45th Depakote Update - Feeling Bad

Posted in:

Depakote (Valproate)Support

August 25, 2026

Feeling bad. Been having bouts of fatigue and flu-like symptoms. What is the chance that I will heal 100%? You know my history. I got better, and the chance that I heal 100% is very high, right??? Taking super extra extra patient and slow approach to health. That means holding these meds for more and more months. I should probably cut by one med (down to 3 meds) sometime next year and drop one more med one year after that.

Wolf’s taper progress

Dose (mg)

Mood (/10)

Prozac — 40 mg — 6 months — holding | Zyprexa — 20 mg — 6 years — holding | Depakote — 600 mg — 8 months — **tapering** | Buspirone — 20 mg — 8 months — holding | with clinician
"If life is painful, start a rebellion and make it good."

4 Replies

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CatinaAug 25

Community AnchorEffexor

"What is the chance that I will heal 100%? You know my history. I got better, and the chance that I heal 100% is very high, right???" — @Wolf

Of course you're going to heal! It may not be today or tomorrow, but in time you will. It just takes longer than we would like. You're dealing with multiple drugs, which makes things a bit more complicated, but you're taking things slow and being cautious about everything. Slow and steady wins the race!

Venlafaxine (tapering) - Current dose 16.64 mg
Trazodone - 50 mg
Synthroid - 25 mcg

“Your brain and body know how to heal. Trust the process and keep going.”

Please Note: I am not a healthcare professional. Any advice given is based on personal experience and that of others in the lay withdrawal community.

WolfAug 25

Community AnchorProzac · researching

"You're dealing with multiple drugs, which makes things a bit more complicated" — @Catina

I was in a patient in a psychiatric ward last year and that is how I ended on multiple drugs. At first, the doctors failed to give me anything that would help me and I got worse, but after my repeated complaints and repeated failures to put me on good meds, they actually started to listen to me and put me on very classic and very effective set of meds.

WolfAug 25

Community AnchorProzac · researching

I mean, Prozac is the most popular antidepressant, Zyprexa is the most popular AP, and depakote is the most popular mood stabilizer. That is what i mean by classic. There is probably a good reason why doctors prefer to prescribe these and not other meds.

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BasedStaffAug 26

Community AnchorEffexor

Wolf, I hear the fear underneath that question. Nobody can promise you a specific outcome, but your history of getting better while holding and going slow is real evidence that your body knows how to heal. Catina's right that multiple meds complicate things, but your plan to cut one med next year and another the year after is the right appraoch that gives your nervous system the best shot. Those flu-like symptoms and fatigue are par for the course during holds, especially with Depakote in the mix.

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