FDA: Using Valproate to Treat Migraines in Pregnancy Lowers Child's IQ

Women should be extremely careful while taking certain medication during pregnancy. According to the Food and Drug Administration, treating migraines with a common drug - valproate - during pregnancy can lower the child's IQ.

The FDA cites findings from a recent study - Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (NEAD) - to highlight the risks of taking valproate in pregnancy. Children who were exposed to valproate while in their mother's womb had scored lower on IQ tests compared to other children who were not exposed to the medication.

Migraine is a headache disorder that is often accompanied by headache, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Valproate products, available under different names like valproate sodium (Depacon), valproic acid (Depakene and Stavzor) and divalproex sodium (Depakote, Depakote CP, and Depakote ER)  have been in use for different conditions, including treatment of epilepsy, migraines and the manic-depressive disorder or the manic episodes related to bipolar disorder.

However, the drug has always been associated with increasing the risks of many birth defects.

Alarmed with the side effects of the drug, U.S. health regulators have requested women who are pregnant or planning pregnancy to fully avoid the medication.

"Valproate medications should never be used in pregnant women for the prevention of migraine headaches because we have even more data now that show the risks to the children outweigh any treatment benefits for this use," Russell Katz, director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release.

Valproate use has long been a source of concern, and many previous studies have linked the drug to many developmental disorders, including autism in children. A study published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry in January 2013 found that pregnant women who used the anti-epileptic drug were at an increased risk of giving birth to autistic children compared to others.