death from depakote

[Susan]

HI,
I'm sorry about everyone's story. I have a 10 year old daughter who was just put on Depakote Er and now I'm really struggling with keeping her on it. She doesn't need anymore troubles. Thanks for taking the time to post so we can see what people go through on this medications!

[Susan]

Depakote made me feel very depressed and suicidal, never having these feelings before starting the drug. I am so sorry about your son.
I would look to Deakote side effects for your answer.

[chris]

Connie wrote:

My Daughter has been on Depakote ever since it was given FDA approval to be given to patiets for severe cluster seizures. In February she almost died from Severe Pancreatitus (the life threatening form). Her liver was also and is still inflammed (eyes still tinged yellow). Doctors removed her Gallbladder but did not find a logged stone while the Gallbladder did have some stones in it. Pancreas tissue has died away and she suffered so horribly as the pain would not subside even with Morphine injections. The burning enzymes(like stomach acid)loose in her body cavity tortured her. It had to be drained through away from her collapsing lungs. She was hospitalized for almost six weeks. She is home and is doing better and still on the Depakote. While I still wonder..Was it the Depakote?
I feel it's a catch 22. Depakote has been the only seizure drug to ever give her any relief from the seizures. While it could be killing her (possibly),it is also the only thing that ever helped her (and yes we have tried everything seizure drug available). Sadly, it is not a perfect world for any of us as much as I wish it could be. And things are much rougher for some than others. But from the bottom of my heart, I blame No Doctor or the drug. I believe it was created and given with the best of intensions.. My best wishes to each of you for better days.

medical marijuana is legal for epilesy my dad has it fda drug will only hurt your body and mind marijuana has been on this planet for longer than humans try it works for me!!!!!!!

[chris]

Susan wrote:

Depakote made me feel very depressed and suicidal, never having these feelings before starting the drug. I am so sorry about your son.
I would look to Deakote side effects for your answer.

don't take depikote it will kill you slowly or make you kill yourself fda drugs are fake they only make billions for bad people and plus try natural medicine marijuana has been on this planet longer longer than human plus all of the big civilizations of the past used it for medicine read into it the fda knows it works and that why its illegal NORML HAS YOUR ANSWERS

[Josephine]

I thought it was just me. I haven't been on it for very long, but I am on it for bipolar because nothing else works for me. This isn't working either. I want to die, more than I ever have before. My friends, college, my family, my 'future'... it just doesn't seem to matter. The idea of going to work or class gives me anxiety attacks and seems like too much effort. I don't know what to do. I could keep taking it and be at risk of killing myself or try to switch meds, AGAIN, and want to kill myself anyway.

[mitchell]

hey all, i take 1750mg of Depakote daily for quite severe bipolar disorder. I have been on it for a year and i can honestly say that its changed my life. I'm now happy and confident, a total contrast to the me before. Apart from putting on a few pounds and green pee I dont have any noticeable side effects. I know it isnt for everyone but for now it works. I dont know long this will last but i cant go back to the way i was

[jennifer]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss, I have been taking depakote for the past 13 years i started when i was 12 years of age and i have been seeing a doctor out here in ca for the last two years and this past week i had to change doctors for the simple fact that depakote and zyprexa are making me feel unbelieveably crazier than i was when i had first started taking it and now i have a new doctor that is concerned about my weight and my liver

[bemcmillen]

My husband committed suicide 2 weeks after starting depakote. He became aggressive and was drinking alcohol on top of the depakote. I truly believe the depakote caused his death.

[Jeff]

I am going leave tonight. As soon as the wife and kids are in bed I am going to take about 40 500 mg depakote ER's. I pray I go to sleep and not wake up. I am done with this life.

[Margaret]

I've been off Depakote for 9 years and feel I will never recover from the effects. It may be a good drug for a few people but it is widely prescribed for people whose symptoms do not require it. Doctors have gotten very irresponsible about diagnosing, just prescribing the drug of the month to make the patient go away. They need to man up and quit making people sick!

[Marc]

I have read through the posts as I have recently been put on Depakote. I have seen deaths, seizures, and loss of interest mentioned here many times. I am currently taking myself off the drug carefully and slowly as it has 1) slowed my thought process (as an analyst I cannot afford this); 2) taken the high spikes off of my emotional line leaving me with only numb to negative emotions all day and every day.

I was put on it because the Cymbalta was not helping with PTSD related symptoms any more. The facility also needed a way to sedate me without really sedating me. I can now sleep. I now remember dreams. I do not recall anything happy from my 40 years on this planet. I am numb. I am depressed. I am coming off of this drug.

[Margaret]

Depakote dulled my mind in very odd ways. I began not recognizing people I knew very well (once, my ooldest son!) when I would run into them. Only after they spoke to me would I know who they were. It happened to me a couple of times before I realized how serious it was. It has been 9 years since I came off Depakote, had my gallbladder removed, although I never had problems before i took the drug. I believe the company that makes it rewards doctors who prescribe it. I helped myself by weaning myself off of it and relying on natural remedies to get better. I do not go to medical doctors anymore. I developed Fibromyalgia taking the drug and am beating back the syndrome with natural remedies. Iam getting better. I think.

[dmoore]

My son died while on Depakote ER on Nov 8,2007. His doctor had put him on it only a few months before. We came home from the book store and found him in his room. He was 21. He was a really good kid and had no other drugs in his system when he died. I just wonder if the Depakote was resposible and what I can do about it. His level was just below the therapeutic level. I wonder if it just didn't control his seizures well enough or if something else was going on. His organs were all donated and I have no information on their condition. The medical examiner just said, accidental death, cause unknown, history of seizure disorder. Does anyone have information or advise for me?

[Bryce OGuinn]

dmoore wrote:

My son died while on Depakote ER on Nov 8,2007. His doctor had put him on it only a few months before. We came home from the book store and found him in his room. He was 21. He was a really good kid and had no other drugs in his system when he died. I just wonder if the Depakote was resposible and what I can do about it. His level was just below the therapeutic level. I wonder if it just didn't control his seizures well enough or if something else was going on. His organs were all donated and I have no information on their condition. The medical examiner just said, accidental death, cause unknown, history of seizure disorder. Does anyone have information or advise for me?

First, I'd like to say how sorry I am about your son. Given my experiences and what I know about Depakote, it’s likely his death was completely avoidable.

Please read this carefully, because my advice is to go after the man who prescribed the medication. A Dr. Paul Jacobson in Vancouver, WA diagnosed me with complex partial seizures. However, my EEG's showed no seizures at all, yet Jacobson falsely stated they did show them instead of admitting he misdiagnosed me. I was already on Depakote for migraines. Jacobson decided to up the Depakote dose and use it as an anti-seizure medication. Since he was treating the wrong disorder, things got worse. He continued to increase my dose above the legal limit and noted he was comfortable over prescribing the drug because my body was used to it. I developed a thyroid condition, gained 63 pounds, developed sleep disorders, suffered impotence, and became infertile (my sperm count tested very low). Jacobson took none of it seriously. My wife researched Depakote on a number of medical websites, and when I brought her findings to Jacobson, he told me believing what’s on the web was like reading the National Inquirer. Finally, my wife came in and explained how sick Depekote was making me. Jacobson acted like this was news to him, but finally took me off Depakote. I went through massive withdrawal affects for months. Soon, I was fertile again, my thyroid condition disappeared, and I lost 50 pounds.

A year later, I was admitted to the ER with gall stones the size of golf balls that came loose and lodged in my liver duct. This came very close to killing me. My gall bladder had to be removed, and my surgeon confirmed Depakote could have been the cause.

Then, last month, Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) determined I don't have epilepsy at all. This is when I obtained a copy of all of Jacobson’s notes and discovered he’d lied about my EEG results. The actual disorder I have is somadiform disorder, which is trauma that manifests as physical symptoms. In my case, the symptoms were blackouts. Also, somadiform is treated with therapy, not medication.

These were the symptoms Jacobson concluded years before were complex partial seizures, but it wasn't until after he increased the Depakote above the legal limit that I started having convulsions. In essence, Jacobson took a case of trauma and created a seizure disorder. Needless to say, I stopped seeing Jacobson after my stay at OHSU.

The fact is, when my EEG's showed normal, Jacobson should have informed me, so I could go to my physician for a referral to a different type of specialist. There are also digestive disorders that cause seizure symptoms, and drugs like Depakote make the disorders worse.

Depakote is extremely toxic and 27.27% of patients who take it develop problems with their gall bladder. It is known to cause digestive issues, liver damage, suicide, hallucinations, etc. I currently have a feline esophagus, which is very painful and causes my throat to constrict regularly, and it’s not curable. I believe Depakote is the reason since all my digestive problems manifested while on Depakote.

[Margaret]

barbara wrote:

iwould like to know if any relative or friend or anyone you know has died from complications from the drug depakote? this is very important to me because my son i feel did,

I am so sorry for your son's death. I was prescribed for several years on the drug and think it was killing me, ruined my brain. I think that Dr.'s don't take enough responsibility for the stuff they prescribe. The allow themselves to be educated by the spin doctors retained by the drug manufacturers. Hopefully Dr.s will be alerted and stop handing out Depakote as a cureall. I am sure it is good for somethings, but it is prescribed to freely.

[dmoore]

Thank you for your response. I have no evidence of organ damage from Depakote because his organs were donated. I will never have a loved one's organs donated again. The medical examiner would not even do the autopsy that was required by law because of his age and cirucmstances. He said, "there wasn't enough of him left to do an autopsy". His brain was there....isn't that the organ that is involved in seizure disorder? I don't know what to do. Because of the poor job done by the medical examiner, our accidental death policy wouldn't pay. Just the words, "History of seizure disorder" on the death cert. was their excuse for not paying. We had co-signed on a new car for him and he had some credit card debt (small amount but still had to be paid). That would have been very helpful in paying off his debt. If anyone has an accidental death policy with MetLife, through their company....and you have a seizure disorder....you might want to read the fine print on the policy.

[Nina]

This is horrible to hear =/. I was on seroquel and couldn't function because I was so tired and my mind was numbed. So i took myself off of it slowly and during my doctors visit the doctor put me on Depakote. I was weary, but said I'd be willing to give it a try. I took one yesterday. I guess I'll have to continue taking it and see what it does? then call the doctor if i want to get off of it.

[Someone With Snap]

If anyone has an accidental death policy with MetLife, through their company....and you have a seizure disorder....you might want to read the fine print on the policy.
==========
An accidental death policy is just that. It does not cover illness or disease. It covers things like being hit by a car or falling off a roof, Accidents. You paid a lower premium for it than a regular life insurance policy. That is why the Metlife did not pay.

[Jered]

My brother John took depakote for three years and was worried when his doctor told him to switch to the generic brand but did as the doctor prescribed one week later my father found him slunched over in a chair in the ofice and his autopsy showed no reason for a healthy 30 year old man to pass we have no answers and are searching for some kind of closure we just burried him in Coeur d'alene Idaho we miss him very much

[Jered]

my brother john was taking depakote for three years. the other day my dad found himslunched over in his ofice dead. now to back up a bit he never liked how this drug made him feel (not feel). he gained weight and became kinda inactive. he recently combated theese side afects rejoined his dojo and completly changed his diet. he was very proud of theese changes and was quoted as saying i feel beter than i have for ten years. so to the point after all this the only negative thing was depakote. oh ya john was 30 years old and his autopsy showed no medical reason for his death we miss him greatly just burried him in coeur d'alene idaho 11-7-09 does anyone else have a story like this