Clozapine
Key points
- Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory.
- Clozapine is used to treat schizophrenia in patients where other medicine has not worked.
- Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand.
- If you take clozapine several times a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it and take any remaining doses for that day at evenly spaced intervals.
Clozapine
(kloe' za peen)
Other Names:Clozaril
Important Warning
Clozapine can cause a serious blood condition. Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests before starting treatment, once a week for the first 6 months, and at least once every other week therafter to check your response to clozapine.
Clozapine may cause seizures. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had seizures. Do not drive a car, operate machinery, swim, or climb while taking clozapine, because if you suddenly lose consciousness you could harm yourself or others.
Clozapine may cause swelling of the heart muscle (myocarditis), a condition that can be dangerous. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: extreme tiredness; difficulty breathing or fast breathing; fever; chest pain; or fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat.
Clozapine may cause low blood pressure and/or dizziness when you stand up, especially when you first start taking it. Tell your doctor if you are taking medications for anxiety such as diazepam (Valium), sleeping pills, or other medications for schizophrenia. Follow your doctor's directions about starting to take a low dose of clozapine and gradually increasing the dose. If you stop taking clozapine for 2 days or longer, talk to your doctor about restarting clozapine on a low dose.
Why is this medication prescribed?
Clozapine is used to treat schizophrenia in patients where other medicine has not worked. Clozapine is in a class of medications called antipsychotics. It works by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.
How should this medicine be used?
Clozapine comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It usually is taken one to three times a day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take clozapine exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
The amount of clozapine you take may need to be adjusted, especially during the first few weeks. You will have weekly blood tests while taking clozapine and for 4 weeks after stopping it. Initially, you will receive only a 1-week supply of this medication at a time.
Continue to take clozapine even if you feel well. Do not stop taking clozapine without talking to your doctor, especially if you have taken large doses for a long time. Your doctor probably will want to decrease your dose gradually. This drug must be taken regularly for a few weeks before its full effect is felt.
What special precautions should I follow?
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
