WebMD Medical News Louise Chang, MD April 15, 2009 -- Women with
epilepsy who took the drug valproate (Depakote) during pregnancy
gave birth to children whose IQ at age 3 averaged up to 9 points
lower than the scores of children exposed to other epilepsy
drugs, according to a new study. "Valproate exposure to the
unborn child is associated with a lower IQ, which is not
explained by any of the other factors [influencing IQ], such as
mother's IQ, mother's age, or epilepsy type," says Kimford J.
Meador, MD, the study's lead author and professor of neurology
at Emory University in Atlanta. The average IQ of children born
to women who took valproate was 92 -- 8 below the 100 that is
considered average -- and the scores of those exposed to other
epilepsy drugs ranged from 98 to 101, he tells WebMD. The
implications go beyond the use of the drugs in women of
childbearing age who have epilepsy, Meador tells WebMD, because
the drug is also commonly prescribed for migraine headaches and
bipolar disorder. In response to