Divalproex Sodium
Brand names: Depakote Sprinkle, Divalproex Sodium, Depakote, Depakote Er, Divalproex Sodium Er
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 4,357,254
- Medicare drug cost
- $191.4M
- Average cost per prescription
- $43.93
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 68,842
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Divalproex sodium extended-release tablets are indicated for: Acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder, with or without psychotic features Monotherapy and adjunctive therapy of complex partial seizures and simple and complex absence seizures; adjunctive therapy in patients with multiple seizure types that include absence seizures Prophylaxis of migraine headaches
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated August 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: LIFE THREATENING ADVERSE REACTIONS Hepatotoxicity General Population: Hepatic failure resulting in fatalities has occurred in patients receiving valproate and its derivatives. These incidents usually have occurred during the first six months of treatment. Serious or fatal hepatotoxicity may be preceded by non-specific symptoms such as malaise, weakness, lethargy, facial edema, anorexia, and vomiting. In patients with epilepsy, a loss of seizure control may also occur. Patients should be monitored closely for appearance of these symptoms. Serum liver tests should be performed prior to therapy and at frequent intervals thereafter, especially during the first six months. Children under the age of two years are at a considerably increased risk of developing fatal hepatotoxicity, especially those on multiple anticonvulsants, those with congenital metabolic disorders, those with…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Psychiatry 19.9%
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners 16.5%
- Internal Medicine 15.5%
- Nurse Practitioners 14.5%
- Family Medicine 14.0%
- Neurology 7.5%
- Physician Assistants 3.9%
- Geriatric Medicine 3.0%
- General Practice 1.1%
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 1.0%
- Hospitalist 0.8%
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) 0.3%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 3% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Montana +13%
- Texas +9%
- Mississippi +9%
- Florida +7%
- Puerto Rico +7%
- North Dakota (smallest change) −18%
- Wyoming (smallest change) −17%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 3 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Bluepoint Laboratories
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 250 mg | pink oval tablet, 16 mm | U 380 |
| 500 mg | yellow oval tablet, 19 mm | U 381 |
Bryant Ranch Prepack
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | gray oval tablet, 19 mm | I50 |
Direct_rx
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg | gray oval tablet, 19 mm | L089 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
4 recalls since 2020
- Jun 2026 · Bionpharma Inc. · Class II
Presence of Foreign Tablets/Capsules - Dec 2023 · Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York, LLC · Class II
Failed dissolution specifications - Jul 2022 · Amneal Pharmaceuticals of New York, LLC · Class II
Failed dissolution specifications. - Jun 2022 · Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Inc · Class II
Failed Dissolution Specifications: Failure occurred during routine stability testing of dissolution test.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.