Bipolar medication question (woman's issue)

[stepmommyof1]

I was on depakote for my bipolar disorder and recently went off it, doctor weaned me off and started me on lithium, because i had been on depakote for several years and it was no longer working. What worried me is, sorry for TMI, but I hadn't had a period since last November and it's now the beginning of March. My dr said after making sure I wasn't pregnant (even though I knew I wasn't) she said that depakote can make you have missed periods, although some women with bipolar have irregular periods anyway due to hormones. What I'm worried about is that I won't be able to have a child because of missed periods. I didn't think to ask the dr this during the appointment.

 

[mamajoan]

You do know that the medications for BiPolar can cause severe birth defects. Therefore you should consult OBGYN and your psych long before trying to become pregnant. However, Lithium seems to cause less problems than Depakote. The ob-gyn would also be able to give you information regarding missed periods etc. as some people who miss periods have no problem getting pregnant.. while others do.
Hope you are tolerating the change of medication well.

I realize you did not ask this question but I thought it was very informative.
http://www.otispregnancy.org/files/lithium.pdf

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

OP - please be careful and make sure your doctors are ok with a pregnancy. Treating mental illnesses during pregnancy can be tricky.

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

Did anything else change while taking that medication? Like weight gain for example? I gained some weight(because i like food so much) and that screwed up my period. So i would get it whenever. I had to start taking birth control to get my period regular again. Also the doctor told me to lose weight :/


Id go talk to your OBGYN.