DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia
Upon initiation of clozapine therapy, up to a 1 week supply of additional clozapine tablets may be provided to the patient to be held for emergencies (e.g., weather, holidays).
Initial Treatment
It is recommended that treatment with clozapine begin with one-half of a 25 mg tablet (12.5 mg) once or twice daily and then be continued with daily dosage increments of 25 to 50 mg/day, if well-tolerated, to achieve a target dose of 300 to 450 mg/day by the end of 2 weeks. Subsequent dosage increments should be made no more than once or twice weekly, in increments not to exceed 100 mg. Cautious titration and a divided dosage schedule are necessary to minimize the risks of hypotension, seizure, and sedation.
In the multicenter study that provides primary support for the effectiveness of clozapine in patients resistant to standard drug treatment for schizophrenia, patients were titrated during the first 2 weeks up to a maximum dose of 500 mg/day, on a t.i.d. basis, and were then dosed in a total daily dose range of 100 to 900 mg/day, on a t.i.d. basis thereafter, with clinical response and adverse effects as guides to correct dosing.
Therapeutic Dose Adjustment
Daily dosing should continue on a divided basis as an effective and tolerable dose level is sought. While many patients may respond adequately at doses between 300 to 600 mg/day, it may be necessary to raise the dose to the 600 to 900 mg/day range to obtain an acceptable response. [Note: In the multicenter study providing the primary support for the superiority of clozapine in treatment resistant patients, the mean and median clozapine doses were both approximately 600 mg/day.]
Because of the possibility of increased adverse reactions at higher doses, particularly seizures, patients should ordinarily be given adequate time to respond to a given dose level before escalation to a higher dose is contemplated. Clozapine can cause EEG changes, including the occurrence of spike and wave complexes. It lowers the seizure threshold in a dose-dependent manner and may induce myoclonic jerks or generalized seizures. These symptoms may be likely to occur with rapid dose increase and in patients with pre-existing epilepsy. In this case, the dose should be reduced and, if necessary, anticonvulsant treatment initiated.
Dosing should not exceed 900 mg/day.
Because of the significant risk of agranulocytosis and seizure, events which both present a continuing risk over time, the extended treatment of patients failing to show an acceptable level of clinical response should ordinarily be avoided.
Maintenance Treatment
While the maintenance effectiveness of clozapine in schizophrenia is still under study, the effectiveness of maintenance treatment is well established for many other drugs used to treat schizophrenia. It is recommended that responding patients be continued on clozapine, but at the lowest level needed to maintain remission. Because of the significant risk associated with the use of clozapine, patients should be periodically reassessed to determine the need for maintenance treatment.
Discontinuation of Treatment
In the event of planned termination of clozapine therapy, gradual reduction in dose is recommended over a 1 to 2 week period. However, should a patient's medical condition require abrupt discontinuation (e.g., leukopenia), the patient should be carefully observed for the recurrence of psychotic symptoms and symptoms related to cholinergic rebound such as headache, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Reinitiation of Treatment in Patients Previously Discontinued
When restarting patients who have had even a brief interval off clozapine, i.e., 2 days or more since the last dose, it is recommended that treatment be reinitiated with one-half of a 25 mg tablet (12.5 mg) once or twice daily (see WARNINGS). If that dose is well tolerated, it may be feasible to titrate patients back to a therapeutic dose more quickly than is recommended for initial treatment. However, any patient who has previously experienced respiratory or cardiac arrest with initial dosing, but was then able to be successfully titrated to a therapeutic dose, should be retitrated with extreme caution after even 24 hours of discontinuation.
Certain additional precautions seem prudent when reinitiating treatment. The mechanisms underlying clozapine induced adverse reactions are unknown. It is conceivable, however, that reexposure of a patient might enhance the risk of an untoward event's occurrence and increase its severity. Such phenomena, for example, occur when immune mediated mechanisms are responsible. Consequently, during the reinitiation of treatment, additional caution is advised. Patients discontinued for WBC counts below 2000/mm3 or an ANC below 1000/mm3 must not be restarted on clozapine. (See WARNINGS.)
Reducing the Risk of Recurrent Suicidal Behavior in Patients with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder
The dosage and administration recommendations outlined above regarding the use of clozapine in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia should also be followed when treating patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder at risk for recurrent suicidal behavior.
The InterSePT study demonstrated the efficacy of clozapine in treatment of patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder at risk for recurrent suicidal behavior where the mean daily dose was about 300 mg (range 12.5 to 900 mg).
Patients previously treated with other antipsychotics were cross-titrated to clozapine over a one-month interval; the dose of the previous antipsychotic was gradually decreased simultaneous with a gradual increase in clozapine dose over the first month of the study. Patients on depot antipsychotic medication began clozapine after one full dosing interval since the last injection.
Recommendations to Reduce the Risk of Recurrent Suicidal Behavior in Patients Who Otherwise Previously Responded to Treatment of Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder with Another Antipsychotic Medication
The results of the InterSePT study demonstrated that, for a 2-year treatment period, the probability of a suicide attempt or a hospitalization due to imminent suicide risk is stable at approximately 24% after one year of treatment with clozapine (Figure 1 Clinical Trial Data Section). A course of treatment with clozapine of at least 2 years is therefore recommended in order to maintain the reduction of risk for suicidal behavior. After 2 years, it is recommended that the patient's risk of suicidal behavior be assessed. If the physician's assessment indicates that a significant risk for suicidal behavior is still present, treatment with clozapine should be continued. Thereafter, the decision to continue treatment with clozapine should be revisited at regular intervals, based on thorough assessments of the patient's risk for suicidal behavior during treatment. If the physician determines that patient is no longer at risk for suicidal behavior, treatment with clozapine may be discontinued (see recommendations above regarding discontinuation of treatment) and treatment of the underlying disorder with an antipsychotic medication to which the patient has previously responded may be resumed.
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