Valproic acid or 2-Propylpentanoic acid is CH₃CH₂CH₂CH(CH₂CH₂CH₃)COOH . General Name, Symbol, Number carbon, C, 6 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 14, 2, p Appearance black (graphite) colorless (diamond) Atomic mass 12. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 1, s Density, Hardness 0. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ...

Sodium valproate (also known as valproate, or VPA) is a sodium salt of valproic acid. General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Series alkali metal Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 3, s Density, Hardness 968 kg/m3, 0. ... In chemistry, salt is a general term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ...

Divalproex Sodium - marketed by Abbott Laboratories as Depakote® in the USA and Canada and as Epilim® in the UK and Australia - is the semisodium salt of valproic acid, made by combining sodium valproate with valproic acid to form a chemical complex which contains half the sodium of an equivalent dose of sodium valproate. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) is a pharmaceuticals and health care company. ...

(Orfiril® is also a Valproic acid produced by the german company Desitin used mainly in Northern Europe.)

Valproic acid, delivered in either of these forms, 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. The anticonvulsants, sometimes also called antiepileptics, belong to a diverse group of pharmaceuticals used in prevention of the occurrence of epileptic seizures. ... A mood stabilizer is a psychiatric medication used in the treatment of bipolar disorder to suppress swings between mania and depression. ... A drug is any substance that can be used to modify a chemical process or processes in the body, for example to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, enhance a performance or ability, or to alter states of mind. ... Bipolar Affective Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, BPAD, or BP is a mood disorder typically characterized by fluctuations between manic and depressive states; and, more generally, atypical mood regulation and mood instability. ... A headache is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head; sometimes upper back or neck pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... In medicine, there are many kinds of generalized seizures. ... This article is about the medical condition. ... Seizures (or convulsions) are temporary alterations in brain function expressing themselves into a changed mental state, tonic or clonic movements and various other symptoms. ... Seizures (or convulsions) are temporary alterations in brain function expressing themselves into a changed mental state, tonic or clonic movements and various other symptoms. ... // Symptoms tonic seizures, which occur most frequently during non-REM sleep. ...

Valproate is believed to affect the function of the neurotransmitter GABA (as a GABA transaminase inhibitor) in the human brain. Neurotransmitters are chemicals that are used to relay, amplify and modulate electrical signals between two neurons: the presynaptic neuron and the postsynaptic neuron. ... Chemical structure of GABA Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter in widely divergent species. ... In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the supervisory center of the nervous system. ...

Side Effects

Common side effects are dyspepsia and/or weight-gain. Less common are dizziness, drowsiness, hair-loss, headaches, nausea, sedation and tremors, Weight is the force exerted upon an object by virtue of its position in a gravitational field. ... A female with brown hair. ... A headache is a condition of mild to severe pain in the head; sometimes upper back or neck pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... Nausea (Greek Ναυτεία) is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit. ... Sedation is a medical procedure involving administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical procedure, such as endoscopy, vasectomy, or minor surgery with local anaesthesia. ... Tremor is the rhythmic, oscillating shaking movement of the whole body or just a certain part of it, caused by problems of the neurons responsible from muscle action. ...

Valproic acid can also rarely cause blood dyscrasia, impaired liver function, jaundice, thrombocytopenia, and prolonged coagulation times. In ~5% of pregnant users, valproic acid will cross the placenta and cause congenital anomalies. Some users have reported growth of curly hair during long-term medication of Sodium Valproate. The liver is an organ in vertebrates, including humans. ... Jaundice, technically known as icterus, is yellowing of the skin, sclera (eyes) and mucous membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the system. ... Thrombocytopenia (or -paenia, or thrombopenia in short) is the presence of relatively few platelets in blood. ... The coagulation of blood is a complex process during which blood forms solid clots. ... Human placenta shown a few minutes after birth. ... A congenital disorder is a medical condition that is present at birth. ...

There have also been reports of cognitive dysfunction, Parkinsonian syndrome and even pseudoatrophic brain changes in long-term treatment with valproic acid.

External links

• The Lundbeck Institute Guide to Psychotropics - Valproic acid
• http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/moodstabilizers.htm
• http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/valproate.htm
• http://www.crazymeds.org/depakote.html