Is New Depakote Research a Disconnect from Previous Studies?

Atlanta, GAA recent study that suggests infants whose breast-feeding mothers are taking Depakote are not adversely affected by trace levels of valproate in breast milk is pale assurance when compared to the findings of a 2009 study on valproate and IQ loss. The resulting disconnect leaves some women scratching their heads.

According to the November 24 edition of Consumer Health News, previous research has shown that exposure to valproate during the first trimester can increase the risk of Depakote birth defects. Babies exposed to valproate in the womb presented IQ levels at age three that averaged nine points lower than infants whose mothers took one of three other common anti-seizure drugs during pregnancy. The researchers also discovered that the effect was dose-dependant. In other words, the higher the dose of valproate, the lower the IQ.

And yet, researchers also say that levels of Depakote in breast milk pose little to no danger to the infant.

Depakote (valproate) is a common anti-seizure medication used to treat individuals with epilepsy. While there has been previous concern about Depakote side effects causing harm to the fetus (especially when taken during the first trimester), this latest research suggests that nursing mothers can safely take Depakote without causing undue harm to the infant.

Lead author of the study Dr. Kimford Meador, a professor of neurology at Emory University in Atlanta, examined the results of IQ tests given to 199 three-year-olds whose mothers entered the trial while they were still pregnant. A total of 194 women at 25 epilepsy centers were enrolled in the study from 1999 to 2004, and there were five sets of twins.

Forty-two percent of the babies were breast-fed for an average of six months, and mothers who breast-fed tended to have higher average IQs than those who didn't (104 versus 95). After controlling for the mother's IQ, the researchers found that the average IQ in the breast-fed group of children was 99, versus 98 in the non-breast-fed group.

"For women who have epilepsy, this is one less thing that they as new mothers have to worry about," Dr. Meador said.

Many doctors have observed the findings of the latest study with regard to valproate and breastfeeding as a game-changer in terms of women's (and doctor's) attitudes toward taking anti-seizure medications and breastfeeding.

However Meador cautioned that results were preliminary.

Additional studies would be required to determine a more definitive finding with regard to Depakote birth defects and other Depakote side effects. The study was published in the November 2010 issue of Neurology.