Is Prenatal Valproate Exposure a Risk Factor for Autism Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Sodium valproate (Depakene) and divalproex sodium (Depakote) are two commonly used drugs for epilepsy therapy. Sodium valproate, a first-generation antiepileptic drug, has commonly been used as a treatment for different forms of both epilepsy and psychiatric disorders ever since it was first clinically utilized in 1967. It is a simple 2-chain fatty acid that is believed to affect GABA metabolism, however, the mechanism is still unclear. It has been proven to have adverse side effects, such as neural tube defects if taken in utero during the first trimester of pregnancy and has therefore caused a reservation in the medical community for prescription of this drug in females. However, it is still one of the most commonly prescribed agents in young women of childbearing age with 23.4% of women actively receiving it for non-epileptic disorders, such as psychiatric disorders and 12% of women receiving it as an antiepileptic drug (AED). This may be cause for alarm due to the teratogenic effects that may result from usage of valproate. In this article, the potential of prenatal valproate to cause autism spectrum disorder will be outlined from a nonclinical and clinical perspective, as evident from this basic science report. Overall, valproate is clearly associated with teratogenic risks and hence should not be used in women with epilepsy during reproductive years.

published proceedings

  • International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nanotechnology

author list (cited authors)

  • Reddy, D. S., Brewer, J., & Manchi, M.

citation count

  • 0

complete list of authors

  • Reddy, Doodipala Samba||Brewer, Jonathan||Manchi, Maunica

publication date

  • March 2018