ArticlePloS one2014
Off-label use of sodium valproate for schizophrenia.
Article in PloS one, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Significant Effect of Valproate Augmentation Therapy in Patients With Schizophrenia: A Meta-analysis Study.Medicine · 2016Pooled it
- Informed consent and contraception when prescribing valproate to individuals of childbearing potential: a quality improvement project.Archives of women's mental health · 2026Article
- Epigenetics Modulators as Therapeutics for Neurological Disorders.Current pharmaceutical design · 2025Review
- Off-label use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood-stabilizers in psychiatry.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2022Article
- Who is prescribed valproate and how carefully is this treatment reviewed in UK mental health services? Data from a clinical audit.Therapeutic advances in psychopharmacology · 2022Article
- Neurobehavioral Differences of Valproate and Risperidone on MK-801 Inducing Acute Hyperlocomotion in Mice.Behavioural neurology · 2022Article
- Patterns and Predictors of Off-Label Drug Prescribing in Psychiatric Practice: A Qualitative Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Sodium valproate improves sensorimotor gating deficit induced by sleep deprivation at low dosesTurkish journal of medical sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- Prescription of Valproate-Containing Medicines in Women of Childbearing Potential who have Psychiatric Disorders: Is It Worth the Risk?CNS drugs · 2020Review
- Article
- Metabolic Syndrome in South African Patients with Severe Mental Illness: Prevalence and Associated Risk Factors.PloS one · 2016Article
- Gender differences in mood stabilizer medications prescribed to Veterans with serious mental illness.Journal of affective disorders · 2015Article
- Prospects for the development of epigenetic drugs for CNS conditions.Nature reviews. Drug discovery · 2015Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOff-label use of a drug not according to its regulatory labeling has become common in medicine, especially in the field of psychiatry. Mood stabilizers are intended to be used to attenuate mood fluctuations in bipolar disorder, but their use has spread to patients with schizophrenia, as it provides greater control of impulsivity and aggressiveness. Sodium valproate is one of the most frequently used mood stabilizers in psychiatry. This study determined the prevalence of off-label use of sodium valproate for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder in Abarbanel Psychiatric Hospital and the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with its use.
methodsRetrospective study of patients hospitalized in 2011-2012 with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in one of three general psychiatric wards.
resultsValproate use was significantly lower in the geriatric group (11.6% vs. 20.1%, chi square = 4.7, p = .03), in patients with schizophrenia (14.1% vs. schizoaffective disorder (35.2%), chi square = 29, p<.001) and in patients receiving both atypical and typical antipsychotics (23.3% vs. 16.4%, p = .04). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, diagnosis and the combination of atypical and typical antipsychotics predicted the use of sodium valproate. The number of other medications prescribed did not predict sodium valproate use.
conclusionsOff-label use of sodium valproate in psychiatric patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder is extensive, especially in younger patients and those with schizoaffective disorder. More research is needed to determine whether it is being prescribed appropriately.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.