Adjunctive valproic acid for delirium and/or agitation on a consultation-liaison service: a report of six cases.

The authors present six cases in which valproate was used in patients seen by a consultation-liaison service (CLS) to manage delirium and/or psychotic agitation. The intravenous (IV) preparation (Depacon, Abbott Laboratories) was used in two nothing by mouth (NPO) patients, while the liquid oral preparation (Depakene, Abbott Laboratories) was used via nasogastric tube (NGT) in the other patients. All of these cases had suboptimal responses and/or concerning side effects from conventional therapy with benzodiazepines and/or antipsychotics.