Valproate ( Valproic Acid ), an epilepsy drug, is indicated as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in complex partial seizures in adults and pediatric patients down to the age of 10 years, and in simple and complex absence seizures.

Two studies, published in Neurology, have shown that the women who take the antiepileptic drug Valproate during pregnancy may increase the risk of severe birth defects.

Researchers from Walton Center for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Liverpool ( UK ), investigated the long-term drug effects on cognitive functioning in school-aged children exposed to antiepileptic drugs ( AEDs ) in utero.

Neuropsychological investigation was performed on 249 children between the ages of 6 and 16.

Children exposed to sodium Valproate had a significantly lower verbal IQ when compared to children exposed to other antiepileptic drugs or not exposed at all.

In a second study, investigators from Boston University – School of Medicine, determined the rate of occurrence of major malformations in infants whose mothers had taken the drug Valproic acid as monotherapy during the first trimester of pregnancy and had enrolled in the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry.

They found that maternal exposure to Valproic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy significantly increased the risk of major malformations ( 10,7% versus 2,9% ).

Source: Neurology, 2005


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