I use depakote as well. It seems to have a slight analgesic effect but my experience is similar to yours; it just makes things easier. It helps not fighting this so hard and it makes it a lot easier to cope which means I'll usually get more done. I usually take 250 mg twice per day but find I can short the evening dose a little bit when I feel better. It'll be 167.5 mg. I can't skip a dose because everything will hit me like a bomb after about three hours.