If you have to take a carbapenem antibiotic while taking divalproex sodium, your doctor will monitor your blood levels closely. Examples of these antibiotics include:. Taking zidovudine with divalproex sodium may increase the levels of zidovudine in your body. Your doctor may monitor you more closely for side effects. Taking some birth control medications with divalproex sodium can lower the amount of divalproex sodium in your body, making it less effective.
If you need to use hormonal contraception, such as the pill, your doctor will likely monitor the amount of divalproex sodium in your body. Taking certain mood disorder and seizure drugs with divalproex sodium may increase the levels of these drugs in your body.
Your doctor may adjust your dosage of these medications or monitor you more closely for side effects. Examples of these drugs include:. Taking other mood disorder and seizure drugs with divalproex sodium may decrease the level of divalproex sodium in your body. Your doctor may adjust your dosage of divalproex sodium. Taking rifampin with divalproex sodium may decrease the level of divalproex sodium in your body.
If you take these drugs together, your doctor may adjust your dosage of divalproex sodium. However, because drugs interact differently in each person, we cannot guarantee that this information includes all possible interactions. Always speak with your healthcare provider about possible interactions with all prescription drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements, and over-the-counter drugs that you are taking.
If you develop these symptoms, call or your local emergency services or go to the nearest emergency room. Taking it again could be fatal cause death. Divalproex sodium can cause drowsiness and dizziness.
For people with liver disease: If you have a history of liver disease, you may have a higher risk of liver failure within the first six months of treatment with this drug.
Your doctor will monitor you for signs of liver damage. For people with mitochondrial disease: If you have Alpers-Huttenlocher syndrome or have a family history of this metabolic disorder, you may have a higher risk of liver failure when taking divalproex sodium. It may raise your risk of hyperammonemia high ammonia levels in your blood.
This condition can be fatal. For pregnant women: This drug may cause serious harm to your pregnancy. If you take this drug during pregnancy, your baby is at risk for serious birth defects. These include birth defects that affect the brain, spinal cord, heart, head, arms, legs, and the opening where urine comes out. This drug may also cause decreased IQ and thinking, learning, and emotional disorders in your baby. According to published case reports, fatal liver failure has also been observed in the children of women who used this drug while pregnant.
If you become pregnant while taking this drug, talk to your doctor about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of drugs used to treat seizures during pregnancy.
If you become pregnant while taking this drug, call your doctor right away. Do not stop taking the medication unless directed to by your doctor. Divalproex sodium should only be used during pregnancy by women with seizures or manic episodes whose symptoms cannot be controlled by other medications. For women who are breastfeeding: This drug passes through breast milk and may cause side effects in a breastfeeding child.
Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of breastfeeding while taking divalproex. For seniors: Your body processes divalproex sodium more slowly. You may also experience more of a sedative effect from this medication. Extreme drowsiness may cause you to eat or drink less than you normally would. Tell your doctor if this happens.
Your doctor will monitor how much you eat and drink and check you for signs of dehydration, drowsiness, dizziness, and other side effects. For children: Children younger than 2 years old have an increased risk of liver damage while taking this drug, especially if they also take other drugs to treat seizures. All possible dosages and forms may not be included here. Your dose, form, and how often you take it will depend on:. Your body may process this drug more slowly and you may have more of a sedative effect.
Too much of the drug in your body can cause dangerous effects. This medication did not show effectiveness in children for mania. There is no evidence that divalproex is effective for long-term use in mania longer than three weeks. If your doctor would like you to take this drug for a longer period of time, they will check if you still need the drug regularly.
This medication did not show effectiveness in children for migraine prevention. For people with liver disease: If you have liver disease, you may not be able to process this drug as well as you should.
You should avoid taking divalproex sodium if you have severe liver problems. If you're taking valproic acid for epilepsy, it's possible that you'll get seizures again once you stop taking it. You can prevent these withdrawal seizures by reducing your dose of valproic acid gradually. If you use recreational drugs alongside valproic acid, you may be more likely to have side effects like panic attacks, anxiety and memory loss.
Drinking alcohol while taking valproic acid may make you feel sleepy or tired. It's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days, until you see how the medicine affects you.
Valproic acid can reduce fertility in both men and women. Once you stop taking this medicine, your fertility will return. In men valproic acid has been reported to cause infertility. However, this is rare. In women it can change your menstrual cycle, causing delayed or missed periods. Valproic acid has also been reported to cause polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS , though this happens rarely.
Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about how valproic acid may affect your fertility. Valproic acid is not recommended if there's a chance you could become pregnant. If you're taking valproic acid and want to start a family, it's important to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. This is because taking valproic acid while pregnant can harm your baby.
Valproic acid does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. If there's a chance you could become pregnant while taking sodium valproate you must use contraception.
Your doctor will put you on Prevent, the valproate pregnancy prevention programme. Speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you have any questions about this programme.
You may feel sleepy, tired or dizzy when you first start taking valproic acid. This may also happen if your dose has increased. If you're affected, do not drive or ride a bike until you feel more alert.
If you have epilepsy, you're not allowed to drive until you've had no seizures for 1 year or only have seizures while you're asleep. If you change your epilepsy medicine, your doctor will tell you whether you need to stop driving and for how long.
Driving rules if you change or withdraw your medicine, Epilepsy Action. Epilepsy and driving information, GOV. Page last reviewed: 3 September Next review due: 3 September Valproic acid - Brand names: Belvo, Depakote, Dyzantil, Convulex, Syonell On this page About valproic acid Key facts Who can and cannot take valproic acid How and when to take valproic acid Side effects How to cope with side effects of valproic acid Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about valproic acid.
About valproic acid Valproic acid is used to treat bipolar disorder. Valproate pregnancy prevention programme The valproate pregnancy prevention programme is very important and is still running during the coronavirus COVID pandemic. Updated: 3 September Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today?
You'll usually take valproic acid 2 or 3 times a day. You can take it with or without food. You'll usually start on a low dose. Your dose will gradually increase over a few days or weeks. Sodium valproate and semisodium valproate are similar to valproic acid and work in the same way.
However, these medicines are used to treat different conditions and doses will vary. There are also brands such as Epilim Chrono, Epilim Chronosphere and Dyzantil which contain mostly sodium valproate, with some valproic acid. If you're pregnant, or there's a chance you could become pregnant, valproic acid is not recommended for treating migraine.
For epilepsy and bipolar disorder, your doctor will only prescribe valproic acid for you if there are no other suitable treatments. To make sure valproic acid is safe for you, tell your doctor if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to valproic acid or any other medicine have liver problems have a rare metabolic or genetic condition such as porphyria, urea cycle disorder or mitochondrial disorder. Dosage The usual dose for treating bipolar disorder for: adults — mg to 2,mg a day, split into 2 or 3 doses children — the doctor will work out the right dose for your child The usual dose for preventing migraine for: adults — mg to 1,mg a day, split into 2 or 3 doses The usual dose for treating epilepsy for: adults and older children aged 12 years and over — mg to 2,mg a day, split into 2 to 4 doses younger children weighing more than 20kg — the doctor will use your child's weight to work out the right dose for them If you need to take your medicine more than once a day, you'll take equal doses that add up to your daily total.
How and when take it Valproic acid comes as gastro resistant tablets and capsules. Will my dose go up or down? What if I forget to take it? What if I take too much? Taking too much valproic acid can lead to symptoms such as: feeling or being sick nausea or vomiting headaches, or feeling dizzy muscle weakness breathing problems feeling confused, or changes to your normal behaviour passing out.
Urgent advice: Contact for advice now if:. Common side effects These common side effects may happen in more than 1 in people. Keep taking the medicine but talk to your doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away: stomach pain, feeling or being sick diarrhoea dry or sore mouth, or swollen gums shakes tremors in a part of your body, or unusual eye movements feeling tired or sleepy headache weight gain thinning hair, or changes to the colour or texture of your hair irregular or delayed periods Serious side effects It's unusual to have serious side effects after taking valproic acid.
Tell a doctor straight away if you have: thoughts of harming or killing yourself — a small number of people taking valproic acid have had suicidal thoughts yellowing of the whites of your eyes or your skin, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin, and dark pee — these may be signs of liver problems long-lasting and severe nausea, vomiting or stomach pain — these may be signs of acute pancreatitis an inflamed pancreas unusual bruises or bleeding — these may be signs of a blood disorder Serious allergic reaction In rare cases, valproic acid may cause a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis.
Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: stomach pain, feeling or being sick — take valproic acid with or after a meal or snack. It may also help if you avoid rich or spicy food. Take small, frequent sips of water if you're being sick to avoid dehydration. Speak to a pharmacist if you have signs of dehydration, such as peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee.
Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor. If this does not help, or you have mouth ulcers , talk to your pharmacist or doctor. If you're bothered by swollen gums or this symptom does not go away, talk to your doctor or dentist. These symptoms can be a sign that your dose is too high. Talk to your doctor as they may want to change your dose or suggest you take it at a different time.
If these symptoms do not get better within a week or two, your doctor may either reduce your dose or increase it more slowly. If that does not work, talk to your doctor as they may want to switch you to a different medicine. Do not drink too much alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller. Talk to your doctor if your headaches last longer than a week or are severe. Regular exercise will also help you keep your weight stable. Your doctor will usually monitor your weight while you're taking this medicine.
Speak to them if you have any concerns. Your hair may regrow after either reducing your dose or switching to a different medicine. As well as being a side effect of valproic acid, a late period is a sign that you could be pregnant, and valproic acid can be harmful for an unborn baby.
Changes to your periods can also be a symptom of polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS , a rare side effect of valproic acid. Your doctor will be able to do some tests to check whether you have PCOS. Valproid acid and pregnancy Valproic acid is not recommended in pregnancy, as it can cause birth defects and problems with your baby's learning and behaviour. Patients with mitochondrial disease caused by a certain DNA mutation are at an increased risk of acute liver failure and resultant death.
Life threatening pancreatitis has been reported in children and adults who take valproate. Signs of pancreatitis include severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and inability to keep food down. Last Updated: January This information is being provided as a community outreach effort of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists. This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice.
This information contains a summary of important points and is not an exhaustive review of information about the medication. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding medications or medical conditions. Never delay seeking professional medical advice or disregard medical professional advice as a result of any information provided herein. The College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists disclaims any and all liability alleged as a result of the information provided herein.
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Mental health conditions Learn more about common mental health conditions that affect millions. Symptoms of your condition that bother you the most If you have thoughts of suicide or harming yourself Medications you have taken in the past for your condition, whether they were effective or caused any adverse effects If you experience side effects from your medications, discuss them with your provider.
Some side effects may pass with time, but others may require changes in the medication.
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