Uses
As an anticonvulsant, valproic acid is used to control absence seizures, tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal), complex partial seizures, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, and the seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. It is also used in treatment of myoclonus. In some countries, parenteral preparations of valproate are used also as second-line treatment of status epilepticus, as an alternative to phenytoin. Valproate is one of the most common drugs used to treat post-traumatic epilepsy. It is more recently being used to treat neuropathic pain, as a second-line agent, particularly lancinating pain from A delta fibers.
In the United States, valproic acid is approved by the Food and Drug Administration only for the treatment of manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder, adjunctive therapy in multiple seizure types (including epilepsy), and prophylaxis of migraine headaches.
Valproic acid is also used off-label for controlling behavioral disturbances in dementia patients.
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