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The antiepileptic valproate is probably used as much in psychiatry as it is in neurology. These two studies examined side effects associated with its use in patients with epilepsy.
The first study evaluated 36 patients with epilepsy who had been taking valproate for at least 12 months. Thirty three patients (92%) had some combination of the following symptoms: memory dysfunction, personality change, progressive hearing difficulties, instability, tremor, sleep disorder, sexual dysfunction (potency), cognitive impairment, parkinsonism, bradykinesia, abulia, and upper motor neuron signs. Of the 32 patients who discontinued valproate, 81% reported some improvement in symptoms three months later and about 70% had improved cognitive scores. Signif…