Short-Term Side Effects of Low Dose Valproate Monotherapy in Epileptic Children: A Prospective Study

The study investigated the short-term side effects of low-dose valproate monotherapy in 209 epileptic children over 6 months. The most common side effect was weight gain, reported in 53.1% of patients. Other side effects included decreased appetite (11%), abdominal pain (16.3%), headache (5.7%), enuresis (8.1%), hair loss (6.7%), and various gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms. Serious side effects like thrombocytopenia, impaired liver function, and leukopenia were rare, each occurring in about 1% of patients. The study concluded that while low-dose valproate could cause numerous side effects, most were not life-threatening and did not require intervention.