My 14 y/o daughter was hospitalized in January and diagnoised Rapid Cycle Bi-Polar,with auditory hallucinations. We tried lots of different meds (Geodon,which was very very scary!!! Abilify-which did not stop the voices, and currently on Seroquel-which is working great!) but the one consistant med has been the Depakote. 500mg in the AM and 750mg in the PM, and it has been wonderful at keeping her fairly stable mood wise, no more massive manic ups and downs. The downside to this medication has been the drastic weight gain and some hair loss, but other then that, this drug has definitely made a huge difference in her moods.

With this medication and talk therapy, I feel great. I sleep more, though (need about 9-10 hours a night), am a bit more flaky and clumsy, and have gained 25 lbs in 6 months. Don't love the weight gain. May look into other similar drugs with less weight gain side effects.

I find it helpful in controlling severe mood swings. The best part for me is the weight gain. I've always been underweight and now I am able to fill out a pair of jeans WELL. This in turn helps with the low esteem I have had with myself.