If you need to change brand your doctor or pharmacist will explain how to do so safely.However, if your epilepsy has been difficult to control in the past and the brand you're taking is working well for you, your doctor may recommend staying on the same one.Do not stop taking sodium valproate suddenly, unless your doctor tells you to.You're unlikely to get any extra symptoms when you stop taking this medicine. Each vial of sodium valproate injection is for single dose injection only. See below, “Patients with Known or Suspected Mitochondrial Disease.”Experience has indicated that children under the age of two years are at a considerably increased risk of developing fatal hepatotoxicity, especially those with the aforementioned conditions. Posology. Valproate Sodium Injection is contraindicated in patients known to have mitochondrial disorders caused by POLG mutations and children under two years of age who are clinically suspected of having a mitochondrial disorder [see CONTRAINDICATIONS (In patients over two years of age who are clinically suspected of having a hereditary mitochondrial disease, Valproate Sodium Injection should only be used after other anticonvulsants have failed. Hyperammonemia should also be considered in patients who present with hypothermia [see Asymptomatic elevations of ammonia are more common and when present, require close monitoring of plasma ammonia levels. This is especially important when Valproate use is considered for a condition not usually associated with permanent injury or death such as prophylaxis of migraine headaches [see CONTRAINDICATIONS (4)]. It's not possible to say that one works better than another and it varies from person to person.Lithium is commonly used for bipolar disorder, as well as anti-epileptic medicines like sodium valproate and antipsychotic medicines like olanzapine. The list is not exhaustive nor could it be, since new interactions are continuously being reported.Valproate has been found to be a weak inhibitor of some P450 isozymes, epoxide hydrase, and glucuronosyltransferases.The following list provides information about the potential for an influence of Valproate co‑administration on the pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of several commonly prescribed medications. They're usually mild and go away by themselves.Keep taking the medicine but talk to your doctor if these side effects bother you or don't go away:It's unusual to have serious side effects after taking sodium valproate.
Valproate use has also been associated with decreases in other cell lines and myelodysplasia.Because of reports of cytopenias, inhibition of the secondary phase of platelet aggregation, and abnormal coagulation parameters (e.g., low fibrinogen, coagulation factor deficiencies, acquired von Willebrand's disease), measurements of complete blood counts and coagulation tests are recommended before initiating therapy and at periodic intervals. As the amount is so small it's unlikely to harm your baby, unless your baby was born premature or has kidney problems.Talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of taking sodium valproate while breastfeeding. Sodium valproate injection may be given by direct slow intravenous injection or by infusion using a separate intravenous line in normal saline, dextrose 5%, or dextrose saline. Sodium valproate has also been reported to cause Talk to your doctor if you're concerned about how sodium valproate may affect your fertility.Sodium valproate is no longer recommended for girls or women who may become pregnant. Patients on multiple anticonvulsants, children, those with congenital metabolic disorders, those with severe seizure disorders accompanied by mental retardation, and those with organic brain disease may be at particular risk. The benefits of therapy should be weighed against the risks. For this reason it's best to stop drinking alcohol during the first few days, until you see how the medicine affects you.If you do drink, try not to have more than the recommended guidelines of up to 14 units of alcohol a week. In patients who develop unexplained lethargy and vomiting or changes in mental status, hyperammonemic encephalopathy should be considered and an ammonia level should be measured.
Alternative antibacterial or anticonvulsant therapy should be considered if serum Valproate concentrations drop significantly or seizure control deteriorates [see In a double-blind, multicenter trial of Valproate in elderly patients with dementia (mean age = 83 years), doses were increased by 125 mg/day to a target dose of 20 mg/kg/day.

This may also happen if your dose has increased. In some cases, hepatic dysfunction has progressed in spite of discontinuation of drug [see Valproate can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. This is especially important for women planning a pregnancy and for girls at the onset of puberty; alternative therapeutic options should be considered for these patientsDrugs for which a potentially important interaction has been observedDrugs for which either no interaction or a likely clinically unimportant interaction has been observedDrugs for which a potentially important Valproate interaction has been observedDrugs for which either no interaction or a likely clinically unimportant interaction has been observedDisease-associated maternal and/or embryo/fetal riskNeural tube defects and other structural abnormalitiesWe comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information - Alternative treatment for the underlying medical condition should be initiated as clinically indicated [see Valproate Sodium Injection is contraindicated in patients with known urea cycle disorders (UCD).Hyperammonemic encephalopathy, sometimes fatal, has been reported following initiation of Valproate therapy in patients with urea cycle disorders, a group of uncommon genetic abnormalities, particularly ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency.