question: I am seeking to find the best bipolar medication for my husband. He is currently taking depakote but is having some of the severe side effects such as low RBC, low hematocrit, and bad loss of hearing. The blood tests are recent and show these changes since he s been taking depakote since december 2017. He is 82 years old and will have a defibrillator installed on Friday because of frequent PVC s. I am concerned to find a better medication going forward.