Can I take valproic acid while pregnant or breastfeeding?

A plain-words look at what the NHS, the US drug label and LactMed say about valproic acid.

In short

Pregnancy: Valproic acid is not recommended in pregnancy, because it can lead to birth defects and to problems with how your child learns and behaves.

Breastfeeding: You may be able to take valproic acid during breastfeeding if your baby is healthy.

Your doctor, midwife or pharmacist can help you decide.

What this means for you

Pregnancy

Breastfeeding

When to get help

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

Valproic acid in pregnancy

The NHS says

Valproic acid is not recommended in pregnancy, because it can lead to birth defects and to problems with how your child learns and behaves.

If there's any chance you could become pregnant while on valproic acid, your doctor will enrol you on Prevent, the pregnancy prevention programme for valproate.

Contact your doctor or nurse urgently if you think you might be pregnant while on valproic acid.

If you take valproic acid for epilepsy or bipolar disorder and become pregnant, do not stop your medicine before talking to your doctor, as your symptoms may get worse.

If you're pregnant and have epilepsy or bipolar disorder, your doctor may carry on prescribing valproic acid, but only if there is no other suitable treatment.

If you're pregnant and have recurrent migraine, your doctor should offer you a treatment other than valproic acid.

Men who could father children need to discuss valproic acid with their doctor. You and your partner should use contraception while you take valproic acid and for at least 3 months after you stop.

Men planning to start a family within the next year should talk to a doctor about their treatment options. Do not stop valproic acid before speaking to a doctor.

Your treatment must be reviewed every year. If you haven't had a review, contact your doctor or specialist now.

In our words, from the NHS page Valproic acid (nhs.uk). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). The NHS does not endorse this site.

The US drug label says

8.1 Pregnancy Pregnancy Category D for epilepsy [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2 , 5.3) ]. Pregnancy Registry To collect information on the effects of in utero exposure to valproic acid oral solution, physicians should encourage pregnant patients taking valproic acid oral solution to enroll in the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. This can be done by calling toll free 1-888-233-2334, and must be done by the patients themselves. Information on the registry can be found at the website, http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/. Fetal Risk Summary All pregnancies have a background risk of birth defects (about 3%), pregnancy loss (about 15%), or other adverse outcomes regardless of drug exposure. Maternal valproate use during pregnancy for any indication increases the risk of congenital malformations, particularly neural tube defects, but also malformations involving other body systems (e.g., craniofacial defects,cardiovascular malformations, hypospadias, limb malformations). The risk of major structural abnormalities is greatest during the first trimester; however, other serious developmental effects can occur with valproate use throughout pregnancy.

Prescribing label, section “8.1 Pregnancy” (opening excerpt): VALPROIC ACID (oral), QUAGEN PHARMACEUTICALS LLC. Read the full section on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.

Valproic acid while breastfeeding

The NHS says

You may be able to take valproic acid during breastfeeding if your baby is healthy. Other treatments might suit you better, but if valproic acid is the only medicine that works for you, your doctor may still recommend it.

Very small amounts of valproic acid reach breast milk, and it does not usually give breastfed babies side effects.

If there's any chance you could become pregnant while on valproic acid, your doctor will put you on Prevent, the pregnancy prevention programme for valproate.

Carrying on with your medicine is important to keep you well, and breastfeeding also benefits you both.

It's also important to keep an eye on your baby whenever you take a medicine while breastfeeding.

Contact a healthcare professional or call 111 (NHS 111 in the UK) as soon as you can if your baby is feeding less well than normal or not gaining weight and developing as you'd expect, is unusually sleepy, is acting differently from normal (for example, irritable), bruises more easily than normal, is vomiting (being sick) or has diarrhoea, or shows signs of jaundice. Signs of jaundice include yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (this may be harder to see on brown or black skin), pale poo and dark pee.

For symptoms not mentioned here, or if you're worried about your baby, you can also speak to any healthcare professional or call 111.

It's important that you do not share a bed with your baby while taking valproic acid.

In our words, from the NHS page Valproic acid (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

Nursing Mothers Valproate is excreted in human milk. Caution should be exercised when valproate is administered to a nursing woman.

Prescribing label, section “Nursing Mothers”: VALPROIC ACID (oral), QUAGEN PHARMACEUTICALS LLC. Label on DailyMed. Quoted verbatim; US labels are written for US prescribers and patients.

Other names

UK brand names (per the NHS): Belvo, Depakote, Convulex, Syonell.

Sources

  1. NHS, Valproic acid (nhs.uk), page last reviewed 11 March 2025. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. US drug label: VALPROIC ACID (oral), QUAGEN PHARMACEUTICALS LLC, human prescription drug, label effective 2 May 2024, set ID 531c0fc7-5e80-49a5-a9d1-0916ec45d52c. DailyMed (National Library of Medicine). Public domain; quoted verbatim.
  3. 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.