Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T15:25:05.150Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effectiveness of Clozapine in Hospitalised People with Chronic Neuroleptic-Resistant Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Moshe Avnon  and
Jonathan Rabinowitz
Moshe Avnon
Affiliation:
Shar Menashe Hospital
Jonathan Rabinowitz*
Affiliation:
Bar Ilan University
*
Dr Rabinowitz, School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Israel. Fax: 972-3-5347228. Internet: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Clozapine's effectiveness in reducing symptoms and facilitating discharge among patients with chronic schizophrenia who were resistant to neuroleptics was studied.

Method

All 169 such patients in a public psychiatric hospital were given clozapine. BPRS ratings (0–5 scale) were completed before treatment and 21 months later. Patients were followed for about 2.5 years.

Results

Clozapine was discontinued in 37.8% of cases due to non-compliance, non-response, or side-effects. At follow-up 41 % of clozapine recipients and 25.9% of the drop-outs were discharged and remained so, and 33% of recipients and 24.1% of drop-outs were being prepared for discharge. Longer treatment was associated with more improvement. Decline in average BPRS total scores of recipients was significantly more than drop-outs (32.7, s.d. 16.8 v. 12.1, s.d. 14.1, d.f. = 155, t = 7.5, P = 0.000).

Conclusions

Clozapine appears to be effective for treating some chronic neuroleptic non-responding schizophrenic patients.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 167 , Issue 6 , December 1995 , pp. 760 - 764
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Awad, A. G. (1993) Methodological and design issues in clinical trials of new neuroleptics: an overview. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163 (Suppl. 22), 51–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clozapine Study Group (1993) The safety and efficacy of clozapine in severe treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients in the UK. British Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 150–154.Google Scholar
Honigfeld, G. & Patin, J. (1990) A two-year clinical and economic follow-up of patients on clozapine. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 41, 882–885.Google Scholar
Kane, J., Honigfeld, G., Singer, J., et al (1988) Clozapine for the treatment-resistant schizophrenic: A double-blind comparison with chlorpromazine. Archives of General Psychiatry, 45, 789–796.Google Scholar
Kuha, S. & Miettinen, E. (1986) Long-term effect of clozapine in schizophrenia: A retrospective study of 108 chronic schizophrenics treated with clozapine for up to 7 years. Nord Psykiatr Tidsskr, 40, 225–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lieberman, J. A., Safferman, A. Z., Pollack, S., et al (1994) Clinical effects of clozapine in chronic schizophrenia: response to treatment and predictors of outcome. American Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 1744–1752.Google ScholarPubMed
Lindstrom, L. H. (1988) The effect of long-term treatment with clozapine in schizophrenia: A retrospective study in 96 patients treated with clozapine for up to 13 years. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 77, 524–529.Google Scholar
Meltzer, H. Y., Burnett, S., Bastani, B., et al (1990) Effects of six months of clozapine treatment on the quality of life of chronic schizophrenic patients. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 41, 892–897.Google Scholar
Miller, D. D., Perry, P. J., Cadoret, R. J., et al (1994) Clozapine's effects on negative symptoms in treatment-refractory schizophrenics. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 35, 8–15.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Naber, D. & Hippius, H. (1990) The European experience with use of clozapine. Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 41, 886–890.Google ScholarPubMed
Overall, J. E. & Gorham, D. E. (1961) The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Psychological Reports, 10, 799–812.Google Scholar
Pickar, D., Owen, R. R., Litman, R. E., et al (1992) Clinical and biological response to clozapine in patients with schizophrenia: crossover comparison with fluphenazine. Archives of General Psychiatry, 49, 345–353.Google Scholar
Povlsen, U. J., Noring, U., Fog, R., et al (1985) Tolerability and therapeutic effect of clozapine: A retrospective investigation of 216 patients treated with clozapine for up to 12 years. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 71, 176–185.Google Scholar
Tandon, R., Goldman, R., DeQuardo, J. R., et al (1993) Positive and negative symptoms covary during clozapine treatment in schizophrenia. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 27, 341–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zito, J. M., Volavka, J., Craig, T. J., et al (1993) Pharmacoepidemiology of clozapine in 202 inpatients with schizophrenia. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, 27, 1262–1269.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.