Depakote is an epilepsy medication that, like many similar medications, has been associated with severe birth defects. It has been alleged that women who used Depakote before 2010 and gave birth to a child with a congenital birth defect may be able to blame Depakote for the birth defects. A Depakote class action lawsuit investigation has been launched in a response to these Depakote birth defect allegations.

Women who used Depakote while pregnant, especially during the first trimester, may give birth to children with birth defects such as:

• Cardiovascular defects
• Brain defects
• Spina bifida and other spinal defects
• Face or skull defects

Congenital birth defects can be extremely challenging for both parents and their children, as they may require additional medical fees or monitoring and lead to loss of future income or difficulty with education. As such, plaintiffs may win compensation to help pay for expensive medical costs to treat Depakote birth defects, as well as for pain and suffering, loss of earnings, and other damages incurred by the family. 

Depakote

Depakote was approved in 1983 to treat seizures in adults and in children over the age of 10. The FDA has since approved Depakote to treat migraines and manic episodes (a common experience of bipolar patient). Depakote can be found in divalproex sodium, valproate, and valproic acid and comes in numerous different forms. While these medical decisions have made the drug more accessible for individuals who require Depakote treatment, the number of families and children who may have been affected by Depakote birth defects have also increased as a result. 

Epilepsy medication use while pregnant has been a concern of the medical community for many years. Sometimes, a pregnant woman is required to stay on the medication for safety reasons in regards to herself and her unborn child.

However, studies have found that women who use Depakote during their first trimester are 12.7 times more likely to give birth to a child with spina bifida, as well as other congenital birth defects. The same Depakote birth defect study found that women were 2.5 times more likely to have a child with a heart defect and 5 times more likely to have a child with a cleft palate.

This Depakote study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The birth defects study recommends that pregnant women should not take Depakote and that women of childbearing age be aware of the birth defect risks before taking epilepsy medication in case of an accidental pregnancy.

Options should be discussed with a medical professional.