A drug that helps control epileptic seizures has been reportedly linked to birth defects and should not be used by pregnant women or women of child-bearing potential.<\/p>\n
Depakote was created by French pharmaceutical drug company Sanofi back in 1967. The British equivalent, Epilim, has been available since 1973.<\/p>\n
The drug has been used around the world and has gained regulatory approval for treatment of epilepsy, with variations of the drug introduced in 1995 for bipolar manic episodes, and in 1996 to prevent migraines. But, a generation later, it has been revealed the drug can cause severe birth defects at a significantly high percentage. Worryingly, Sanofi’s drug characteristic profile of Depakote apparently noted damage to foetuses in testing the drug in both animals and humans.<\/p>\n Common side effects complained by users are:<\/strong><\/p>\n
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\nAlso known as Divalproex Sodium and Valproic Acid, it contains a reportedly dangerous drug called Valproate that, according to Drug Watch, had been “linked to suicide, liver toxicity, pancreatitis and a variety of birth defects<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n