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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Depakote: how it works
        
(Message started by: tomshead on Oct 15^th, 2002, 11:47pm)

Title: Depakote: how it works
Post by tomshead on Oct 15^th, 2002, 11:47pm

I"m posting this 'cause I've searched the archives here and at the OUCH website for hours and can't find anything on how this drug works in layman's terms. So I did a general web search and this was the first one that described the mechanisim. I'll keep hunting for more and better, but its late now and I wanted to post at least this so something other than pos/neg experiences showed up on a search. Please add other info if you know.

here's the site:
http://www.loftusmd.com/Articles/AED/depakoate.html

here's some quotes:
"Valproic acid is a broad spectrum anti-epileptic drug...
Valproic acid is available in many different forms. It is most commonly used in tablets known as Depakote®. More recently, it has become available in an extended release formulation to allow twice daily administration and this form is known as Depakote-ER®. The cost of this new form to achieve the same absorption is about 20% more expensive. Valproic acid is also available is a liquid form (Depakene®) and an IV form (Depacon®). In the brain, valproic acid inhibits voltage sensitive sodium (Na+) channels. Valproic acid also increases brain GABA levels. GABA is an inhibitory eurotransmitter...
More recently, the intravenous form of the medication, Depacon®, is being used as an acute treatment for migraine. This is particularly useful for those patients who present to the office in whom sumatriptan injection (Imitrex® SQ) either does not work or is contraindicated.
Valproic acid is also a very useful medication for the treatment of cluster headache. Not nearly as common as migraine, cluster headaches are more severe and respond to far fewer therapies than migraine headaches."