"although reading the possible side effects can be scary, this medicine gave me my life back. i had a little hair loss, at doses above 1000mg, but it&#039;s been great in stabilizing my mood swings. if i go off of it, i have an episode within a month. i had no weight gain (actually lost weight i had gained from taking seroquel previously). i take it with wellbutrin sr and a little abilify.  but the depakote is by far the most effective. i&#039;ve been on it for over 3 years."