Taking sodium valproate with other medicines and herbal supplements - Brand names: Dyzantil, Epilim, Episenta, Epival

Cautions with other medicines

There are some medicines that may affect how sodium valproate works. Sodium valproate can also affect the way other medicines work.

Tell your doctor if you're taking any other medicines, including:

• any other medicines for epilepsy such as carbamazepine
• medicines for preventing blood clots such as warfarin
• aspirin
• cimetidine, a medicine for stomach ulcers
• medicines to treat HIV and AIDS such as ritonavir
• antibiotics such as erythromycin
• medicines for depression or other mental health problems, such as venlafaxine, quetiapine or diazepam
• cholesterol-lowering medicines such as cholestyramine
• medicines to prevent malaria such as mefloquine or chloroquine

These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take them with sodium valproate. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Mixing sodium valproate with herbal remedies or supplements

It's not possible to say whether complementary medicines, herbal remedies and supplements are safe to take with sodium valproate. They're not tested in the same way as pharmacy and prescription medicines. They're generally not tested for the effect they have on other medicines.