The news about the association of Depakote and birth defects is not new, but the news keeps getting worse.

Depakote is linked to an alarming rate of serious congenital anatomical and cognitive defects, and deaths, in babies with in utero exposure. Depakote is used to treat epilepsy but is also a first-line mood stabilizer for bipolar disorders, and prescribed for a migraine. Depakote use during pregnancy increases the risk of major malformations, including neural tube defects. In the United States, about 1 in 1500 babies is born with a neural tube defect. The risk of neural tube defects is much higher in babies born to mothers treated with Depakote during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, with the risk increasing to 1 in 20 babies.

Despite well-documented evidence of an increased risk for birth defects and neurocognitive deficits, Depakote is still commonly prescribed to women of childbearing age.

Recently, a new study shows that more than 20% of childbearing-age women with a psychiatric disorder who receive an antipsychotic mood stabilizer were treated with Depakote.

If you or someone you know has taken Depakote and given birth to a child with a birth defect, please contact me directly for a free, no-obligation evaluation of your claim.

About the Firm: The Michael Brady Lynch Firm is a trial firm with a focus on pharmaceutical mass tort cases involving SSRI and Anti-Seizure Medication Birth Defects such as Lexapro, Zoloft, Effexor, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Depakote and Topamax, as well as Actos Bladder Cancer and Fosamax Femur Fractures, and medical device cases including DePuy Hip and Trans-Vaginal Mesh cases. Contact us today if you or someone you know has experienced side effects involving these products.