Longitudinal changes in clozapine dose in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a 5-year retrospective cohort study.

This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate the longitudinal changes in clozapine dose over a 5-year period in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Patients with TRS who were administered clozapine at a hospital between April 2012 and December 2016 and continued treatment with clozapine for at least 1 year were included. Clozapine doses were compared at the dose-fixation point, defined as when the same regimen of clozapine had been continued for 8 weeks or longer, and the post-dose-fixation phase, at 12, 36 and 60 months after clozapine initiation. We included 103 patients and found no significant differences in clozapine dose between the dose-fixation point and post-dose-fixation phase. Approximately half of the patients were categorized into an unchanged group at 12 months after clozapine initiation, whereas approximately 40% of patients were categorized into either the decreased or increased group at 60 months. Multivariable regression analysis revealed that the change in clozapine dose between the dose-fixation point and 60 months after clozapine initiation was negatively associated with clozapine dose at the dose-fixation point. On average, the clozapine dose was unchanged during long-term treatment in patients with TRS, although the dose was decreased or increased in approximately 40% of the patients. Copyright © 2022 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Citation

Masaru Tsukahara, Ryuhei So, Shinichiro Nakajima, Kohei Kitagawa, Masafumi Kodama, Hiroyoshi Takeuchi. Longitudinal changes in clozapine dose in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia: a 5-year retrospective cohort study. International clinical psychopharmacology. 2023 Mar 01;38(2):96-101

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PMID: 36165515

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