Clozapine can cause hallucinations by inducing complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin (temporal lobe epilepsy). A potentially serious complication in the management of schizophrenia with clozapine.
A young man with schizophrenia had persistent auditory hallucinations which responded well to clozapine but subsequently developed a different pattern of brief, joint visual and auditory hallucinations which were confirmed as being due to complex partial seizures of temporal lobe origin. He had no history of epilepsy prior to taking clozapine and the subsequent hallucinations could be mistaken for a deterioration in the schizophrenia, leading to a further increase in clozapine dose.
Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.
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Geaney