Depakote Alternatives

Last Updated on August 23, 2022 by Carol Gillette

Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed by Dr Samuel Lee MD

Video: Top 11 Questions about Depakote
Holistic Alternatives to Depakote vs Prescription Drugs
Talk Therapy as a Natural Alternative to Depakote
CBT and Exposure Therapy as Natural Depakote Alternatives
Natural Alternatives to Depakote
Improved Diet as an Alternative to Depakote
Orthomolecular Treatments as an Alternative to Depakote
Discovering Why You Started Having Symptoms
Determining Underlying Causes
Pregnancy and Depakote Alternatives
Reducing the Risks
Integrative Depakote Alternatives Approach
Alternative to Meds Center Program for Depakote Alternatives

Alternative to Meds Center is very familiar with effective Depakote alternatives, providing natural solutions for mental health issues, bipolar and psychosis issues, migraines, and other unwanted symptoms.

Individuals who seek Depakote alternatives do so for a variety of different reasons, but primarily to address their health and mental health in a more natural way. We help people to reduce or get off Depakote using the best holistic methodologies available.

Does Your Diagnosis

Require Depakote?

Antipsychotic withdrawal has been our specialty at Alternative to Meds Center for a decade and a half. We invite you to review our published evidence regarding the long-term success of our clients. We know that there could be overlooked root or underlying causes for mental as well as physical symptoms, and these can be resolved without toxic drugs in the vast majority of cases. For many, this is a superior solution to being labeled and put on a never-ending regimen of drugs that may be having demonstrable side effects.⁶

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Holistic Alternatives to Depakote vs Prescription Drugs

We know that for many, there are better ways of life than remaining on mood-stabilizing type drugs and fighting side effects or other problems.

holistic alternatives for depression Depakote ( divalproex sodium, Valproic Acid ) is an anticonvulsant prescribed for the treatment of epilepsy and migraines. It is also frequently prescribed as a mood stabilizer for the treatment of manic episodes of bipolar disorder and in some cases of schizophrenia.⁶

Depakote is often used for manic depression, particularly in cases where patients have been non-responsive to antidepressants or other medications. Many doctors that treat patients who suffer from bipolar disorder, and the patients as well, would agree that bipolar can be a challenging disorder to treat. Even though there is a constantly rising number of new pharmaceutical compounds that are meant to stabilize manic depression and address bipolar, mania, and pain, drugs are just not always completely satisfactory for many patients and they may wish to seek out holistic Depakote alternatives.

Talk Therapy as a Natural Alternative to Depakote

The American Psychological Association reports that benefits of exposure therapy include an increased ability for participants to confront their fears, as they become better able to manage associations that had previously been triggers of apprehension.¹⁴

Hopeful results have been reported out of Finland, from the “Open Dialogue” programs. A variety of benefits from this social setting-based treatment include shorter hospital stays for acute and severe psychiatric episodes, as well as a drastic reduction – 65% – of those needing to remain on medication, and an astounding 82% having no or minimal psychotic symptoms after 2 years post-treatment. Additionally, only 23% remained on disability allowance at the two-year mark following treatment in Open Dialogue programs.¹²

Talk therapy is well documented as an effective natural alternative to Depakote or other medications, with many genres of psychological therapy to explore. Using complementary health approaches is becoming increasingly popular in the US and around the world. Some types of therapy are further discussed below.

Counseling and other forms of Depakote alternative therapy include:

CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) ^10,11
ODT (Open Dialogue Therapy) ¹²
EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) ¹³
Animal therapy, such as equine-assisted therapy ³²

CBT and Exposure Therapy as Natural Depakote Alternatives

antipsychotic natural alternatives A customized program of natural alternatives to Depakote can blend CBT and other psychological therapies during in-house treatment at Alternative to Meds. Relaxation techniques can be combined with exposure or other therapies to ease the process of working through personal difficulties. Attaining a complete internal peace could be thought of as a gradual, step-by-step process, in contrast to a one-shot result.

Exposure therapy ¹⁵ along with cognitive behavioral therapy ¹¹ especially when supported with nutrition and targeted supplementation, exercise, and other activities can positively impact recovery.¹⁰ Krakvik et al reported that CBT counseling produced long-lasting benefits, making the transition from treatment back to normal life routines significantly easier.¹⁰

A synergistic effect can be achieved by combining CBT or other talk therapies with, for example, adequate omega-3 fatty acids, and a clean nutrient-dense diet. Blending alternatives to Depakote has shown even better effectiveness and higher rates of improvement for our clients.¹⁶

Natural Alternatives to Depakote

A synergy is created when combining specific supplements, exercise, and diet as natural alternatives to Depakote that for some may operate in similar ways as pharmaceuticals in the management of mood, but with significantly lower risks or no risks of side effects.

Natural Alternatives to Depakote Include:

Improved diet,* organic where possible, unprocessed whole foods, gluten-free diet ^17,39,40
Minimize the use of glutamate-containing foods or MSG ¹⁸
Eliminate sugar and maintain frequent protein intake to control blood sugar levels ^8,9,41
Eliminate caffeine completely, especially late in the day or before retiring ¹⁹
Tryptophan ²⁰
Clean out toxic body burden** ^21,22
Isolate/correct nutritional deficiencies ²³
Exercise, especially cardio, yoga, or walking ²⁴
Lithium orotate ²⁵
Taurine ²⁵
High dose niacin and vitamin C ²⁶
Omega-3 fatty acids and eicosapentaenoic acid ^16,27,28
GABA supplementation ⁷
Adequate exposure to sunlight ⁴²
CBT and other forms of counseling ⁴³

*Diet has been found to be effective in the treatment of schizophrenia.⁴⁰
** Studies show toxic exposure negatively affects mental health.

Depakote GABA deficiency Nature magazine published an article in 1993 in which the researchers found that naturally occurring GABA is found to be in low plasma concentrations in bipolar dispositions.⁷ The department of psychiatry at Nassau University Medical Center published an article in 2005 about hypoglycemia presenting as acute psychosis.⁸ And again in 1999, the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that hypoglycemia was masquerading as psychosis and acute cocaine intoxication in emergency room visits.⁹In one case report, stopping caffeine demonstrated a sudden remission of the severe course of a seasonal bipolar disorder after 10 years of psychopharmacological treatments.¹⁹

Improved Diet as an Alternative to Depakote

Certain diet-related factors have shown remarkable positive impacts when applied to persons with schizophrenia or similar symptoms. Several diet changes have proven to significantly reduce the severity of psychiatric symptoms, such as eliminating gluten, eliminating glutamate found in MSG, and adding omega-3 fatty foods.^{17,18,27,28,39-41}

Some specific nutritional supplements have also shown positive improvements such as the amino acid tryptophan, and EPA or eicosapentaenoic acid, and lithium orotate.^20,25,27

Orthomolecular Treatments as an Alternative to Depakote

The Canadian psychiatrist Dr. Abram Hoffer has published several long-term studies on treating schizophrenia using different forms of niacin. One study found that 7 out of 10 patients with schizophrenia remained well at one year and 5-year follow-ups after receiving nicotinic acid in orthomolecular treatment. Dr. Hoffer also reported similar results in his ten-year-long double-blind study where niacin and high dose vitamin C were part of the treatment plan. These examples of the efficacy of orthomolecular medicine are well-known in Dr. Hoffer’s works, and why we are confident in using these orthomolecular treatments, and others in programming our clients. We attribute much of our clients’ successes to the work of Dr. Hoffer and other pioneering doctors.^26,29

Discovering Why You Started Having Symptoms

Our focus is to discover why you started having symptoms and offer a scientific solution to the underlying problem. Most alternative treatments aim to improve an individual’s health overall, under the belief that this can help the body to be more effective in fighting mood problems, particularly mood swings and depression. For some, as an example, not taking care of themselves and their health may result in high blood pressure or heart problems.³⁴ For others, mood problems, mania, even psychosis may result. Physical or emotional stress may worsen bipolar disorder or depression.³⁵ So, learning how to handle stress better through mood stabilizer alternatives such as psychotherapy (talk-therapy), developing proper nutritional habits, and regular physical activities may help keep the disorder under control. Individuals are often put on this drug without knowing all the potential consequences of Depakote withdrawal. Our medical director helps people reduce dependency upon psychiatric drugs by way of creating effective natural alternatives to Depakote.

Determining Underlying Causes

depakote neurotoxin removal To effectively withdraw from these drugs, Alternative to Meds Center uses lab testing to help determine the underlying causes of the original issues. Endocrine problems that are untreated are vastly recognized for causing difficulties with mood.³⁶ Also, food allergies can cause extreme mood swings for some people.³⁰ Since toxicity may be one of the culprits ² we have robust neurotoxin removal programs, use supplements that support the production of inhibitory neurochemistry, and our program aims at using natural substances to stabilize neurochemistry.

The purpose of the body detoxification process is to rid the body of accumulated neurotoxins that may have contributed to chronic symptomology.^21,22 We provide custom nutritional therapy such as IV therapy, and also use massage, acupuncture, yoga, Qi Gong, peer support, exercise training, and many other adjunctive holistic therapies which can address and relieve symptoms that may need to be managed before discontinuing Depakote. Once the client is stable and calm, that is an optimal point when the medication can be safely reduced. Our holistic Depakote alternatives treatments are effective and compassionately delivered under medical supervision.

Pregnancy and Depakote Alternatives

depakote pregnancy alternatives Many women with bipolar disorder who want children may consider choosing between using alternatives during pregnancy and risking the chance that their child could suffer drug-induced birth defects.³⁷ Unfortunately, all pharma-based mood stabilizers available are suspected of being harmful to a developing fetus in humans.³⁸ Fortunately, there are several viable and potentially very effective Depakote alternatives. Many alternatives to Depakote can be effective by themselves and may help to lessen and prevent mood swings to a point where patients are able to lead satisfying lifestyles. In situations where Depakote has been deemed as unacceptable by doctors and patients due to health complications, antipsychotic alternatives can help allow patients to achieve a comfortable, gradual Depakote tapering process.

Reducing the Risks

You may be worried about the risk of liver damage (hepatotoxicity) or other possible consequences of Depakote, as discussed on AbbVie, the drug manufacturer’s website.⁴

In the 2020 edition of the book entitled, “LiverTox,” published by NCBI, acute or chronic liver injury is described thus: “not uncommonly, valproate can cause several forms of clinically apparent hepatoxicity.” The book also reports over 100 fatal cases on record due to liver toxicity issues caused by Depakote.³³

NOTE: For instructions on reporting adverse effects of pharmaceutical drugs, MedWatch is a program under the umbrella of the FDA that can help.⁵

Integrative Depakote Alternatives Approach

mood microbiome connection With a combined medical and holistic approach, it may be possible to get off Depakote and also be mentally healthy. Sufferers of bipolar mania or psychosis may often find themselves choosing between living a life with uncomfortable side effects or opting for an alternative approach to Depakote and where guidance is not available, will be worrying about figuring out how to manage serious mood swings. Other individuals may find despite exhausting processes of trial and error with several different drugs or combinations of medications, their mental health symptoms persist and cause major problems.

There are other treatments for these scenarios using natural alternatives to drugs within a comprehensive treatment program that may be able to effectively address the problem.

Alternative to Meds Center Program for Depakote Alternatives

equine therapy Alternative to Meds Center Alternative to Meds Center is located in Sedona Arizona. Our pristine facility is nestled within a short distance to the breathtaking beauty of Sedona’s famous red rocks, offering many opportunities to explore the hiking trails and majestic vistas nearby. We offer a wide range of therapies, including gentle, supervised equine-assisted therapy, and other outdoor activities designed to encourage empowerment and confidence. Our holistic treatment programs have helped many suffering from migraines, bipolar disorder, and other unwanted symptoms to discover natural alternatives to Depakote and other drugs, and we can help you or your loved one too. You are invited to review the many adjunctive therapies offered at Alternative to Meds Center on our services overview page.

Please call us to find out more information about insurance, or to have a more in-depth conversation about other important questions you may have.

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Originally Published Oct 30, 2018 by Diane Ridaeus

This content has been reviewed and approved by a licensed physician.

Dr. Samuel Lee

Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in a spiritually-based mental health discipline and integrative approaches. He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente. He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Religion from Pacific Union College. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.

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Diane Ridaeus

Diane is an avid supporter and researcher of natural mental health strategies. Diane received her medical writing and science communication certification through Stanford University and has published over 3 million words on the topics of holistic health, addiction, recovery, and alternative medicine. She has proudly worked with the Alternative to Meds Center since its inception and is grateful for the opportunity to help the founding members develop this world-class center that has helped so many thousands regain natural mental health.