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What is Valproic Acid?

Category: Prescription Drugs

Most popular types: Depakene Convulex Magnesium Dipropylacetate Show all

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See also: Atemperator Depakote Depakote ER Depakote Sprinkles Divalproex DR Epilim Epival Novo-Divalproex Orfiril Valpromide

Valproic acid is an anticonvulsant used to treat certain types of seizures. It is also used to treat mania in bipolar disorder, and to prevent migraines.

See patients taking Valproic Acid

Reported purpose & perceived effectiveness
Purpose Patients Evaluations Perceived Effectiveness
Epilepsy 30 18
Bipolar manic episodes 22 20
Migraine headaches 10 5
Bipolar depressive episodes 4 10
Bipolar disorder 4 5
Bipolar I disorder 4 2

Show all 43 reasons taken

  • Major
  • Moderate
  • Slight
  • None
  • Can't tell
See all 262 patients that have taken Valproic Acid

Side effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Side effects as an overall problem
Severity Evaluations Percentage
Severe 10
Moderate 14
Mild 20
None 23

Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Valproic Acid

Side effect Patients Percentage
Weight gain 8
Fatigue 3
Nausea 3
Depressed mood 2
Drowsiness 2
Heartburn 2

Show all 49 reported side effects

Why patients stopped taking Valproic Acid

Multiple reasons could be selected

Reason Patients Percentage
Side effects too severe 16
Did not seem to work 10
Doctor's advice 10
Other 5
Course of treatment ended 3
Expense 2
Personal research 2
See all 33 patients who've stopped taking Valproic Acid

Duration

Stopped taking Valproic Acid

Duration Patients Percentage
Less than 1 month 5
1 - 6 months 5
6 months - 1 year 2
1 - 2 years 8
2 - 5 years 8
5 - 10 years 2
10 years or more 3
Adherence
Adherence Evaluations Percentage
Always 46
Usually 12
Sometimes 5
Never taken as prescribed 4
Burden
Burden Evaluations Percentage
Very hard to take 4
Somewhat hard to take 12
A little hard to take 17
Not at all hard to take 34
Cost per month
Cost per month Evaluations Percentage
$200+ 2
$100-199 3
$50-99 8
$25-49 9
< $25 20
Not specified 25

What people switch to and from

Patients started taking Valproic Acid after stopping:

Treatment Patients Percentage
Divalproex sodium (Depakote) 2
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) 2
Carbamazepine (Tegretol) 1
Citalopram (Celexa) 1
Codeine-acetaminophen (paracetamol) (Tylenol with Codeine #3) 1

Show all 9 treatments patients report switching from

Patients stopped taking Valproic Acid and switched to:

Treatment Patients Percentage
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) 3
Carbamazepine (Tegretol) 1
Clonazepam (Klonopin) 1
Divalproex sodium (Depakote) 1
Lithium Carbonate (Lithium Carbonate ER) 1

Show all 8 treatments patients report switching to

Last updated:

6 patient evaluations for Valproic Acid

Sort by: Most recent

Jan 23, 2017 (Started Jul 01, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for migraine headaches)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 500 mg Twice daily
  • 0 helpful marks

Sep 10, 2016 (Started Jul 01, 2010)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for bipolar manic episodes)
  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for post-traumatic stress disorder)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (headaches)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 1000 mg Daily
  • 0 helpful marks

Jul 1, 2011 (Started Dec 08, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for Increase effect of another treatment)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Never taken as prescribed
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 500 mg Daily
  • 0 helpful marks
Last updated:
Showing 3 of 6 patient evaluations for Valproic Acid