Encyclopedia > Valproic acid

  Article Content

Valproic acid

Valproic acid or 2-Propylpentanoic acid is (CH3CH2CH2CH(CH2CH2CH3)COOH

Sodium valproate (also known as Divalproex Sodium, Valproate, or VPA) is a sodium salt of valproic acid.

This 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 GABA receptors 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 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.



All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

 
  Search Encyclopedia

Search over one million articles, find something about almost anything!
 
 
  
  Featured Article
Class Warfare

... interview conducted ten years since Barsamian first interviewed Chomsky) Rollback: The Return of Predatory Capitalism History and Memory The Federal Reserve Board ...

 
 
 
This page was created in 32.8 ms