Depakote Lawsuits
Contact a Lawyer
Submit information about your potential case to be reviewed by an attorney.
Published: March 1st, 2013
The use of the epilepsy drug Depakote and similar drugs have been linked to an increased risk of birth defects and malformations, including cleft palate, spina bifida and deformed limbs and skulls.
DEPAKOTE LAWSUIT STATUS: Product liability lawyers are evaluating potential Depakote birth defect lawsuits for individuals who took valproate-based drugs during pregnancy and gave birth to a child with malformations or other problems.
>>HAVE A DEPAKOTE LAWSUIT REVIEWED BY A LAWYER<<
MANUFACTURER: Abbot Laboratories
OVERVIEW: Depakote (valproic acid) is an anti-seizure drug approved by FDA in 1983 for the treatment of epilepsy. It belongs to a class of drugs based on valproate; which includes Depacon, Stavzor, and the first drug in the class, Depakene, which was first approved in 1978.
Valproate, or valproic acid, is an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug. In addition to epilepsy, it is often prescribed to treat bipolar disorder and depression.
DEPAKOTE BIRTH DEFECT SIDE EFFECTS: In 2006, the FDA added a “black box” warning about the potential risk of a birth defect from Depakote use during pregnancy. The warning came after a study found that 20% of pregnant mothers who gave birth while on Depakote resulted in a child with birth defects.
In May 2010, researchers found that Depakote birth defect side effects could be caused by using the drug as early as the first trimester, which means that by the time many women discover they are pregnant, it could be too late to get off the drug and avoid birth defects for their unborn child.
Researchers have linked the Depakote side effects to the following birth defects:
- Spina bifida
- Cleft palate
- Abnormal skull formation
- Malformed limbs
- Extra fingers and toes
- Urinary problems
- Holes in the heart
Spina bifida from Depakote is the most common birth defect associated with the drug. Researchers have found that pregnant women taking the drug are 12 times more likely to have a child with spinal bifida than women who are not taking it.
In December 2009, the FDA strengthened birth defect warnings on Depakote and other valproic acid drugs, telling healthcare professionals to warn all women of childbearing age taking the drugs that they could cause a wide variety of birth defects.
DEPAKOTE DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS: A number of studies have linked Depakote use during pregnancy to developmental delays as well, including an increased risk of cognitive disability, autism and lower IQ scores.
In early 2013, two studies were published that found that Depakote use increased the risk of developmental delays, impacting memory, verbal skills and executive function. One study found an increase in the risk of autism as well, echoing the findings of a 2011 study by Danish researchers.
Comment by christopher on 16 September 2010:
I would like to know if side effects includes males passing it to one son. Because my son was born with bones fused together in his foot
and didn’t know until he was at the age of 12. Noticed that he started to limp after each game he played. Took him to a doctor and thats when we discovered the problem.
Comment by Amy on 7 October 2010:
II would like to know if there are more possible side affects from the drug than what are listed! My son was born with trachia malasia, undecended testicals, hearing problumes, and his toes are abnormal looking! He has had multipul surgeries and is only 4 years old! We almost lost him a number of times and we have more surgeries ahead of us!
Comment by rick on 26 November 2010:
Yes christopher,
I had the same question you did, can it be passed on from a male to a woman. I called @ it’s for women only, get can’t be passed on!!
Comment by mems on 5 January 2011:
My Son’s dad was taking depakote before and after I had the baby. My son was born with a hole in his heart. No one in my family had this defect. Could depakote be the cause?
Comment by Cassie on 18 January 2011:
I became unexpectedly pregnant in the summer of ’07 with my son. I discovered that I was pregnant in the first term and stopped taking my low dose of Depakote immediately. My son now has developmental delays and was born with an attached upper lip frenulum. He is scheduled to begin Early Childhood Special Education this spring. He has significant speech, social/emotional, and other delays. There is also a concern that he may have Sensory Processing Disorder. As a concerned parent, I checked to see if any medication (I also was taking a low dose of Citalopram) that I was taking throughout my pregnancy could have caused this and am awaiting response.
Comment by Cassie on 21 January 2011:
Apparently, the delays could have been caused by Depakote, but it is not known for sure. This would be a very difficult thing to prove as many other factors come in to play. This gives me some peace of mind. Thank you for your response.
Comment by Penny on 21 March 2011:
My daughter was taking Depakote for BPD when she became pregnant with my grandson in 1997. He has speech problems, MR, and early onset BPD. Could the Depakote have contributed? It would be interesting to see research r/t mental disorders in children whose mother was on Depakote during pregnancy.
Comment by barbra on 28 March 2011:
Are there any dangers in taking Depakote now for anyone, even adults?
thanks
Comment by Bree on 27 June 2011:
While on Depakote my hair broke off at the root and fell out like I was in chemo. I now only have 1/3 of the amount of hair I used to have prior to Depakote Feb 2008. I stopped Depakote, took vitamins to make my hair grow. The hair began to grow. I stopped the vitamins and my hair broke off and fell out a second time even though I was no longer on Depakote. People asked me if I was chemo and just didn’t want to tell them. People thought I had cancer, but was hiding it from them. My hair loss was fast and noticeable falling out by the handfuls every day. After being off Depakote for three years my hair is finally starting to grow again. It took a long time to get Depakote out of my system so my hair could grow. If my hair suddenly broke off and fell out what did it do to my internal organs??? Hair loss is only a symptom of something is even worse going on my body. I no longer have long, blond beautiful hair due to Depakote.
I gained 50 pounds on Depakote. I would have gained more, but for demanding to be taken off of it.
I had an allergic reaction to the med and ended up ER with swollen legs and the swelling moving rapidly up into my torso. The swelling was so severe the ER doc prepped an OR for me in the event my skin split open from the swelling and i would need to be stitched shut in an emergency. My tongue itched. I had asthma and difficulty breathing. A CAT scan was done on my legs to rule out a blood clot in my legs before they proceeded to do anything. Once they knew there was no blood clot they knew for sure it was the Depakote. My allergic reaction nearly killed me. I was given an anti-diuretic to pee out the fluid and make the swelling go down and then released.
I am sure there are other people out there with an allergic reaction like mine. My psychiatrist was not surprised and neither were the ER docs when I told them the name “Depakote” was responsible for what happened to me. Anyone can have an allergic reaction to any kind of med and put you in a life threatening situation, but that was just weird. I swelled up like a puffer fish. How many times does that happen to people? What the heck is in it anyway?
If my hair will still not grow properly 2.5 years later that is alarming. What the hell did it do to me and what it is still doing to me? Why will my hair not grow after Depakote broke it off and made it fall out as if i went through chemo? Even after chemo your hair comes back, so why won’t mine? What did Depakote do to me?
Comment by John on 29 June 2011:
I took depakote and was later switched to Depakote ER for my Tx of seizures. Within weeks, I developed severe pain in my abdomen after awakening one morning and thought that it might simply be a stomach ache. At first I rejected the thought of going to the ER for what initially presented itself as stomach pain. Once it became so severe, I knew that it had to be something else especially since I hadn’t yet had anything to eat that morning. Upon my admit to the ER and when the doc first only touched my abdomen, I let out a scream that would currdle the paint off the walls. The preliminay diagnosis was ACUTE PANCREATITIS DUE TO DEPAKOTE.
My neurologist said that if I hadn’t been seen within that next hour-and-a-half, that I most certainly would have died. My lipase level, an enzyme produced in the Pancreas, exceeded 2100. The normal range is supposed to be between 40 – 80 units.
Once hospitalized and after all subsequent doses were terminated, I could immediately feel the difference just after what would have been the next dose. During my ER exam, when the doc even just touched my abdomen, I let out a scream that curdled the paint right off the walls. Their preliminary diagnosis was Acute Pancreatitis.
Comment by Jill on 8 September 2011:
Depakote caused a birth defect, anencephaly, in a fetus I was carrying in 1996. Due to the nature of the defect, the infant would have been born still, or died shortly thereafter. I chose to have an abortion to avoid carrying a non-viable infant to term. I’m assuming that this lawsuit only applies to those living with these side effects. Depakote is poison, I wish it didn’t work so well for me.
Comment by dennis on 29 September 2011:
I was prescribed depakote when I was14. 20 years ago. I didn’t take it long. I do remember in time of me taking it and stopping, I ended up with alopeciea areota which is baldness in circles. Here I am 14 years old with a big bald spot in the back of my heady, as if things weren’t already troubled enough for me. Eventually my hair grew back. But it fell out in different places. My hair did look to be growing back fully, until the end of 00 beginning 01 when I was prescrbed depakote again. Suddenly in an instant one day after my second partakings of the drug boom my hair starts falling out. I was squeezing my head with both hands and all my strength but to no avail. I’m left with no eyebrows, lashes, nosehair and to include 15% of the hair I would normally have.
Comment by Scotty on 21 November 2011:
I was injured with taking depakote and I am 34 I was obese and pre diabetic. So if there is anyone out there that can take my claim let me know.
Comment by Shorelife2013 on 11 March 2013:
Hello dose anyone know if there is a lawsuit for hair loss and weight gain for men if so can you please let me know
Comment by LeeAnn on 29 April 2013:
Does anyone know if divalproex (depakote) can be passed from the father who was taking the medication when I became pregnant if that would cause developmental delays in the child when the child is born? Please let me know my fiance was on depakote when I became pregnant with my daughter. She is two years old and she screams, bangs her head, and has speech delays. Please email me and let me know please.