You may have heard of a case where someone suffered a severe side effect after taking prescription medication. Perhaps the doctor prescribed the wrong drug to the patient. Maybe the pharmacy filled the prescription with the wrong medication. Maybe the medication was prescribed and filled properly, but was later found to have more harmful side effects than benefits. Medication errors like these happen more often than you might think.
In recent findings released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pregnant mothers are now warned about the dangerous birth injury risks associated with medication containing Valproate, which is used to treat seizures, migraines, and bipolar disorder. According to the report, children born to mothers who took prescription medication containing Valproate have an increased risk of lower cognitive test scores as compared to children born to mothers who took other anti-seizure medication.
In April of 2013, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) also released findings that babies, whose mothers took any of the various forms of Valproate during pregnancy, were at greater risk of developing autism.
Prescription medications containing Valproate include:
- Valproate Sodium (Depacon)
- Valproic Acid (Depakene and Stavzor)
- Divalproex Sodium (Depakote, Depakote CP, Depakote ER)
- All generic forms of these medications
The FDA advises women to avoid getting pregnant while taking medication containing Valproate. Women who become pregnant while taking the drug should talk to their doctor about switching to an alternative medication—the birth injury risks of Valproate do not justify its use by pregnant mothers.
If you were prescribed medication containing Valproate while you were pregnant and your child suffered developmental deficits after birth, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your child’s birth injuries. The Kentucky personal injury attorneys at Gray & White have experience tackling the toughest kinds of medical malpractice cases—including those involving medication errors. We are committed to helping victims of medical malpractice in Louisville get the full and fair compensation they deserve. Contact a Louisville medication error attorney at 888-450-4456 to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.