Abstract
The effects of treatment with valproic acid (VPA) and other anticonvulsants such as phenobarbital, phenytoin, and carbamazepine on serum carnitine levels were studied. Considering the influence of gender and age on the reference intervals of serum carnitine levels, the levels in patients receiving anticonvulsant therapy (>10 years old) were compared with those in gender-matched controls. VPA therapy alone reduced the serum free carnitine (FC) levels in both male and female groups. Moreover, VPA polytherapy caused marked decrease of serum FC levels and increased the incidence of hypocarnitinemia. The non-VPA anticonvulsant therapies also reduced serum FC levels, however, the incidence of hypocarnitinemia was unchanged in the non-VPA polytherapy groups.
