Valproic acid, curly hair and weight gain

Gain of weight may be observed in up to 20% of patients treated with valproic acid, while changes in hair texture may be found in up to 9%. The author describes the case of a female patient aged 19 years who gained 13 kg and had her hair changed from light, fine blonde to thicker, darker and curly while on valproate acid 1000 mg daily, with a serum level of 138.9 micrograms/ml. After reduction to 500 mg daily, with a serum level of 80.5 micrograms/ml she lost 7 kg but the hair remained unchanged. The patient chose to continue the drug due to complete control of absence, myoclonic and tonic-clonic seizures, which had not been obtained with any other drug before.