Valproate prescriptions for nonepilepsy disorders in reproductive-age women

• Published in: Birth defects research. A Clinical and molecular teratology 2013-06, Vol.97 (6), p.403-408
• Main Authors: Adedinsewo, Demilade A., Thurman, David J., Luo, Yao-Hua, Williamson, Rebecca S., Odewole, Oluwaseun A., Oakley Jr, Godfrey P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; anticonvulsants; Anticonvulsants - adverse effects; Anticonvulsants - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Bipolar Disorder - drug therapy; congenital abnormalities; Congenital Abnormalities - epidemiology; Congenital Abnormalities - etiology; Drug Prescriptions - statistics & numerical data; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Drug Utilization - trends; Female; Humans; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); Nervous System Diseases - drug therapy; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prevalence; psychiatry; United States - epidemiology; valproic acid; Valproic Acid - adverse effects; Valproic Acid - therapeutic use; women's health
• ISSN: 1542-0752; 1542-0760
• DOI: 10.1002/bdra.23147

BACKGROUND Scientific evidence has consistently shown taking valproate during pregnancy increases risks of congenital malformations and cognitive impairment. As such, elimination of its use would be an important step in birth defects prevention. There are guidelines discouraging its use among women with epilepsy, but none exists for women without epilepsy, nor is the prevalence of valproate for nonepilepsy indications known. METHODS Using de‐identified data from the National Hospital and Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys (1996–2007), we examined individual prescriptions for reproductive‐age adolescent girls and adult women ages 15 to 44 years in the United States, and estimated the number of antiepileptic drug and valproate prescriptions in the aggregate. We classified our study population using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes, as women with epilepsy and women without epilepsy. The prevalence of antiepileptic drug and valproate prescriptions among women without epilepsy was estimated as prescriptions per 1000 patient visits for every 3‐year time interval and the overall study period. RESULTS We found 83% of valproate prescriptions were issued to women without epilepsy and 74% of these were for psychiatric diagnoses. The prevalence of antiepileptic drug prescriptions among women without epilepsy tripled during the study period (10.3 [1996–1998] vs. 34.9 [2005–2007] per 1000 patient visits), whereas valproate prescriptions remained relatively stable (3.1 [1996–1998] vs. 3.7 [2005–2007] per 1000 patient visits). CONCLUSION Most women of reproductive age who receive a valproate prescription do not have epilepsy. Valproate prescriptions did not decline, despite increasing knowledge of its teratogenicity. Reducing valproate use among women of reproductive age, especially among those who use the drug for psychiatric indications, would prevent birth defects and cognitive deficits. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 97:403–408, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.