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Valproic acid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Sodium valproate (also known as valproate, or VPA) is a sodium salt of valproic acid. Divalproex Sodium - marketed by Abbott Laboratories as Depakote® in the USA and Canada and as Epilim® in the UK and Australia - is the semisodium salt of valproic acid, made by combining sodium valproate with valproic acid to form a chemical complex which contains half the sodium of an equivalent dose of sodium valproate. Valproic acid, delivered in either of these forms, is a anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder ; but also used to treat migraine headaches and schizophrenia In epileptics, valproic acid is used to control absence seizures tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal ), complex partial seizures , and the seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome Valproate is believed to affect the function of the neurotransmitter GABA as a GABA transaminase inhibitor) in the human brain [edit </w/index.php? Side Effects Common side effects are dyspepsia and/or weight -gain. Less common are dizziness, drowsiness, hair -loss, headaches , nausea , sedation and tremors Valproic acid can also rarely cause blood dyscrasia , impaired liver function, jaundice , thrombocytopenia , and prolonged coagulation times. In ~5% of pregnant users, valproic acid will cross the placenta and cause congenital anomalies There have also been reports of cognitive dysfunction , Parkinsonian syndrome and even pseudoatrophic brain changes in long-term treatment with valproic acid. |
