Hannah Barnes explores the difficult and often conflicting responsibilities of doctors when it comes to prescribing valproate, a drug used to treat epilepsy. It is known to be extremely risky for pregnant women, but they weren’t properly informed, which turned into a scandal. This caused a big swing to the other direction. After speaking to practitioners, “What they cannot understand” writes Barnes, “is why valproate is being restricted in men at all.”
It’s clear that both women and men with epilepsy are being poorly served. Women who were so badly let down by not being told of the risks of valproate are still being failed. Women who continue to take valproate through pregnancy are not routinely followed up with unless they are part of a medical study. Research into the effects on men is even further behind. Little is known about the other anti-seizure medicines, and whether they too might prove harmful.