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What is Valproic Acid?

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.

Reported Purpose & Efficacy

Reasons and Efficacy
Purpose # of patients
# of patients with evaluations Efficacy
Major
Moderate
Slight
None
Can’t tell
Epilepsy 13 6 Efficacy_moderate Efficacy_slight Efficacy_none
Treat my mood condition(s) 7 1 Efficacy_major
Migraine headaches 6 2 Efficacy_major
Bipolar manic episodes 5 4 Efficacy_major Efficacy_moderate
Other 3 2 Efficacy_major Efficacy_none
Seizures (complex partial) 3 2 Efficacy_slight Efficacy_cant_tell

See all 41 patients currently taking Valproic Acid

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Reported Side Effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Severe
 6
Moderate
 9
Mild
 5
None
 4

Commonly reported side effects, conditions, and hospitalizations associated with Valproic Acid

Weight gain 3
Tremor in hands 2
Heartburn 2
Excessive daytime sleepiness (somnolence) 1
Memory problems 1
Acid reflux 1
See all 25 reported side effects ▼ See top 6 reported side effects ▲

Reported Dosages

Frequently reported dosages based on patients currently taking Valproic Acid. See all 13 dosages ►

  250 mg daily 300 mg daily 500 mg daily 750 mg daily 1,000 mg daily 4 x 250 mg/5 mL daily 1,250 mg daily 1,500 mg daily 2,000 mg daily 2,500 mg daily
  8 Number of Patients: 8 1 Number of Patients: 1 8 Number of Patients: 8 4 Number of Patients: 4 8 Number of Patients: 8 1 Number of Patients: 1 1 Number of Patients: 1 3 Number of Patients: 3 5 Number of Patients: 5 1 Number of Patients: 1  

Reported Stop Reasons

Why Patients Stopped Taking Valproic Acid (multiple reasons could be selected)
Reason # Patients Percentage of patients
Side effects too severe 9   Side effects too severe: 45%
Did not seem to work 8   Did not seem to work: 40%
Doctor's advice 5   Doctor's advice: 25%
Other 3   Other: 15%
Course of treatment ended 2   Course of treatment ended: 10%
Personal research 1   Personal research: 5%
Expense 1   Expense: 5%

See all 20 patients who’ve stopped taking Valproic Acid

Reported Duration See details about how long patients take this treatment ▼

Currently Taking Valproic Acid

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0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more
0
0
0

Stopped Taking Valproic Acid

A bar graph

0-1 month 1-3 months 3-6 months 6 months-1year 1-2 years 2 years or more

Reported Adherence, Burden & Cost See details from patient evaluations ▼

Adherence

Taking treatment as prescribed

Adherence of Valproic Acid

Always
 16 67%
Usually
 5 21%
Sometimes
 2 8%
Never
 1 4%

Burden

Difficulty being on treatment

Burden of Valproic Acid

Very
 2 8%
Somewhat
 8 33%
A little
 4 17%
Not at all
 10 42%

Cost

Paid out of pocket

Cost of Valproic Acid

$200+
 1 5%
$100-199
 3 15%
$50-99
 4 20%
$25-49
 4 20%
< $25
 8 40%

See more information, including instructions, precautions, side effects, and interactions.

Report created on February 11, 2012.