Sodium valproate is used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. It’s occasionally used to prevent migraine headaches.
What symptoms does valproate treat?
Valproate is a mood stabilizer medication that works in the brain. It is approved for the treatment of mania associated with bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression), seizures (epilepsy), and migraine headaches. Bipolar disorder involves episodes of depression and/or mania.
How does sodium valproate make you feel?
The most common side effects of sodium valproate include feeling sick or shaky, an upset stomach, feeling sleepy and weight gain. If you develop a severe stomach ache, sickness and vomiting, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (jaundice), or unusual bruising or bleeding see your doctor straight away.
Is sodium valproate a mood stabilizer?
Valproate is a mood stabiliser that can be used to treat mania.
Is sodium valproate good for anxiety?
Our data suggest that Valproate (depakine-chrono) is efficacious in the management of acute anxiety disorders, as the participants had a clinically and statistically significant improvement in anxiety symptoms over 6 weeks of treatment.
Does sodium valproate increase blood pressure?
There are many known side effects of valproate including thrombocytopenia and hepatotoxicity [1]. Cardiovascular side effects are reported in 1–5% of patients taking valproate and include hypertension, tachycardia, and palpitations [2], though hypertensive urgency has not been previously described.
Does sodium valproate cause weight gain?
Weight gain is the most common reason for patients to discontinue VPA treatment. 5, 6, 7 In a recent study, 38% of VPA-treated patients gained more than 10% of their body weight compared with 8% of patients treated with lamotrigine.
Does sodium valproate help depression?
Valproate was effective for the reduction of depressive symptoms of acute bipolar depression and was well tolerated.
Is valproic acid used for depression?
Valproic acid may be particularly helpful for patients who have symptoms of mania and depression occurring at the same time (a ‘mixed’ episode) or who have more than four mood episodes per year (this is called ‘rapid cycling’). This medication may also specifically target aggressive or impulsive behavioural problems.
Does sodium valproate affect sperm?
Valproate therapy can result in reduced sperm count, motility and abnormal morphology. Valproate’s adverse effects on male fertility are reversible in some patients. Abnormalities may be dependent on the dose and the duration of Valproate treatment.
Is sodium valproate used for mania?
Valproate is an anticonvulsant drug that has been shown to be effective in acute mania and is frequently used in maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. When the acceptability of long-term treatment is considered, together with efficacy, the adverse event profile of a medication is also important.
Why does valproic acid make you gain weight?
In vitro studies suggest that VPA initiates pancreatic insulin secretion that might increase appetite and energy storage and result in weight gain (Luef, et al., 2003). Indeed, VPA treatment has been found to increase post-prandial insulin and proinsulin levels (Luef, et al., 2002).
How quickly does valproate work?
Sodium valproate may take several days to show an initial effect and in some cases may take from two to six weeks for maximum effect. Treatment is started with low doses and may be increased over a couple of weeks according to your child’s response.
Does sodium valproate affect sleep?
feeling tired or sleepy – as your body gets used to sodium valproate, these side effects should wear off. If these symptoms do not get better within a week or two, your doctor may either reduce your dose or increase it more slowly.
Does valproate calm you down?
It has been shown that valproic acid reduces anxiety symptoms in a 12-week open-label study in patients with social anxiety disorder [6. Valproic acid for the treatment of social anxiety disorder.
Is valproate a tranquilizer?
The presence of tranquilizing properties in the GABA-ergic drug sodium valproate confirms the suggestion that a certain relationship exists between the GABA system and anxiety.
Does sodium valproate affect the liver?
More importantly and not uncommonly, valproate can cause several forms of clinically apparent hepatotoxicity. Indeed, more than 100 fatal cases of acute or chronic liver injury due to valproate have been reported in the literature.
Can sodium valproate cause heart problems?
However, studies have indicated a potent teratogenicity of valproic acid, or sodium valproate. VPA has been associated with a variety of major and minor congenital malformations, including a 20-fold increase in neural tube defects, cleft lip and palate, cardiovascular abnormalities, genitourinary defects, and autism.
What is Epilim 100mg used for?
Epilim is a medicine used for the treatment of epilepsy in adults and children. Epilepsy is a condition where you have repeated seizures (fits). There are many different types of seizures, ranging from mild to severe. Epilim belongs to a group of medicines called anticonvulsants.
Does losing weight help with epilepsy?
Weight gain or loss is not an integral part of epilepsy although a sedentary lifestyle can contribute to weight gain. Pharmacological treatment for epilepsy may be associated with substantial weight changes that may increase morbidity and impair adherence to the treatment regimen.
Does sodium valproate cause hairloss?
Based on current study, sodium valproate can cause hair loss and curliness but this is a reversible side effect. The derangement can be observed 3 months after start- ing dose or later. But in some cases it takes 1 year or 2 years before hair loss and curly hair appears.
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