Absenor
Absenor is a medicine used to treat epilepsy and mania.
Form
enterotabletti
Strength
500 mg
Active Ingredient
Sodium valproate
Manufacturer
Orion Corporation
How to Use
Dosage
Your doctor will decide your dose, but a common starting dose for adults is 600 mg daily for epilepsy, or 750 mg daily for mania.
Method
Swallow the tablets whole with water, either before or after food.
Important
The usual daily dose for mania is between 1000 mg and 2000 mg, but your doctor will set your specific maximum daily dose.
Possible Side Effects
COMMON
- •Shaking hands or body parts.
- •Feeling very tired due to low red blood cells (anemia).
- •Getting bruises or bleeding easily because of low platelets.
- •Gaining or losing weight.
- •Feeling confused or disoriented.
- •Seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations).
- •Feeling aggressive or very restless (agitation).
- •Having trouble focusing or concentrating.
- •Not feeling hungry or wanting to eat (loss of appetite).
- •Feeling sleepy or very drowsy.
- •Your seizures becoming more frequent or severe.
- •Having trouble remembering things (memory problems).
- •Headaches.
- •Your eyes moving in a shaky way (shaky eye movements).
- •Feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
- •Problems with hearing, or deafness.
- •Feeling sick (nausea), throwing up, upper stomach pain, or diarrhea, especially when you start the medicine.
- •Problems with your gums or a sore mouth.
- •Hair loss that is usually temporary.
- •Problems with your nails.
- •Pain during your period (menstrual pain).
- •Stiff muscles, uncontrollable muscle jerks, or an unsteady way of walking.
- •Accidentally leaking urine (incontinence).
- •Your skin or the whites of your eyes turning yellow (jaundice).
- •Swelling in your legs or feet.
- •Generally feeling unwell.
RARE
- •Very bad skin rashes with blisters, peeling skin, or a rash all over your body. These can come with fever or flu-like symptoms.
- •Sudden swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat due to an allergy.
- •Very low numbers of white blood cells or all types of blood cells, which can make you more prone to infections or tiredness.
- •Changes in your hormones, such as an underactive thyroid, problems with periods (irregular or missed), increased male hormones in women, or low levels of vitamin B8.
- •Temporary symptoms like Parkinson's disease (stiffness, slow movement), problems with balance or coordination, tingling or numbness in hands/feet, changes in how awake you are (like going into a coma), confusion, memory problems, being overly active, learning difficulties, trouble sleeping, or speech problems.
- •Inflammation of small blood vessels in your body.
- •Unusual hair growth, changes in your hair color or texture, or darker patches on your skin.
- •Weaker bones that can lead to bone loss or fractures.
- •Your body temperature becoming too low.
- •Kidney disease or kidney failure, which might cause you to urinate less.
- •Inflammation of the pancreas, which can cause severe stomach pain.
- •Too much ammonia in your blood, which can cause balance problems, extreme sleepiness, or throwing up.
- •A disease called lupus, which affects different parts of the body.
- •Severe muscle damage that causes muscle pain and weakness.
- •Urinating a lot and feeling very thirsty (Fanconi syndrome).
- •Difficulty having children for men (male infertility), which usually gets better after stopping the medicine.
- •Problems with your blood clotting.
- •Changes in your mental health, like severe anxiety, depression, or psychosis (losing touch with reality).
- •A blood problem where some white blood cells have an unusual shape.
Important Warnings
- Absenor can seriously harm an unborn child if taken during pregnancy. If you are a woman who can become pregnant, you must use effective birth control throughout treatment and talk to your doctor immediately if you plan to get pregnant or think you are pregnant.
- Do not stop taking Absenor without talking to your doctor first, as your condition might get worse.
- Contact your doctor right away if you get severe tiredness, repeated vomiting, bad stomach pain, yellow skin or eyes, or a serious skin rash (with blisters, peeling, or widespread). These could be signs of serious problems like liver or pancreas damage, or severe skin reactions.
- If you have thoughts of harming yourself or suicide, talk to your doctor immediately.
- This medicine can make you feel sleepy or dizzy. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how Absenor affects you.
Use in Elderly Patients
Category C
Suitable for older adults, with specific precautions. Low serum albumin levels increase the response. Consider potential adverse effects, such as hyponatraemia och hematological changes. Monitor liver function. (updated 10.11.2025)