Depakote how long does it take to work

Other birth defects can happen. Birth defects may occur even in children born to women who are not taking any medicines and do not have other risk factors. Taking folic acid supplements before getting pregnant and during early pregnancy may lower the chance of having a baby with a neural tube defect. If you take Depakote during pregnancy for any medical condition, your child is at risk for having a lower IQ. There may be other medicines to treat your condition that have a lower chance of birth defects.

All women of child-bearing age should talk to their healthcare provider about using other possible treatments instead of Depakote. If the decision is made to use Depakote, you should use effective birth control contraception. Discuss birth control methods with your doctor. Q: Does Depakote interact with oral contraceptives? Q: Does Depakote interact with other medications? Q: Are any foods or alcohol off limits?

Q: How do I safely store Depakote? Q: What should I do if I miss a dose? Q: What time of day should I take Depakote? Q: Can I stop taking Depakote at any time? When you use this card, you are confirming that you have not submitted and will not submit a claim for this prescription for reimbursement under any federal, state, or government-funded healthcare program, such as Medicare including Part D , Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Medigap, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, or TRICARE.

The risk of getting this serious liver damage is more likely to happen within the first 6 months of treatment. In some cases, liver damage may continue despite stopping the drug.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms: nausea or vomiting that does not go away, loss of appetite, pain on the right side of your stomach abdomen , dark urine, swelling of your face, or yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes. If you take DEPAKOTE during pregnancy for any medical condition, your baby is at risk for serious birth defects that affect the brain and spinal cord and are called spina bifida or neural tube defects.

Other birth defects that affect the structures of the heart, head, arms, legs, and the opening where the urine comes out urethra on the bottom of the penis can also happen.

Taking folic acid supplements before getting pregnant and during early pregnancy can lower the chance of having a baby with a neural tube defect.

There may be other medicines to treat your condition that have a lower chance of causing birth defects, decreased IQ, or other disorders in your child. All women of childbearing age including girls from the start of puberty should talk to their healthcare provider about using other possible treatments instead of DEPAKOTE.

You can enroll in this registry by calling toll-free or by visiting the website, www. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms: severe stomach pain that you may also feel in your back, nausea or vomiting that does not go away.

Call a healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you: thoughts about suicide or dying; attempts to commit suicide; new or worse depression; new or worse anxiety; feeling agitated or restless; panic attacks; trouble sleeping insomnia ; new or worse irritability; acting aggressive, being angry, or violent; acting on dangerous impulses; an extreme increase in activity and talking mania ; other unusual changes in behavior or mood.

How can I watch for early symptoms of suicidal thoughts and actions? Pay attention to any changes, especially sudden changes in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings.

Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled. Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms. Ask your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby. You are leaving the AbbVie website and connecting to a site that is not under the control of AbbVie. AbbVie is not responsible for the contents of any such site or any further links from such site. AbbVie is providing these links to you only as a convenience and the inclusion of any link does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by AbbVie.

You should also be aware that the linked site may be governed by its own set of terms and conditions and privacy policy for which AbbVie has no responsibility. You are about to enter a site that is for U. Healthcare Professionals only. By selecting "Yes" below, you certify that you are a Healthcare Professional and that you wish to proceed to the Healthcare Professionals Only section of this site.

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The Track It! AbbVie is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply the endorsement of the linked site by AbbVie. Health insurance that you or a family member obtained through an employer or purchased privately. The DEPAKOTE Savings Card is not available to individuals who are paying cash for their prescription or who are receiving prescription reimbursement under a state or federally funded insurance program.

This rebate form is not available to individuals who are paying cash for their prescription or who are receiving prescription reimbursement under a state or federally funded insurance program. Important Safety Information Prescribing Information. Home Talking to Your Doctor. Talking to your doctor about acute bipolar mania. Should my medication be taken with or without meals? Valproic acid can reduce fertility in both men and women. Once you stop taking this medicine, your fertility will return.

In men valproic acid has been reported to cause infertility. However, this is rare. In women it can change your menstrual cycle, causing delayed or missed periods.

Valproic acid has also been reported to cause polycystic ovary syndrome PCOS , though this happens rarely. Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about how valproic acid may affect your fertility.

Valproic acid is not recommended if there's a chance you could become pregnant. If you're taking valproic acid and want to start a family, it's important to talk to your doctor as soon as possible. This is because taking valproic acid while pregnant can harm your baby. Valproic acid does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception.

If there's a chance you could become pregnant while taking sodium valproate you must use contraception. Your doctor will put you on Prevent, the valproate pregnancy prevention programme.

Speak to a pharmacist or your doctor if you have any questions about this programme. You may feel sleepy, tired or dizzy when you first start taking valproic acid. This may also happen if your dose has increased. If you're affected, do not drive or ride a bike until you feel more alert.

If you have epilepsy, you're not allowed to drive until you've had no seizures for 1 year or only have seizures while you're asleep. If you change your epilepsy medicine, your doctor will tell you whether you need to stop driving and for how long.

Driving rules if you change or withdraw your medicine, Epilepsy Action. Epilepsy and driving information, GOV. Page last reviewed: 3 September Next review due: 3 September Valproic acid - Brand names: Belvo, Depakote, Dyzantil, Convulex, Syonell On this page About valproic acid Key facts Who can and cannot take valproic acid How and when to take valproic acid Side effects How to cope with side effects of valproic acid Pregnancy and breastfeeding Cautions with other medicines Common questions about valproic acid.

About valproic acid Valproic acid is used to treat bipolar disorder. Valproate pregnancy prevention programme The valproate pregnancy prevention programme is very important and is still running during the coronavirus COVID pandemic. Updated: 3 September Help us improve our website Can you answer a quick question about your visit today?

You'll usually take valproic acid 2 or 3 times a day. You can take it with or without food. You'll usually start on a low dose. Your dose will gradually increase over a few days or weeks. Sodium valproate and semisodium valproate are similar to valproic acid and work in the same way.

However, these medicines are used to treat different conditions and doses will vary. There are also brands such as Epilim Chrono, Epilim Chronosphere and Dyzantil which contain mostly sodium valproate, with some valproic acid.

If you're pregnant, or there's a chance you could become pregnant, valproic acid is not recommended for treating migraine. For epilepsy and bipolar disorder, your doctor will only prescribe valproic acid for you if there are no other suitable treatments. To make sure valproic acid is safe for you, tell your doctor if you: have ever had an allergic reaction to valproic acid or any other medicine have liver problems have a rare metabolic or genetic condition such as porphyria, urea cycle disorder or mitochondrial disorder.

Dosage The usual dose for treating bipolar disorder for: adults — mg to 2,mg a day, split into 2 or 3 doses children — the doctor will work out the right dose for your child The usual dose for preventing migraine for: adults — mg to 1,mg a day, split into 2 or 3 doses The usual dose for treating epilepsy for: adults and older children aged 12 years and over — mg to 2,mg a day, split into 2 to 4 doses younger children weighing more than 20kg — the doctor will use your child's weight to work out the right dose for them If you need to take your medicine more than once a day, you'll take equal doses that add up to your daily total.

How and when take it Valproic acid comes as gastro resistant tablets and capsules. Will my dose go up or down? What if I forget to take it? What if I take too much? Taking too much valproic acid can lead to symptoms such as: feeling or being sick nausea or vomiting headaches, or feeling dizzy muscle weakness breathing problems feeling confused, or changes to your normal behaviour passing out. Urgent advice: Contact for advice now if:.

Common side effects These common side effects may happen in more than 1 in people. Keep taking the medicine but talk to your doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away: stomach pain, feeling or being sick diarrhoea dry or sore mouth, or swollen gums shakes tremors in a part of your body, or unusual eye movements feeling tired or sleepy headache weight gain thinning hair, or changes to the colour or texture of your hair irregular or delayed periods Serious side effects It's unusual to have serious side effects after taking valproic acid.

Tell a doctor straight away if you have: thoughts of harming or killing yourself — a small number of people taking valproic acid have had suicidal thoughts yellowing of the whites of your eyes or your skin, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin, and dark pee — these may be signs of liver problems long-lasting and severe nausea, vomiting or stomach pain — these may be signs of acute pancreatitis an inflamed pancreas unusual bruises or bleeding — these may be signs of a blood disorder Serious allergic reaction In rare cases, valproic acid may cause a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis.

Information: You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme. Visit Yellow Card for further information. What to do about: stomach pain, feeling or being sick — take valproic acid with or after a meal or snack. It may also help if you avoid rich or spicy food. Take small, frequent sips of water if you're being sick to avoid dehydration.

Speak to a pharmacist if you have signs of dehydration, such as peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee. Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor.

If this does not help, or you have mouth ulcers , talk to your pharmacist or doctor. If you're bothered by swollen gums or this symptom does not go away, talk to your doctor or dentist. These symptoms can be a sign that your dose is too high. Valproate is a mood stabilizer medication that works in the brain. It is approved for the treatment of mania associated with bipolar disorder also known as manic depression , seizures epilepsy , and migraine headaches.

They should be clear about the limits of the research around that medication and if there are any other options. Bipolar disorder requires long-term treatment. Do not stop taking valproate, even when you feel better. With input from you, your health care provider will assess how long you will need to take the medicine. Missing doses of valproate may increase your risk for a relapse in your mood symptoms. Do not stop taking valproate or change your dose without talking to your healthcare provider first.

In order for valproate to work properly, it should be taken every day as ordered by your health care provider. Periodically, your healthcare provider may ask you to provide a blood sample to make sure the appropriate level of medication is in your body and to assess for side effects, such as changes in blood cell counts.

People living with bipolar disorder who wish to become pregnant face important decisions. It is important to discuss the risks and benefits of treatment with your doctor and caregivers. Valproate has been associated with an increased risk of spinal cord defects spina bifida. Bleeding, liver problems, decreased IQ scores, developmental delays, and other birth defects have also been reported. There may be precautions to decrease the risk of these effects. Discontinuing mood stabilizer medications during pregnancy has been associated with a significant increase in symptom relapse.

Regarding breastfeeding, caution is advised since valproate does pass into breast milk in small amounts. Typically patients begin at a low dose of medicine and the dose is increased slowly over several weeks. The dose usually ranges from mg to mg or more.

Only your health care provider can determine the correct dose for you, as sometimes the dose required is based on your weight. Do not chew the sprinkle capsule or contents. Valproate syrup: Measure with a dosing spoon or oral syringe that you can get from your pharmacy. Use a calendar, pillbox, alarm clock, or cell phone alert to help you remember to take your medication. You may also ask a family member or a friend to remind you or check in with you to be sure you are taking your medication.

If you miss a dose of valproate, take it as soon as you remember, unless it is closer to the time of your next dose.