HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

Prescribed Olimelt And Divalproex. Checked Valporic Acid Level. Difficulty Responding. What To Do?

My son 22yrs old has been prescribed 10 mg OLIMELT 0-0-1 and DIVALPROEX SODIUM EXTENDED RELEASE 500mg 0-0-2.Yesterday we checked and rechecked VALPORIC ACID(Serum) and the obversed value is 102.56.He is sleeping for 18 hours. Even if he gets up after 12 hours he is awake but not able to respond or interact.Please advise what we should.He is not able to attend to his studies.
Tue, 16 Apr 2013
Report Abuse
Psychiatrist 's  Response
Hello
Welcome to health care magic
I can understand your situation. I appreciate your effort to seek online support.
Olimelt contains olanzapine which is an antipsychotic drug and Divalproex sodium is a mood stabilizer. These can be used in mood disorders.
Common side effect of these drugs is sedation. Your son might be having sedating side effect of the drug. Consult your psychiatrist for readjustment of the dosages or any other class of drug.
Hope it helps
Good luck
Regards
Dr. Gourav Monga
Consultant Psychiatrist
I find this answer helpful
Psychiatrist Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar's  Response
Hello and welcome to Healthcare Magic. Thanks for your query.

The usual therapeutic level for Valproate is 50 - 100 mg /L, but sometimes it is acceptable to have higher levels for better symptom control. However, you should understand that the decision regarding alteration of medication should be done only after assessing the patient in person and in detail.

This is a clinical decision and involves a lot of factors like the nature of the illness, the severity of symptoms, the effectiveness of the medication, any side effects of the medication, the risk of relapse, etc. etc. So, report the test results to your doctor and have a discussion with him regarding the further treatment plan.

Wish you all the best.

Regards,
Dr. Jonas Sundarakumar
Consultant Psychiatrist
I find this answer helpful

2 Doctors agree with this answer

Psychiatrist Dr. Dr.Nehal's  Response
Hi,
thanks for using healthc are magic.
I have gone through your available history.
Serum valproic acid level is in somewhat higher range. Normal range is 50-100unit. so you should consult your psychiatrist who may decrease the dose of divalprorex sodium.
usual dose range of divalprorex is 20-40mg/Kg per day for an avarege person.
thanks.
I find this answer helpful
Psychiatrist Dr. Srikanth Reddy's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for using health care magic for posting your query.
I have gone through your given history in detail.
From your description it appears that your son is having a mood disorder probably a bipolar mood disorder. His valproate levels are slightly on the higher side. Of the two medications that he is on, olanzapine has a higher sedation potential and it may be a most likely culprit as compared to the valproate. However both the medications can cause sedation. You can consult your psychiatrist who can change olanzapine to some other anti-psychotic and if possible to reduce the valproate.
There are plenty of other mood stabilizers as well. They can also be tried.
Sometimes if nothing is working giving a stimulant in morning will also help him. Modalert and Wakalert are a few example of stimulants that can be given to him. taking medications early in evening may also help him in waking early.


Hope I am able to answer your concerns.
If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you.
In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link:
bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy

Wish you good health,
Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.
I find this answer helpful
Psychiatrist Dr. Sushil Kumar Sompur's  Response
Hi there ~

You should consult your psychiatrist to decrease the dose of the medications. And this has to be done as soon as possible. I hope this helps.

Take care of yourself!
I find this answer helpful

3 Doctors agree with this answer

Cardiologist Dr. Anantharamakrishnan's  Response
Hi friend,
Welcome to Health Care Magic

The dosing has to be reduced or the drugs should be changed
Have a second opinion

Take care
Wishing speedy recovery
God bless
Good luck
I find this answer helpful

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Recent questions on Mood stabilizer


Loading Online Doctors....
Prescribed Olimelt And Divalproex. Checked Valporic Acid Level. Difficulty Responding. What To Do?

Hello Welcome to health care magic I can understand your situation. I appreciate your effort to seek online support. Olimelt contains olanzapine which is an antipsychotic drug and Divalproex sodium is a mood stabilizer. These can be used in mood disorders. Common side effect of these drugs is sedation. Your son might be having sedating side effect of the drug. Consult your psychiatrist for readjustment of the dosages or any other class of drug. Hope it helps Good luck Regards Dr. Gourav Monga Consultant Psychiatrist