Loxapine in patient with clozapine-resistant psychosis

Clozapine is recognized as the drug of choice for treatment-refractory schizophrenia, but use may be limited because of strict monitoring requirements and adverse effects including severe neutropenia, seizures, and myocarditis. Loxapine is a first-generation antipsychotic with similarities to clozap...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jennifer Erley, PharmD, MBA, BCPS, Sarah Goldsborough, PharmD, Amy VandenBerg, PharmD, BCPP, Alexandra Audu, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Association of Psychiatric Pharmacists 2021-07-01
Series:Mental Health Clinician
Subjects:
Online Access:https://theijpt.org/doi/pdf/10.9740/mhc.2021.07.263
Description
Summary:Clozapine is recognized as the drug of choice for treatment-refractory schizophrenia, but use may be limited because of strict monitoring requirements and adverse effects including severe neutropenia, seizures, and myocarditis. Loxapine is a first-generation antipsychotic with similarities to clozapine in both structure and receptor binding. This case describes a 57-year-old male with a history of severe paranoid schizophrenia despite treatment with clozapine and other psychotropic agents, who experienced clinical improvement after a cross titration from clozapine to loxapine. Loxapine may be a reasonable alternative in patients with treatment-refractory schizophrenia who do not tolerate or respond to clozapine.
ISSN:2168-9709