Epilepsy Drug Impairs Babies Intelligence
Jacksonville - A new study published by the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that pregnant women who took Valproate had an increased risk for giving birth to babies with low IQ levels. Valproate is a drug for treating Epilepsy and its common names are Depakine, sold by Abbott Laboratories, and Epilim sold by Sanofi-Aventis.
The children of mothers who took Valproate during pregnancy had IQs of an average of 8 points lower than children whose mothers took other drugs to treat Epilepsy. The children were tested at 3 years old. The average IQ of children of mothers who took Valproate was 92. An IQ score of 100 is considered average. Children whose mothers took other drugs to treat Epilepsy had scores that ranged from 98 to 101.
Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia conducted the study. Kimford Meador, MD and a neurology professor, was the lead author of the study. The goal of the researchers was to determine if Valproate caused any problems in the developing fetuses. From late 1999 to early 2004, the researchers enrolled pregnant women with Epilepsy who received treatment at certain 25 Epilepsy clinics in the United States and United Kingdom.
Previous evidence has shown that the drug causes potentially harm side effects in newborn babies. Research has also proved that Valproate can cause other potentially harmful effects in fetal development.
Kimford Meador stated that other issues that influence IQ such as the type of Epilepsy, the mother’s age, and the mother’s IQ did not explain the fetal exposure to Valproate and lower IQ. He also stated that researchers are unsure how the drug affects IQ, but it might damage brain cells in the fetus, similar to the effect of alcohol.
The concern of pregnant women taking Valproate goes beyond Epilepsy patients, as the drug is also commonly prescribed for bipolar disorder and migraine headaches.
A spokesperson for Abbott Laboratories responded to the study and stated that Valproate may be the only effective drug for some women with Epilepsy.
The bottom line is pregnant women should not take Valproate without thoroughly discussing the risks with their doctors.
