News tagged with 'Depakote'

Valproic acid (Depakote) is prescribed to control the seizures of epilepsy, but for pregnant women the drug can cause birth defects if taken in the first trimester.

Children of mothers who took the anti-seizure medication valproate, had lower IQ scores as three-year-olds, researchers find. Valproate should not be the first line of epilepsy defense for any women of childbearing age they conclude. 

Seizures can turn into a medical emergency if they are not addressed immediately.  Tuesday, the coroner in the Bahamas officially listed Jett Travolta's death as a "seizure." 

The Travolta family had largely kept quiet about their teenage son's fight with seizure disorder. He had also suffered from Kawasaki disease, which affects 19 out of every 100,000 children.