"i am a female, first diagnosed at age 19 with bipolar disorder. they first tried zyprexa which i had a horrible reaction to. the depakote made me feel like a zombie for months, until it brought me back down to &quot;normal&quot;. i stayed on approx 500 mg/day for almost 6 years, then backing down to 250mg until i stopped. i had started to feel depressed at 31 and was put on lexapro, this led to a manic episode within a few months. alas i am back on depakote 500mg/ day. it has saved me. luckily no significant weight gain besides 10 lbs i lost being manic!) but i do work out and try to eat healthy."