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Valproic acid or 2-Propylpentanoic acid is (CH3CH2CH2CH(CH2CH2CH3)COOH .
Sodium valproate (also known as valproate, or VPA) is a sodium salt of valproic acid.
Divalproex Sodium, sold by Abbott
Laboratories under the trade name of Depakote 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 in the human
brain.
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.
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