Study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine have demonstrated that depakote, aka Valproate, used during pregnancy may result in the child having a lower IQ. Depakote has also been associated with a high rate of fetal death and birth defects such as spina bifida in children of mothers who used Depakote. The study was performed by Dr. Kimford Meador of Emory University and a team of researchers.

Depakote is used to treat epileptic seizures, mood disorders and migraine headaches. The study followed pregnant women in the U.S. and England that had taken anti-seizure medications between 1999 and 2004.The study compared the IQ scores of children by 3 years of age whose mothers had taken one of four types of anti-seizure medications, including: depakote, lamotrigine (also known as lemectal), phenytoin, and carbamazepine. The study results showed that Depakote children ranked six to nine points lower on the IQ scale when compared to children whose mothers took other anti-seizure medications. The average IQ for a “Depokote child” was 92. The IQ ranges of the other children were between 98 and 101. The average rating for a child’s intelligence is 100. The study results also demonstrated that the higher the dosage that the “Depakote mother” received, the lower the IQ the child had. Dosage levels were irrelevant in the other anti-seizure medications.

In 2007, Meader study results presented at the American Academy of Neurology showed a marked risk for retardation in children whose mothers had taken Depakote. This rate of risk was twice as great as the risk associated with other anti-seizure medications. Twenty four percent of the children who mother took depakote and participated in Meador’s study had an IQ level that is associated with retardation.

According to the Alliance for Human Resource Protection, approximately 25,000 U.S. children are born to women who have epilepsy annually. It is important to note that just because the other anti-seizure medications are not associated with an elevated risk for lower IQ’ed children, does not mean that there are not other types of risks for injury. For example, there have been reports that lemectal is associated with Steven’s Johnson Syndrome, a life threatening and severely debilitating condition.