Clozapine and the Treatment of Schizophrenia

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Clozapine and the Treatment of Schizophrenia

Clozapine, marketed by the trade name of "Clozaril," is a

member of the dibenzodiazepine class of antipsychotic

medication, and is one of many types of neuroleptic drugs.

Clozapine is an atypical medication because it differs from the

older conventional drugs such as Halodol or Lithium. The

difference between atypical and the older drugs is because there

less neuroleptic activity as a result of more specific receptors

utilized. The atypical drugs work effectively to treat

psychotic illnesses and tend to have fewer side effects than

their predecessors. Clozapine has been found to be the most

effective antipsychotic drug for treatment resistant

schizophrenia. Clozapine is used on a limited basis because of

the risk of agranullocytosis, where white blood cells are

destroyed faster than they are produced, causing the individual

to be prone to other illnesses. Two other drugs, either one

typical and one atypical, or two atypical medications are used

and deemed ineffective before clozapine is used due to the this

serious side effect, agranullocytosis. Even thought this risk

happens to be small, 1% to 2%, the drug is normally viewed in

the psychiatric field as a method of last resort.(Kentridge,

1995)

The most common explanation for what occurs in the brain of

a schizophrenic is the dopamine hypothesis, where certain areas

of the brain have excessive activity at certain dopamine

receptors.(Kalat, 2004) This theory will be a reoccurring theme

when explaining how clozapine interacts with the body. There

are also explanations dealing with clozapine's interaction with

the serotonin 5HT2 receptors and the glutamate receptors.

...

... middle of paper ...

...hin a week levels

will increase with treatment of colazopine.(Naheed & Green,

2000)

Andreasen, N.C. (1994). Schizophrenia: From Mind to Molecule.

Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.

Kalat, J. (2004). Biological Psychology. 8Th edition, Chapter

15.3.

Kentridge, B. (1995). S2 Psychopathology Lecture 3:

Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 4, 2005. From

Http://www.dur.ac.uk/robert.kentridge/ppath3.html

Mann, R. (1996). The Role of Dopamine Receptors in

Schizophrenia. Retrieved March 3, 2005, From Stanford

University, Chemistry department web site,

http://www.chem.csustan.edu/chem44x0/SJBR/Mann.htm

Naheed, M., & Green, B. (2000). Focus on Clozapine. Retrieved

February 7, 2005. From http://www.priory.com/focus14.htm

Waddinton, J.L., & Buckley, P.F. (1996). The neurodevelopmental

Basis of Schizophrenia. Austin, TX: Landes Co.

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