. Simply the gold standard. It will also elevate depressive moods all-in-one, plus used for migraines. If one has a bad reaction to a drug, that is telling you not take it, but you decide.

My mom had a horrible reaction to Depakote! I remember that my mother's lethargy scared me. She too, was feisty, mean at imes, extremely agitated and at times aggresive. This drug subdued her to the point where she became almost rance-like and her neck began to hang.
Please beware of pschotropic drugs, the dosages and uses. Psychotropic drugs are not supposed to be used to control negative behavior. Many times, these drugs are prescribed for convenience.
I agree 100% with Ferris1. Finding a good geriatric psychiatrist who is willing to spend more than 5 minutes assessing your mom's reaction to the varying drugs and dosages. In addition, many times the general practiioner will prescribe a drug that will cause negative interactions when combined with psychotropic drugs. You may wonder how this could possibly occur. Well, the elderly are treated in pieces with one hand not necessarily knowing what the other hand is or has already done. I implore you to stay abreast of all medication changes, do your own homework, talk to pharmacists in your community, and read the Drug Interation Reference Guide. Above all, ask good questions over and over until you understand.

My husband has senile dementia--aggressive and extreme anxiety/agitation had to call police several times he attacked me. i have limited his meds---the geriatric psych and geriatric internist used depakote which was the ONLY thing that changed his behavior enough to make him docile, not a zombie, so i can keep him for now at home. he is a very difficult contrary person very controlling not a great husband---too bad he didnt have this drug 20 yrs ago he would have been a better husband! for me depakote is a life saver---he occasionally gets agitated to the point of scary but not nearly like before and he is not as depressed or dark as he was before taking depakote. he does have blood tests to check liver, etc...and the dose has to be modified now and again..we are at 500mg 3x a day per his doctors but have to re-evaluate as he had some behavior issues at daycare---i was given aricept (ICK-agitated him) risperidone (made him feel sick so quit after 3 days besides, its black box), trazadone which worried me combining w other stuff and didnt seem to do anything, exelon patch -horrid skin reaction----since there is no cure i refuse to put him on stuff that makes him feel bad. he tolerates depakote well and as long as i can keep adjusting w doctors as his behavior changes, i think it has given me a chance to care for him longer. neurologist said no benzos, so we have never used those; i stay away from risperidone, haldol seroquel etc..as depakote seems to be the answer for now. he also uses supplements and has a good diet.

I am so glad that I came across this post regarding Depakote. Just yesterday Dad's Geriatric Psychiatrist put him on it. 2 weeks ago he was put on Klonapin? for his severe anxiety. A dose at 9 AM abd then PRN. Last week I was there to visit on Sunday evening and he was awful. So anxious he was calling out to everyone. In the Activity Room at his NH, he had every patient around him upset, which in turn made him even more upset and anxious. They gave him Klonapin and an hour later he was just as bad. Monday morning I called the Psychiatrist. Now they increased it to every 6 hours. He would come in to see him on Friday. Yesterday, I was there at noon to make sure I saw him. Looked at Dad and nope, no more Klonapin. Now giving him Depakote, in a very small dose. We'll see how it works. He's been aggressive with the nurses and other patients. Fell out of bed last week and tore open his elbow. His skin is so thin that it tears easily. 3 areas are torn. It's bandaged and the nurse wanted to show me when she changed his bandage. He would have none of that. I guess when he went to sleep maybe she changed it.

Also...,the last 2 weeks I noticed his right eye closed. The NH says they think when he's anxious and does the pursed lip breathing and the hand tremors are worse on the right side,the eye closed. OK....yesterday he was not doing the pl breathing, but the eye was closed. I have a call into the eye doctor to see him. Could be his macular degeneration or my own opinion...a series of TIA's. Maybe even the muscle that controls the eyelid. At 97 and end stage Dementia, on pudding pureed foods and occasionally choking on them...all I ask for at this point is for him to be comfortable. Gosh....it's a hard road...this Dementia road...