valproic acid also referred to as valproate or its brand name depakote is a drug used as an anticonvulsant for the treatment of seizures as well as a mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder in this video i'll share with you my visual mnemonic to help you learn all the information about valproic acid so you'll be ready for test day we're off to a fancy masquerade party and as you might expect from a venue this fancy they have a valet and you know what the word valet reminds me of the drug name valproic acid valet for valproic acid get it valproic acid is also called valproate in clinical practice you might also hear it called by its trade name of depakote but remember the nclex will always use the generic name so just remember valet for valproic acid and you'll be set wow that's a really nice car in the valet line in front of me i bet it's a nice smooth ride based on its extra big shocks here at pixarize we use anti-shake shocks to symbolize anti-convulsant drugs you know since these medications work to stop the shaking and seizures valproic acid technically works by blocking sodium channels and increasing gaba signaling in the brain it's a broad spectrum anti-epileptic meaning it can treat many different types of seizures including partial myoclonic and tonic clonic seizures i mentioned before that this is a masquerade party just take a look at the happy and sad masks hung above the door and if we zoom in closer we can see that the partygoers are wearing these same happy and sad masks let these mixed happy and sad masks remind us of bipolar disorder you know since bipolar disorder is characterized by both periods of mania or elevated happiness as well as periods of depression or intense sadness in addition to its anti-epileptic effects valproic acid can also be used as a mood stabilizer for treating bipolar disorder now that we've covered the clinical uses of valproate let's switch gears and talk about some side effects to look out for one thing i always have to look out for with ballets is teaching them how to drive my stick shift by the way did you guys notice the lever handle of my stick shift the lever kind of resembles a liver right wait a liver-shaped lever isn't that picturizes recurring symbol for hepatotoxicity you see a major adverse effect of taking valproic acid is hepatotoxicity or liver injury as the nurse you will want to closely monitor the liver enzymes and report a bump in ast or alt to the provider as i went to switch gears my hand touched something creepy crawly it's a tarantula here at pixarize we use a tarantula to symbolize when a drug is teratogenic since teratogen sounds like tarantula it's the teratogenic tarantula valproic acid is a teratogen meaning that it can cause birth defects like neural tube defects when taken during pregnancy this is an extremely high yield fact so be sure to avoid this drug in pregnant women alright that's all for this mnemonic let's recap valproic acid also called valproate is an anti-epileptic used to treat both seizures and bipolar disorder valproic acid can cause hepatotoxicity so monitor the patient's liver enzymes it is also teratogenic and should not be given to pregnant women and now we're actually done with valproic acid and i'm headed into the party i'll see you next time thanks for watching for more videos like this one subscribe to our channel and check out our newest lessons for more resources on this topic including fact lists and interactive review images click the image next to the more here arrow i'll see you next time