Hey y'all. I finally got in to see my psychiatrist after waiting four months. After a long talk about my mood swings--I generally have about four bad depressive episodes each year that culminate in me hurting myself--we decided that the most effective drug to start with the least dangerous side effect profile would be Depakote. If you look on previous posts on here, I can't take Lamictal because I have a mutation associated with increased SJS risk.

I'm concerned to gain weight. I was underweight for the first 25 years of my life due to undiagnosed health problems. I'm now 30 and have been at a very healthy weight for a few years. I do cardio 2x per week and try to walk about 4,000-6,000 steps a day. I am vegetarian as well as gluten and dairy free. So I'm very concerned about fitness.

I did gain about 10lbs on mirtazapine due to increased appetite, but I was previously underweight anyway so it was a good thing.

Did anyone gain weight on Depakote while also maintaining a fitness-oriented lifestyle? I'm wondering if my lifestyle can offset the possible side effect or if it's strictly a metabolic thing.