title: Clozapine: key discussion points for prescribers.
abstract: Clozapine is the most effective antipsychotic medication for treatment-refractory schizophrenia and is also approved for suicidality in schizophrenia patients. However, it can cause significant medical morbidity and requires intensive medical monitoring once prescribed. Perhaps due to lack of familiarity with its use, it is underused in clinical practice and its initiation often delayed. This article reviews the literature on clozapine in order to measure its potential effectiveness against its adverse effects and ultimately aims to serve as a useful summary for clinicians in their everyday prescribing.
authors.affiliation: MGH Schizophrenia Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. michelehill1@gmail.com
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Freudenreich
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003024:Clozapine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011788:Quality of Life; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000139:chemically induced; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003024:Clozapine