San Diego, CANot once during Catherine’s pregnancy was she told to stop taking Depakote. “I always read warning labels on every medication and I don’t remember reading any warnings not to take Depakote during pregnancy,” says Catherine.
“I don’t know whether or not I qualify for a Depakote lawsuit but I should have been warned by the manufacturer not to take this drug while pregnant. My daughter, Alisha, was born with atrial septal defects, which means that she has a hole in her heart.”
Atrial septal defect is a type of congenital heart disease. Babies whose mothers took valproic acid (Depakote) were also 2.5 times more likely to have an atrial septal defect. The American Academy of Neurology advises that pregnant women avoid the use of valproic acid. Yet since up to half of pregnancies are unplanned, according to a recent study, researchers said all women of childbearing age should be warned about the dangers.
Despite such concerns, valproic acid is often still prescribed. In 2006, when Catherine was pregnant with Alisha, Depakote was the second most commonly prescribed epilepsy drug.
“Thankfully Alisha didn’t need surgery but the cardiologists told me that if it wasn’t closed by the time she was two, it would be necessary,” Catherine explains. It closed and what a relief that was.”
But Catherine’s concerns aren’t over. Alisha, now six years old, has a heart murmur.
“Alisha went to cardiologists at least twice while she had this defect,” says Catherine. “It may appear to be healed up but we have to keep monitoring this issue. She recently had a checkup with a developmental specialist and he found a heart murmur; he recommended that she go back to the cardiologist and get another checkup, just to make sure she is OK. I know that heart murmurs are common but I do worry.
“When Alisha was born nobody could explain why she was born with a hole in her heart but I later found out that it is a side effect of Depakote - one of several Depakote birth defects. I also found out that doctors are supposed to pull you off Depakote in your first trimester, and within a week before the baby’s due date, they are supposed to put you back on it if you are not going to breastfeed. Neither happened to me. I didn’t think about asking my doctor why he didn’t do this and obviously he didn’t think about it either. So I have an issue with my doctor and with the manufacturer.”
Another reason Catherine should be concerned: In May 2013, the FDA issued a warning to doctors and women of childbearing age that six medications used to treat migraine headaches can decrease children’s intelligence if taken while their mothers are pregnant. The agency said the drugs, including Depakote, should never be taken by pregnant women for the prevention of migraine headaches. Depakote’s current boxed warning about the risk of birth defects will have a new added warning after a study showed these drugs decreased IQ scores in children whose mothers took them while pregnant.
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