Laboratory Medicine
Test Directory / Valproic Acid
Valproic Acid
Brown clotted serum, gel barrier or lithium heparin
| Test | Valproic Acid |
|---|---|
| Common Abbreviations | VAL |
| Profile | NA |
| Tube type | Brown clotted serum, gel barrier or lithium heparin |
| Clinical Indication | Valproate is an anti-convulsant medication that is primarily used for the treatment of primary and secondary generalised seizures, but it is also effective against absence seizures. It has the fewest side effects of all the widely used anti-epileptic agents. The most common side effects are nausea and vomiting. Serum valproate levels are only useful to check compliance or possible overdose and are of little use for therapeutic monitoring (clinical effects are more reliable). |
| Specimen Type | Blood |
| Sample type | Serum or plasma |
| Minimum Volume | 0.5mL If requesting more than 10 tests please send an additional brown clotted serum sample. |
| Special Precautions | No special requirements |
| Stability | 2 days at 20-25°C and 7 days at 2 - 8°C |
| Turnaround Time | Inpatient: 6 hours Outpatient/ GP: 24 hours |
| Laboratory | York |
| Reference Interval | Therapeutic Range: 50 - 100 mg/L (Quoted by the manufacturer) |
| Limitations | Samples containing antibodies to E. coli ?-galactosidase may result in artificially high results which will not fit the clinical profile. The incidence of patients having such antibodies is extremely low. As with any assay employing mouse antibodies, the possibility exists for interference by human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA) in the sample, which could cause falsely elevated results. |
| Notes |
