Depakote (valproic acid) is used to treat various types of seizure disorders. Valproic acid is used alone or with other medications to treat certain types of seizures. Depakote (valproic acid) is also used to treat mania (episodes of frenzied, abnormally excited mood) in people with bipolar disorder (manic-depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods). It is also used to prevent migraine headaches, but not to relieve headaches that have already begun. Valproic acid is in a class of medications called anticonvulsants.
In a 2006 medical study published in the Journal of Neurology the commonly prescribed antiepileptic drugs like Depakote present a higher risk of developing neural tube defects in the feus (unborn baby). Such neural tube defects include Spina Bifida Occulta, Spina Bifida Meningocele and Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. The results of a 2010 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine did not contradict those findings. The harmful birth defects associated with Valproic Acid have also been noted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA issued a warning about medicines containing or derived from Valproic Acid in 2006. ( See FDA DEPAKOTE WARNING)
Types of Spina Bifida associated with Depakote usage during pregnancy may include:
1. Spina Bifida Occulta is the mildest and most common form in which one or more vertebrae are malformed. The name "occulta," which means "hidden," indicates that the malformation, or opening in the spine, is covered by a layer of skin. This form of spina bifida rarely causes disability or symptoms.
2. Spina Bifida Closed neural tube defects make up the second type of spina bifida. This form consists of a diverse group of spinal defects in which the spinal cord is marked by a malformation of fat, bone, or membranes. In some patients there are few or no symptoms; in others the malformation causes incomplete paralysis with urinary and bowel dysfunction.
3. Spina Bifida Meningocele, the meninges protrude from the spinal opening, and the malformation may or may not be covered by a layer of skin. Some patients with meningocele may have few or no symptoms while others may experience symptoms similar to closed neural tube defects.
4. Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele, the fourth form, is the most severe and occurs when the spinal cord is exposed through the opening in the spine, resulting in partial or complete paralysis of the parts of the body below the spinal opening. The paralysis may be so severe that the affected individual is unable to walk and may have urinary and bowel dysfunction.
