That's a sad story. It sounds like bad luck to have been in the bathtub when the seizure struck. Controlling seizures is surely one of the most delicate balancing acts out there involving these powerful meds. If tapering is important for psych problems I can only imagine how much more critical it must be in a seizure disorder, if it's even possible at all.

This is sad. Epilepsy is a difficult disease.

This is certainly a tragic story.

I wonder why he was prescribed Valproate as monotherapy for his generalized epilepsy, especially given the significant side effects associated with the drug.

Hmm.

Dguller- when I did a little research o Depakote, it seemed that it is also used for epilepsy in the US according to Wikipedia. It doesn't say anything about monotherapy and any other meds in the past if any, young Mr. Travolta might have taken.

I put a hyperlink on my piece to that page as well, or you can just go to Wikipedia under Depakote.

I do know-or knew a woman in Grad School who was an epileptic and was on Depakote. This was in the late 80s.

But we don't know the reasons yet for Jett's death- way to young. And I feel so bad for John Travolta ad Kelly Preston.

When I first heard the report that he was not on medication because of the CofS beliefs, I just couldn't believe it! I guess I'm glad to hear that he at least took them for some time, not that it will change anything. What an awful thing to lose your son like that!

Susan:

I only mentioned it, because there are no placebo-controlled trials that show Depakote to be effective in generalized epilepsy.

So, why use a danger drug that lacks demonstrated efficacy?

dguller, can you tell us why you call Depakote a "danger drug?" I'm interested.

No Worries Dguller! You raise a very salient point.

I don't know the answer. I wish I did. Maybe if we did know, it would prevent another tragedy like the one that happened to the Travoltas.

I cannot think of anything more horrible to happen to parents than to have their children go before they do.

We all know that without placebo clinical-trial a drug cannot be seem as effective.
I've been on Depakote. Back pain, abdominal spams...
Fortunately it was easy to withdraw.

Sara:

Sorry, I meant to say "dangerous", not "danger". :)

Well then explain a bit more about why it's dangerous? I agree but I'm interested in your specific take on it if you're willing to tell us.

My condolences to the Travoltas. My cousin met John Travolta several years ago and tells me he's a prince of a guy.

Does the fact that Travolta's son used a drug often used for bipolar disorder (I've taken it in the past) mean he gets kicked out of the Church of Scientology?

(I'm really not kidding.)

Sara:

Valproate is a medication that carries significant risks, some of which are quite dangerous. I only mentioned it, because I wondering why there was such silence about why Jett was prescribed this medication with harmful side effects, and without any placebo-controlled trials to justify their use. Many here express righteous outrage about psychotropic medications and their significant risks of harm, but silence on this matter struck me as odd.

Take care.

Depakote was rx'd to my daughter at age 11 in 1999, it's a drug used very commonly in kids for pediatric bipolar, though it is not approved for use in kids at all. It carries a black box warning for polycystic ovary syndrome, and can cause suicidal ideation.

I've seen kids placed on Risperdal that have seizure and are autistic---however Depakote played a role in Jett's life, the tragedy is far greater, to lose a child this way, that family is surely heartbroken and changed forever.

dguller, I was kind of hoping you might cite some specific example from your own clinical experience in which you perhaps saw Depakote as being dangerous, but I guess it was too much to expect from you, but thanks for trying to answer anyway. The last pill my daughter ever took was her first dose of Depakote; she died a few hours later.

this has been my most popular page read on my blog today:

http://bipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com/2007/06/monitoring-depakote-blood-levels.html

I wrote it in 2007 based on my daughter's depakote use (for 6 yrs). It usually gets many hits from searches but since this news broke it's been having a lot of google hits.

My daughter gained significant weight on that drug; she wasn't epileptic (and she didn't have pediatric bipolar)

Sara:

I actually haven't had many adverse outcomes with my patients on Valproate, other than sedation and some weight gain. However, I am aware of significant side effects in the medical literature.

dguller said, "I only mentioned it, because I wondering why there was such silence about why Jett was prescribed this medication with harmful side effects, and without any placebo-controlled trials to justify their use. Many here express righteous outrage about psychotropic medications and their significant risks of harm, but silence on this matter struck me as odd."

I didn't comment on it because I don't know anything about epilepsy.