IQ Reported Lower in Toddlers of Mothers who Took Valproate

According to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, children of women who took  the antiepilepsy drug valproate while pregnant may have lower IQs than children of women who use other anti-epilepsy medications.

Results were analyzed in 258 children between the ages of 2 and 3 whose mother had taken carbamazepine, phenytoin, lamotrigine or valproate.  The children exposed to valproate had an average IQ of 92, a number between six and nine points lower than the average IQ of children exposed to other antiepilepsy drugs. Valproate, a drug commonly used in patients with epilepsy is also used to treat migraine headaches and mood disorders.  

Researchers recommend that valproate not be the first choice antiepilepsy drug for women who are or may become pregnant. The Epilepsy Foundation stresses the importance of consulting with your doctor before simply stopping any medication. It is dangerous to stop taking any antiepilepsy drug all of the sudden. Women taking valproate should not discontinue the drug on their own, but should talk with their doctor if they are, or may become, pregnant. The risk of injury to the fetus from the mother having a convulsive seizure  can be significant. For some women, valproate may be the best drug to control seizures. If so, and if a woman plans to become pregnant, she should speak with her doctor about the right dosage. By working closely with her doctor, a woman with epilepsy can have a family, with a risk comparable to that in the general population.

See more about The New England Journal of Medicine article here. http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/360/16/1597