Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Those developments are welcome. Information is available that sodium valproate should not be prescribed to girls or women of child-bearing age or pregnant women unless alternative treatments are ineffective or not tolerated.

Yesterday evening, I received an email from a woman of child-bearing age, which I am happy to share with the Minister outside of the Chamber, in which she described how she picked up Epilim from a pharmacist in a plastic bag with no information leaflet. When she asked, she was told that was because she was getting fewer than 100 tablets. If it is 99 tablets or 1,000 tablets, the risk is the same. The risks are known. In advance of any reports, since we know the potential risks to women of child-bearing potential - the HSE's phrase - who are taking this drug, the Minister should instruct his officials to ensure that information is communicated. The woman in question communicated with the pharmacy, part of a large chain. It has apologised but it is not fair to ask patients to police this.

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