Depakote and IQ

[flinnigan]

I saw a news piece yesterday on World News Tonight that babies born to women who are taking Depakote for migraines. seizures and or depression have been found to have below average IQ's. They of course cautioned you not to go off your medication but talk to your Dr. Did any one else see this?

[Ann T.]

Flinnigan:

Hello. Yes, I read this in my local newspaper. And, Dr. Lewis Holmes, director of the North American Antiepileptic Disease Pregnancy Registry said, "We've known this drug is a bad actor for a long time." Now, with this info, why doesn't the FDA remove it from the market? Is it that lucrative of a medicine even though it's linked to causing birth defects?

[skillefer]

They don't remove it from the market because it does help lots of people. Yes, there should be a warning...and docs should tell their female patients that are on it....but in the end, like in everything else, it's the patients vigilance that matters most. In the UK, there was a class action lawsuit because of this very issue concerning IQ.