Clozapine: Drug Information

Generic name: Clozapine

Brand Name: Clozaril

Other names: Chrozap, Clomach, Clopaz, Leponex, Lozapin, Sizopin, Skizoril, Syclop

Drug Class: Dibenzodiazepine, Antipsychotic

Uses of Clozapine:

Clozapine is used in the treatment of schizophrenia and refractory psychosis. It helps suppress feelings of suicide and aggression and enables schizophrenic patients to lead a normal life. Schizophrenia is a crippling disorder in which the patient loses touch with reality and experiences delusions, hallucinations and is in a state to acute confusion.

Clozapine is also recommended for treating psychotic patients with extrapyramidal symptoms, refractory psychosis and tardive dyskinesias.

Dosage:

Clozapine can be taken orally with or without food. It is essential for you to stick to the dosage mentioned by your doctor and take it at regular intervals everyday. Do not stop taking this medicine abruptly without your doctor’s consent as it may worsen your present condition. This medicine is not recommended for children and should be kept out of their reach.

Warning and Precautions:

Do not take Clozapine if you are hypersensitive to it.

It is also not recommended for patients diagnosed with or having a history of bone marrow disorders such asagranulocytosis, circulatory collapse, central nervous system (CNS) depression, alcoholic or toxic psychosis, drug intoxication, and uncontrolled epilepsy or sever renal, hepatic or cardiac disease.

Caution is advised when administering this medicine to patients diagnosed with kidney or liver disorders, narrow angle glaucoma, seizures, paralytic ileus or cardiovascular disease.

When taking Clozapine it is essential for you to get your leucocyte counts regularly monitored.

Caution and close drug monitoring is required when administering this medicine to the elderly.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or lactating before taking this medicine.

Drug Interactions:

Clozapine should not be co-administered with Fluoxetine, Benzodiazepines, Anticholinergics, Antihypertensives, Respiratory depressants and highly protein bound drugs such as warfarin and lithium. Central nervous system (CNS) depressants including alcohol, bone marrow depressants, hepatic enzyme inhibitors and adrenaline should be avoided with Clozapine.

Side effects of Clozapine:

Some of the most common side effects of Clozapine include drowsiness, dizziness, orthostatic hypotension, tachycardia, seizures, increased salivation, influenza-like syndrome, unusual weight gain, hypotension, blurred vision, headache, constipation, high blood glucose level, irregular heart beat and inability to sit down or stand.

Overdose:

Symptoms of Clozapine overdose include increased salivation, hypotension, fainting, rapid heartbeat, delirium, shallow breathing and coma. In case of an overdose it is essential for you to notify your doctor or contact the local poison control center.