[Plasma clozapine levels and clinical response in treatment-refractory Chinese schizophrenic patients]
>>Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2005 Nov 25; [Epub ahead of print]
Plasma clozapine levels and clinical response in treatment-refractory Chinese schizophrenic patients.
Oi-Yin Wong J, Leung SP, Mak T, Man-Kin Ng R, Chan KT, Hon-Kee Cheung H, Choi WK, Lai J, Wai-Kiu Tsang A.
Castle Peak Hospital, 15 Tsing Chung Koon Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories, Hong Kong, PR China.
PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical efficacy of clozapine in relation with its plasma level in a group of Chinese patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. In addition, the relationship between plasma level and side effects were examined. METHOD: Fifty-one patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia were put on a fixed dose of clozapine at 300 mg/day for 6 weeks. Non-responders to week 6 received 500 mg/day in subsequent 6 weeks. Responders to week 6 continued to receive 300 mg/day. Clozapine plasma levels were checked at weeks 6 and 12. FINDINGS: No association was found between clozapine plasma level, response and side effects. Sodium valproate was found to elevate clozapine plasma level while lowering norclozapine/clozapine ratio. CONCLUSION: Clozapine plasma level was not found to be associated with response and side effect in Chinese treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. Various explanations were postulated for the lack of relationship observed between clozapine plasma level and response in this population.<<
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