Valproate‐associated hyperammonemic encephalopathy

Abstract

Valproate is frequently used to manage neuropsychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, mania, and migraine. One of the side effects associated with its use is idiosyncratic hyperammonemia in the setting of normal levels of liver enzymes, including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and bilirubin (Adler et al., 2015). The literature on valproate‐associated hyperammonemia, including the development of encephalopathy, has been primarily based on case reports, and the precise incidence is not known.