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Safety and Effectiveness of Low-Dose Clozapine in Psychogeriatric Patients: A Preliminary Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 January 2005

A. F. Oberholzer ,
C. Hendriksen ,
A. U. Monsch ,
B. Heierli  and
H. B. Stähelin
A. F. Oberholzer
Affiliation:
Medical Geriatric Clinic II, Felix Platter Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
C. Hendriksen
Affiliation:
Medical Geriatric Clinic II, Felix Platter Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
A. U. Monsch
Affiliation:
Medical Geriatric Clinic II, Felix Platter Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
B. Heierli
Affiliation:
Medical Geriatric Clinic II, Felix Platter Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
H. B. Stähelin
Affiliation:
Medical Geriatric Clinic II, Felix Platter Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
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Abstract

The short- and long-term treatment tolerance of low-dose clozapine was retrospectively investigated in 18 psychogeriatric patients. Discontinued use of the drug because of side effects or inefficiency was required for only four patients. In the long-term treatment group leukopenia was not observed, and disturbances of liver function appeared to be very infrequent. A second group of seven severely demented psychogeriatric inpatients who were currently being treated with low-dose clozapine underwent a withdrawal study in order to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the drug, measured by the NOSIE and the SCAG scales. The results indicate that for patients such as these, with paranoid or socially disturbing behavior who also tend to develop severe neurological side effects with classical neuroleptics, a low-dose administration of clozapine is an acceptable alternative treatment.

Type
Research and Reviews
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , September 1992 , pp. 187 - 195
Copyright
© 1992 Springer Publishing Company

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