I didn't find  any interactions between the antibx and the depakote.  I am wondering why she needed so many antibx, though.  There are several things I can think of that could be affecting her depakote levels, and thus her lack of stability.  One is puberty.  Having all those hormones can interfere with how meds are metabolized.  Here is an exerpt from a case report at the Drug Interactions Checker on drugs.com: 

A case report suggests that estrogens or progestins may decrease the serum concentrations and pharmacologic effects of valproic acid (VPA). The proposed mechanism is induction of hepatic glucuronidation by sex hormones. The case report involves a 26-year-old woman with a history of epilepsy since childhood. Petite mal seizures developed at age seven, which were treated with ethosuximide for approximately 2 years. She was seizure-free from age nine and did not require medication until age 13, when she had her first generalized convulsive seizure that corresponded with her first menstrual cycle.

I wonder if the estrogen or progestigen being naturally produced by her body has affected her depakote metabolism?  Another thing I wonder about is the effect of whatever infection she had--anything requiring 3 courses of antibx is a tough infection.  Was it by any chance strep?  Strep has been linked to PANDAS, and if she had strep, that would be worth checking out.

The last thing I can think of is disruption of normal intestinal flora by all those antibx, and yeast overgrowth.  Not all mainstream docs believe this has anything to do with anything, but there is research in this area.  Many complementary and alternative therapies focus on maintaining healthy gut functioning.

--

Brenda,50, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 16, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel
E, 14, BP,AS, hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, levothyroxin, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 49

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FROM CABF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.

We just experienced an almost identical scenario with my older daughter.  She had been on Depakote for 2 years and started showing lower levels over the course of about 3 months in her blood.  Was destabilizing despite increases from 1250 to 1500 to 1750 (and also an increase in Abilify from 5to 7mg initially).  Then she had a sinus infection, then a bladder related issue, had a full-blown UTI and was on massive doses of antibiotics.  That did it.  Tried toughening it out at home, in & out of the ER 3 times and then a blissfully short (6 days) inpatient visit for what was termed a mixed episode.  During the hospitalization at UNC we were in close contact with the inpatient pysch, our wonderful outpatient psych, etc.  We narrowed it down to 3 things - all of which were addressed and she is now mood stable again.  #1 - went back to using Depakote name brand instead of generic (which had been substituted mid stream).  #2 - reinforced the mind/body connection as when the body is fighting infection, the immune system and every other system is compromised (as well as the kidneys/liver having to process the antibiotic load in attention to the regular meds).  #3 - increased the Abilify yet again from 7  to 10 mg.  She is now on a lot of meds but feeling good mood wise - and this is usually the beginning of her worst season.  Heard from the P-doc in the hospital who does alot of research on antipsychotics and early onset schizophrenia that she is seeing more examples of the Depakote generic pooping out.  Hope this helps. 

--

Yoga Mom
2 dds age 17 1/2 (BP-NOS, 1750 Depakote, 10 Abilify, 20 Prozac, 10 melatonin) & 15

I am in awe ...

there are much healthier ways to address such issues rather than over medicating and the thought arises ... is anyone truly familiar with the long term effects of placing your children on such medications ?

Food for thought ...  thebrain is not fully developed until around the age of 21 years.  Thus anyone younger than 21 who is heavily medicated is chemically altering/damaging their childs mind prior to it full development (the last part to develop is the area of reason)  Regardless of whether these medications are 'legal', they are still drugs.  Their over all effect on the human mind/body will not only compromise the quality of their lives, it may very well shorten them significantly.

There are no 'quick fixes' to healing. 

Mother of twobi-polar children (ages 18 and 19) who do not take any synthetic medications.

For those of you who do not know or understand the ramifications of using Depakote andAbilify, my suggestion is to research them immediately. The behaviors described here suggest TOXICITY exists. 

What side effects can this medication cause?

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Valproic acid may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• drowsiness

• dizziness

• headache

• diarrhea

• constipation

• heartburn

• changes in appetite

• weight changes

• back pain

• agitation

• mood swings

• abnormal thinking

• memory loss

• uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body

• loss of coordination

• uncontrollable movements of the eyes

• blurred or double vision

• ringing in the ears

• stuffed or runny nose

• sore throat

• hair loss

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately:

• unusual bruising or bleeding

• tiny purple spots on the skin

• fever

• blisters or rash

• itching

• hives

• confusion

• difficulty breathing or swallowing

• swollen glands

• weakness in the joints

• depression

• thinking about killing yourself or planning or trying to do so

Valproic acid may cause serious or life threatening damage to the liver. The risk of developing liver damage is greatest in children who are younger than 2 years of age and in people who are taking more than one medication to prevent seizures or who have any of the following conditions: a severe seizure disorder and mental retardation; certain inherited diseases that prevent the body from changing food to energy normally; any condition that affects the ability to think, learn, and understand; or liver disease. Tell your doctor or your child's doctor if you or your child have any of these conditions.

Your child should not take any other medications to control seizures while he or she is taking valproic acid. If you notice that your seizures are more severe or happen more often or if you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: excessive tiredness, lack of energy, weakness, stomach pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, or swelling of the face.

Valproic acid may cause serious or life-threatening damage to the pancreas. This may occur at any time during your treatment. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite.

As you may know, valproic acid is one of the constituents in Depakote.  What these doctors are not telling patients is that valproic acid consumption should not exceed a 3 week consecutive period.  The result is liver damage which as you know is life threatening.

Strongly suggest removing your children from these medicines and placing them on Milk Thistle to detox the liver. Times to administer is late afternoon and again, prior to sleep.  The liver regenerates while we sleep.  3 months consecutive with a 1 month pause then repeat again for the duration of a year (minimum).  TCM suggests that depression is a symptom of liver congestion so there is more than one reason to start treatment with Milk Thistle.  It takes dedication and patience however there is hope.

To rid of the candida (yeast) system wide, I recommend using Olive Leaf (as directed on the bottle)  Milk thistle and Olive leaf are generally located at Walmart. Milk thistle is around 7.00 for 90 capsules and Olive leaf is under 7.00 (cannot recall count).   For a safer sedative alternative try lemon  balm (this you will need to locate at a health center as I have never seen it offered at Walmart.

Reduce the amount of processed foods and meats your children are consuming.  If the children are accustomed to meat its

best if it is Organic, 100% Grassfed (if you search your area you will find organic farms.  The animals should have lived a good life, a quality existence where they are cared for, free roaming, not treated with antibiotics nor steriods.  Their diets should never have any chemically altered/treated feed or anything with 'meal' (the 4 D's - dead, dying, diseased, destroyed animals) in it (which industrial farmers use.  Ingredients would shock you ... the packages the meat is purchased in from your local grocer along with euthenized animals, road kill (skunks, rats, hooves, heads and a lot of other nasty things) are all included and then sold to animal feed companies who distribute this toxic waste to farmers who feed the animals things which are foreign to them (poisoning them)  SO they saying "you are what you eat" now has new meaning.  100% Organic everything.  The cooking pans you use can also emit toxins into the foods you cook for your family.  The produce you purchase (if not organic) is treated with pesticides.  The plants soak these pesticides up while growing and then we eat them. 

BPA (

Bisphenol A) something used to line the inside of canned goods that leaches into the food contained therein. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A  Scroll down to see the many health risks linked to BPA.

is another danger along with high levels of mercury, arsenic and chlorine in our water - all carcinogenic (cancer causing)

After learning all the practices of farmers today who are motivated by profits not producing quality, is there any wonder why our children today havemore dis-ease than the children 50 years ago ?  (rhetorical)

KNOWLEDGE EQUALS POWER

el,

Check out the CAM forum.  There are lots of people here who use nutrition therapeutically.  There are also people who have gone that route and find that their children still need some sort of medication in order to function and develop.  No one wants to have their children experience dire SE's from meds, but many times the meds help and the SE's are tolerable, and not treating the child is not an option.  Each family must choose what is best for their situation, and that can change over time.  I also believe that there are a lot of toxic chemicals in our environment that our children are exposed to that we have absolutely no control over.  Even eating all organic and using non-toxic cookware cannot protect you from everything.  That scares me more than anything.

I believe nutrition is key to our well-being, but sometimes it's just not enough.

--

Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 & H, 11
Married 18 years to DH, 50

FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.