Did I give my child Fetal Valproate Syndrome

[Trinity]

Well I was on Sodium Valproate (Epilim/Depakene - not Depakote) during all three of my pregnancies. My first two I think I was on a 800mg dosage. My eldest daughter who is now in year 5 has experienced learning dificulties although she has not struggled enough to be diagnosed as having an intellectual disability. She is only just now starting to catch up to her peers with regards to academic ability. My son is rather average although he's a good reader, loves reading infact. He gets really emotional and he walks around on his toes - don't know if that's got anything to do with anything but I guess I need to get it checked out. My youngest however, I was on (as I still am) 2000mg of sodium valproate (monotherapy for E but also was on zoloft for depression). I took folic acid with all three - at least for more than the first three months. Anyway, she was referred by our local optometrist to a paediatric opthamologist and we now know she has poor vision in both eyes (near sightedness) and a turn in her right eye (amblyopia). I rang the school as soon as we got home to talk to her teacher. She said she's been doing so well academically and we are both just really surprised. I am in shock and from my limited understanding (from the university of google ) I think this is something that can be caused by in-utero exposure to sodium valproate.

[RobinN]

Hi Trinity... you did the best you knew how at the time. Each of us can possibly look back at what might have been, or I wonder if... Start here, start with what you know to be true, and make this life the best you can for each of yours.

Now, if you use that information to improve the quality of their lives, then that is a plus. However, it can also cause you a lot of distress.

Great to hear your little one is doing so well academically. Most important to me is whether or not they are good people. If so, they will be successful.

Do some research on toe walking... this has come up often in my reading (mostly on autistic / asperger / seizure sites). If I find some links I will bring them to you. I seem to remember it being gut related. None of my children did this, but a young boy in my daughter's class did, and I always was interested in what caused this.

Just be careful, not to beat yourself up about what you could have done better. Interesting knowledge, but something we can't change.

http://www.danasview.net/virfile.htm
an interesting read, and one that makes sense in my children's lives. I don't know if you have kept records of your vaccinations and when certain symptoms began to occur.
Read: what viral issues might look like in your child. Toe walking is suggested in the first example.
Certainly worth exploring this cause. It can improve quality of life dramatically when addressed.

HTH

[Meetz1064]

to agree with Robin that you did the best you could at the time.

And the walking on the toes issue--it is tied to autism/asperger's (high functioning autism) and sometimes seizures...but usually the first 2.

I was on Depakote as well during at least one of my pregnancies. (I've had 3 full-term.) My youngest also has had many of the issues brought up here, but none of the doctors have confirmed that he has FVS. He has Asperger's.

He has poor eyesight, with amblyopia in both of them, but it is far more pronounced in one eye than the other. He's nearly deaf, but refuses to sign and doesn't do a good job of wearing his hearing aids.

He's smart as a whip in many areas--but there are a few that he is realllly weak in, and reading can be one of them. That is, unless it's something that truly grabs him, and then for some reason everything totally connects. No idea why. He can go from not understanding a paragraph on an uninteresting subject--as in not even getting the first sentence--to being totally absorbed in a book on a subject that he loves.

Here's a quick link about toe walking from the Mayo Clinic. And yes, please do have your young one evaluated soon. It may be something slightly off, but the sooner he gets help if its really needed, the better.

Mayo Clinic Toe Walking

Take care!

Meetz

[Trinity]

This is what I posted to facebook yesterday:

"Have arrived home from the paediatric opthamolagist with Erin. Her right eye is turned and she has quite poor vision in that eye. She also has poor vision in the left eye however, but no turn. Can't help but blame myself that she has ended up like this because I was on such a high dosage of sodium valproate during her pregnancy - from my limited medical knowledge I have heard this is a possible result. We have a prescription for glasses but the opthamologist indicated that it likely will not assist with her right as it has the turn. It will of course correct her left eye giving her proper vision there."

I received a number of replies to it but the best of course was from my lovely husband.

"Erin is a very intelligetnt little girl, and this is a something in her life she needs to deal with and learn to cope with. We're there to help her where we can as parents, sharing our support, faith and love. I'm sure in time, knowing Erin even as she is who she is today, she will triumph over this adversity and surprise us all with what she will accomplish in the future. GIG!"

I wasn't sure at first but I think GIG is meant to mean God Is Great. Hubby is at work so i'll need to check on that one. But how sweet is that for Daddy to say about his little girl.

[RobinN]

Does your daughter have access to your facebook page? I can't tell her age from your post. Also your older children...
If I were you.. I would be very careful what is posted about your children's health in public.
They tend to take a lot of this to mean they are not perfect... which of course we know that they are.
I talk about my daughter only here, since I know it is a place she never reads.

Just a suggestion.

[Trinity]

I guess I have a different view. My parents always taught me not to be ashamed and I never had any reason not to talk about what was happening to me and if my parents talked about me I didn't have any reason to feel embarrassed or ashamed. My parents have made other mistakes but that is definitely one thing (amongst many others of course) they did right by me. My daughter is 6. She was sitting on my lap this morning as I read what her daddy said of her to everyone on facebook. She had the biggest smile on her face. She knows she is not perfect but she also knows that neither am I and that she is as 'normal' (whatever that means) as you or me. Perfection grows weary - i'd hate to have to strive to be perfect all the time.

[Endless]

Trinity,

Regardless of whether there is a relationship between Epilim and birth defects or other problems, you did not give Fetal Valproate Syndrome to your daughter. That responsibility lands squarely in the lap of Abbott Laboratories. There should have been more research and the resulting warnings about pregnancy, and about the potential of autism in unborn children. Those warnings exist now, but it's a bit late for those who have already used it.

You did the right thing. The drug company did not.