What's the scoop on these two nearly identical drugs?
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1. Counselling Conundrum: a real question from a patient
2. Concise Conclusion: a straight-forward patient-friendly answer
3. Quick Wrap-up
Clearly, there are nuances that may not be captured in this format. The goal here is to provide you with helpful counselling tips which often draw from multiple sources or those which are not commonly accessed by busy healthcare providers serving the community.
Counselling Conundrum: "I was taking valproic acid before, but now my Physician Assistant switched it to divalproex. Is that the same medication?"
Concise Conclusion: Divalproex turns into valproic acid once your body processes it, so it has the same effect. Your Physician Assistant might have switched you over as it's a bit easier on the stomach.
Quick Wrap-up: Divalproex is the prodrug of valproic acid that causes less gastrointestinal adverse effects. Keep in mind that they are not interchangeable, though the dosing is the same.
Dive Deeper
1) Divalproex Sodium Versus Valproic Acid in Hospital Treatment of Psychotic Disorders - PMC (nih.gov)
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