Q. My wife is currently on Depakote and I believe the other is a drug called Xanax. Will either of these have any adverse side effects on a pregnancy? She is not currently pregnant, but I would like this info for further reference. The information on medical insurance and employment is a great relief.

  A. My last reading of the literature indicated that Depakote is a drug that you should not be on during pregnancy. There are increased incidences of congenital malformations in babies whose mothers took Depakote. Xanax is a benzodiazepine, which is the same type of medication as Valium. It probably will not hurt the fetus.