Typical symptoms of mania include pressure of speech, motor hyperactivity, reduced need for sleep, flight of ideas, grandiosity, poor judgement, aggressiveness, and possible hostility. Therefore, physicians who elect to use divalproex sodium for extended periods of time should continually re-evaluate the long term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient. Divalproex sodium is indicated as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in the treatment of patients with complex partial seizures that occur either in isolation or in association with other types of seizures. Divalproex sodium is also indicated for use as sole and adjunctive therapy in the treatment of simple complex absence seizures, and adjunctively in patients with multiple seizure types that include absence seizures. Simple absence is defined as very brief clouding of the sensorium or loss of consciousness, accompanied by certain generalized epileptic discharges without other detectable clinical signs.
Complex absence is the term used when other signs are also present.
Divalproex sodium is indicated for the prophylaxis of migraine headaches. There is no evidence that divalproex sodium is useful in the acute treatment of migraine headaches. Because valproic acid may be a hazard to the fetus, divalproex sodium should be considered for women of childbearing potential only after this risk has been thoroughly discussed with the patient and weighed against the potential benefits of treatment Contraindications Divalproex sodium is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to the drug. Patients with hepatic disease or significant dysfunction. Warnings Hepatic failure resulting in fatalities has occurred in patients receiving valproic acid.