Dramatic weight loss associated with commencing clozapine.
The authors report the case of a 44-year-old man with a long history of chronic enduring schizophrenia who experienced dramatic weight loss after commencing treatment with clozapine, an antipsychotic medication characteristically associated with the greatest degree of weight gain among medical treatments for schizophrenia. He was obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 41.5 kg/m(2), but after commencing clozapine therapy he experienced an improvement in psychotic symptoms and 40% loss of his body weight attained through an altered diet and exercise regime, which resulted in him attaining a normal BMI of 24.8 kg/m(2).
Department of Psychiatry, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), Galway, Ireland. john.lally@nuigalway.ie
John
J
Lally
Colm
C
McDonald
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003024:Clozapine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects*
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003024:Clozapine