3 ms·

Valproate is not just for epilepsy; it's also used for bipolar disorder and migraines. For people who only know the brand names of their medications or don't ha

Valproate is not just for epilepsy; it's also used for bipolar disorder and migraines. For people who only know the brand names of their medications or don't have even a layperson's grasp of the kinds or classes of medications they are or were on (cos a lot of physicians don't explain any of this, or the side effects) they might miss that this could apply to them too.

giantg2 3y ago
Seems like most doctors rely on an Epic printout handed to the patient at checkout time, or the fact sheet provided at the pharmacy. How many people read those, let alone understand them?
- nerdponx 3y ago
  I've had doctors literally just Googling medications and reading whatever page from Healthline (or similar) that came up.
- amluto 3y ago
  A lot of those printouts are hilariously off topic and mostly worth reading for the laughs. Finding the genuinely important bits can be a challenge.
ianburrell 3y ago
For valproate, there are multiple forms that result in the same active ingredient. Then there are multiple brand names for each form since it has generics, and brand names are different in each country. I briefly took Divalproex for migraines which is sodium semivalproate. My doctors called it Depakote since that was most common brand name. Two names was enough trouble finding information. I didn't realize it was valproate until now.