Is Sodium Valproate Effective for Depression? If yes, then How?

Depression is, basically, a mental health problem wherein the patient feels sad, low in motivation, lack of appetite, sleep disturbances, etc. Many patients also experience difficulty in their day-to-day life. Others complain of suicidal thoughts. So, the problems a person with depression faces are many. There are basically two types of depression - unipolar and bipolar. Although both psychotherapy and medications are used for the treatment of depression, yet patients want to be treated with medications because medications are believed to offer faster relief. If you too are a patient of depression, who is looking for an effective medicine to treat depression, then Sodium Valproate could be a great option.

Sodium valproate generally has an injectable formula and is a derivative of the valproic acid, which is an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizer. Sodium valproate can also be used to treat seizure disorders like epilepsy. In case of depression, it is mostly used to treat bipolar depression. That means it addresses seizure activity as well as mood symptoms.

Is it effective?

A lot of researches have proved that sodium valproate can be effectively used to treat depression. And not just mild, even major depressions can be treated with this drug. Sodium valproate can also be used to treat many other mood disorders. It is, generally, preferred for its mood stabilizing effects. And that is probably the reason why it is used to treat bipolar depression. Since every individual’s neurological chemistry is different, it cannot be said if a particular drug will be effective on them. Hence, if you have unipolar depression, you can try taking this drug. It proves effective in some cases.

Thing to keep in mind-

Before you think of treating your depressive symptoms with Sodium valproate, you must consult your physician. Remember, there are many health conditions that might cause depression-like symptoms.