Valproate

Must not donate

If it is more than seven days since the last dose of valproate, and the reason for therapy does not preclude donation, accept.

Sodium valproate (Epilim^®, Episenta^®) and the related drugs valproic acid (Depakote^®, Convulex^®) are anticonvulsant medications used in the treatment of epilepsy. They are also used for treatment of bipolar disorder and as prophylaxis for migraine.

Exposure during pregnancy is a known cause of birth defects. As it is not possible to know whether an individual donation will be transfused to a pregnant woman, donors taking any form of sodium valproate or valproic acid must be deferred until at least one week after stopping treatment.   

This is a new entry.

If you wish to obtain more information regarding a personal medical issue please contact your National Help Line.

Please do not contact this web site for personal medical queries, as we are not in a position to provide individual answers.