Can I take sodium valproate while pregnant or breastfeeding?
A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about sodium valproate.
In short
Pregnancy: Sodium valproate is not recommended in pregnancy, because it can cause birth defects, and can affect how your child learns and behaves.
Breastfeeding: Sodium valproate may be an option while breastfeeding if your baby is healthy.
Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.
What this means for you
Pregnancy
- If you could possibly become pregnant while on sodium valproate, your doctor will put you on the valproate pregnancy prevention programme, which is called Prevent.
- If you take sodium valproate for epilepsy or bipolar disorder and become pregnant, speak to your doctor before you stop taking it, because your symptoms may get worse.
- Your doctor may carry on prescribing sodium valproate, but only if no other treatment is suitable for your epilepsy or bipolar disorder.
- If you're pregnant and have recurrent migraine, your doctor should offer you a different treatment instead of sodium valproate.
- Men who could possibly father children should talk to their doctor about sodium valproate.
- You and your partner should use contraception while you take it and for at least 3 months after you stop.
- Men planning to start a family within the next year should speak to a doctor about their treatment options.
- Do not stop sodium valproate without speaking to a doctor first.
- Your treatment must be reviewed every year.
Breastfeeding
- Other treatments might suit you better, but if sodium valproate is the only medicine that works for you, your doctor may still recommend it.
- Very small amounts of sodium valproate get into breast milk, and it does not usually cause side effects in breastfed babies.
- If you could possibly become pregnant while on sodium valproate, your doctor will put you on the valproate pregnancy prevention programme, which is called Prevent.
- Carrying on with your medicine is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also has benefits for both you and your baby.
- Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare.
- Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you take any medicine and breastfeed.
- Until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms, keep taking sodium valproate and carry on breastfeeding as normal.
- While you're taking sodium valproate, it's important that you do not sleep in the same bed as your baby.
When to get help
- If you're taking sodium valproate and think you might be pregnant, contact your doctor or nurse urgently.
- If you have not had a review, contact your doctor or specialist now.
- Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby: is not feeding as well as they usually do, or not gaining weight and developing as you'd expect; is unusually sleepy; is behaving differently, for example being irritable; bruises more easily than usual; is vomiting or has diarrhoea; or shows signs of jaundice, such as dark pee, pale poo, and yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (yellow skin may be harder to spot on brown or black skin).
- If your baby has any other symptoms, or you're worried about them, you can still call 111 or get in touch with any healthcare professional.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist
This page is educational, not advice for your own situation. Talk to your doctor, midwife or pharmacist before you start, stop or change any medicine in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
The details: what each source says
Sodium valproate in pregnancy
The NHS says
Sodium valproate is not recommended in pregnancy, because it can cause birth defects, and can affect how your child learns and behaves.
If you could possibly become pregnant while on sodium valproate, your doctor will put you on the valproate pregnancy prevention programme, which is called Prevent.
If you're taking sodium valproate and think you might be pregnant, contact your doctor or nurse urgently.
If you take sodium valproate for epilepsy or bipolar disorder and become pregnant, speak to your doctor before you stop taking it, because your symptoms may get worse.
Your doctor may carry on prescribing sodium valproate, but only if no other treatment is suitable for your epilepsy or bipolar disorder.
If you're pregnant and have recurrent migraine, your doctor should offer you a different treatment instead of sodium valproate.
Men who could possibly father children should talk to their doctor about sodium valproate. You and your partner should use contraception while you take it and for at least 3 months after you stop.
Men planning to start a family within the next year should speak to a doctor about their treatment options. Do not stop sodium valproate without speaking to a doctor first.
Your treatment must be reviewed every year. If you have not had a review, contact your doctor or specialist now.
In our words, from the NHS page Sodium valproate (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
What these words mean
- contraindicated
- there is a reason not to use this medicine, because it may be harmful
- contraindication
- a reason not to use a treatment, because it may be harmful
Definitions adapted from the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute).
The US drug label says
8.1 Pregnancy Pregnancy Exposure Registry There is a pregnancy exposure registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including divalproex sodium extended-release tablets, during pregnancy. Encourage women who are taking divalproex sodium extended-release tablets during pregnancy to enroll in the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry by calling toll-free 1-888-233-2334 or visiting the website, http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/ . This must be done by the patient herself. Risk Summary For use in prophylaxis of migraine headaches, valproate is contraindicated in women who are pregnant and in women of childbearing potential who are not using effective contraception [see Contraindications ( 4 )]. For use in epilepsy or bipolar disorder, valproate should not be used to treat women who are pregnant or who plan to become pregnant unless other medications have failed to provide adequate symptom control or are otherwise unacceptable [see Boxed Warning and Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 , 5.3 )] .
Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): Divalproex Sodium (oral), BluePoint Laboratories. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Sodium valproate while breastfeeding
The NHS says
Sodium valproate may be an option while breastfeeding if your baby is healthy. Other treatments might suit you better, but if sodium valproate is the only medicine that works for you, your doctor may still recommend it.
Very small amounts of sodium valproate get into breast milk, and it does not usually cause side effects in breastfed babies.
If you could possibly become pregnant while on sodium valproate, your doctor will put you on the valproate pregnancy prevention programme, which is called Prevent.
Carrying on with your medicine is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also has benefits for both you and your baby.
Side effects in breastfed babies from medicines their mother takes are very rare. Even so, it's important to keep an eye on your baby while you take any medicine and breastfeed.
Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby: is not feeding as well as they usually do, or not gaining weight and developing as you'd expect; is unusually sleepy; is behaving differently, for example being irritable; bruises more easily than usual; is vomiting or has diarrhoea; or shows signs of jaundice, such as dark pee, pale poo, and yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (yellow skin may be harder to spot on brown or black skin).
If your baby has any other symptoms, or you're worried about them, you can still call 111 or get in touch with any healthcare professional.
Until you've had advice about your baby's symptoms, keep taking sodium valproate and carry on breastfeeding as normal.
While you're taking sodium valproate, it's important that you do not sleep in the same bed as your baby.
In our words, from the NHS page Sodium valproate (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.
LactMed says
Valproic acid levels in breastmilk are low and infant serum levels range from undetectable to low. Breastfeeding during valproic acid monotherapy does not appear to adversely affect infant growth or development. Breastfed infants of mothers taking valproate had higher IQs and enhanced verbal abilities than nonbreastfed infants at 6 years of age in one study.[1] A safety scoring system finds valproic acid possible to use during breastfeeding,[2] and a computer model predicted a relatively low infant exposure, consistent with literature reports.[3] If valproic acid is required by the mother, it is not a reason to discontinue breastfeeding.
No definite adverse reactions to valproic acid in breastfed infants have been reported. Theoretically, breastfed infants are at risk for valproic acid-induced hepatotoxicity, and a questionable case of thrombocytopenia has been reported. A rare case of infant baldness might have been caused by valproate in milk. Monitor the infant for jaundice and unusual bruising or bleeding. Combination therapy with sedating anticonvulsants or psychotropics may result in infant sedation or withdrawal reactions.
“Summary of Use during Lactation”, LactMed record “Valproic Acid” (LM403), quoted verbatim. Everything LactMed reports about Valproic Acid while breastfeeding.
The US prescribing label says
8.2 Lactation Risk Summary Valproate is excreted in human milk. Data in the published literature describe the presence of valproate in human milk (range: 0.4 mcg/mL to 3.9 mcg/mL), corresponding to 1% to 10% of maternal serum levels. Valproate serum concentrations collected from breastfed infants aged 3 days postnatal to 12 weeks following delivery ranged from 0.7 mcg/mL to 4 mcg/mL, which were 1% to 6% of maternal serum valproate levels. A published study in children up to six years of age did not report adverse developmental or cognitive effects following exposure to valproate via breast milk [see Data ( Human )] . There are no data to assess the effects of divalproex sodium delayed-release tablets on milk production or excretion.
Prescribing label, section “8.2 Lactation” (opening excerpt): Divalproex Sodium (oral), BluePoint Laboratories. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.
Other names
UK brand names (per the NHS): Dyzantil, Epilim, Episenta, Epival.
US name: valproate sodium.
Sources
- NHS, Sodium valproate (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 11 March 2025. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- US drug label: Divalproex Sodium (oral), BluePoint Laboratories, human prescription drug, label effective 12 August 2026, set ID 352b4c3c-e419-4827-9e00-febb0164e0f5. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Valproic Acid” (LM403), bulk release of 22 September 2026. LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. Public domain; quoted verbatim. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sources checked 26 September 2026. How we source and check every page.
Educational summary of named sources, not medical advice.