What should depakote levels be

Trough sampling is easily achieved just before a morning daily dose, but the issue arises when patient receives a night dose, because collecting a blood sample h later may be limited by the operational hours of laboratory.

National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Indian J Psychol Med. Swetha Reddy Damegunta. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer.

Address for correspondence: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3. Sir, Divalproex sodium extended release ER preparations received Food and Drug Administration approval as monotherapy for management of acute mania in Open in a separate window. Figure 1. Chart depicting the individual subject's serum valproic acid levels at 12 and 24 h.

Taking Depakote and Lamictal lamotrigine together can increase the likelihood of serious skin rashes, including Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. The Lamictal dosage should be reduced when it's co-administered with Depakote. There are many other medications that can interact with Depakote and increase potential side effects, including common drugs, like aspirin. You should inform your doctor about all other medications, including over-the-counter medications, supplements, vitamins, and herbs, that you're taking along with Depakote.

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Table of Contents. Uses, Forms, and Levels. The very young and the elderly are more likely to experience increased side effects. Rare but serious side effects requiring medical attention include unusual bruising or bleeding, tiny purple or red spots on the skin, fever, blisters or rash, bruising, hives, difficulty breathing or swallowing, confusion, fatigue, vomiting, drop in body temperature, and weakness in the joints.

A free valproic acid test may be ordered when someone has an underlying condition that affects the balance of protein-bound drug, such as low protein level in the blood hypoalbuminemia or kidney or liver failure. These conditions increase the risk of having excessive amounts of valproic acid in the blood. Use of certain medications may also prompt a health practitioner to order a free valproic acid test.

Its action is similar to that of other common anticonvulsants, such as phenytoin and carbamazepine. Toxic symptoms include excessive drowsiness, unsteadiness or slurred speech. If a person on Depakote experiences these symptoms you should call your neurologist. Depakote often leads to a mild increase in liver enzymes in the blood.

Within these ranges, most people will respond to the drug without excessive side effects; however, response varies with each individual. Some people will experience seizures, mood swings, or migraines at the low end of the therapeutic range while some people will experience excessive side effects at the upper end.

Patients should work closely with their health practitioner to find the dosage and concentration that works the best for them. In general, if the valproic acid result is within the therapeutic range, the person is not having recurrent seizures, mood swings, or migraines, and is not experiencing significant side effects, then the dosage is considered adequate.