Continuation of clozapine treatment: practice makes perfect
Open Access
- 1 December 2003
- journal article
- Published by Royal College of Psychiatrists in Psychiatric Bulletin
- Vol. 27 (6), 211-213
- https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.27.6.211
Abstract
Aims and Method: The study aimed to identify the predictors of drop-out from clozapine treatment by examining the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients registered on clozapine within a 6-month period in one NHS Trust.Results: During the study period, 54 patients were registered and began clozapine treatment and 31% had discontinued within 6 months. Two people died and the remainder discontinued because of non-compliance or side-effects, including neutropenia. Two factors were predictive: the age of the patient (older patients were more likely to discontinue) and the hospital where the initial registration was made.Clinical Implications: Neither ethnicity, previous registration nor the individual prescriber are a bar to successful persistence with clozapine. However, one set of hospitals with a history of evidence-based practice and high clozapine prescribing was more successful in retaining patients on maintenance treatment. Although specific data are needed to identify more subtle contributing factors to continuation, it is clear that there is scope for improving the rate of persistence with clozapine treatment.Keywords
This publication has 8 references indexed in Scilit:
- The cost-effectiveness of clozapine: a controlled, population-based, mirror-image studyJournal of Psychopharmacology, 2002
- Atypical antipsychotics and hyperglycaemiaInternational Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2001
- Clozapine – a survey of patient perceptionsPsychiatric Bulletin, 2000
- Postcode prescribing in psychiatryPsychiatric Bulletin, 2000
- Medication Continuation and ComplianceThe Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 2000
- Active monitoring of 12760 clozapine recipients in the UK and IrelandThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1999
- Rationale and designThe British Journal of Psychiatry, 1998
- Risk Factors for Clozapine Discontinuation Among 805 Patients in the VA Hospital SystemAnnals of Clinical Psychiatry, 1995