A brief history of clozapine use in Taiwan

Shih-Ku Lin; Hsien-Yuan Lane

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2023.06.006

A brief history of clozapine use in Taiwan

Schizophr Res. 2023 Jun 29:S0920-9964(23)00224-4. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.06.006. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Shih-Ku Lin¹, Hsien-Yuan Lane²

Affiliations

¹ Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Taipei City Hospital and Psychiatric Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
² Department of Psychiatry and Brain Disease Research Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Psychology, College of Medical and Health Sciences, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: hylane@gmail.com.

PMID: 37391310
DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.06.006

Abstract

Blood concentrations of clozapine in Taiwanese patients appeared approximately 30-50 % higher than that from Caucasian patients, and women possessed a higher blood levels. Fluvoxamine was reported to increase the clozapine levels, reduce clozapine-related weight gain and metabolic disturbances, and improved general psychopathology. Clothiapine, a chemical structure analogue of clozapine, showed potential of benefitting patients who are unsuitable for clozapine treatment in Taiwan. Obsessive/compulsive symptom (OCS) is a common side effect of clozapine. Concentrations of clozapine were remarkably higher in patients with OCS than in those without. In conclusion, clozapine is a widely used in patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan.

Keywords: Bipolar disorder; Bone mineral density; Clotiapine; Fluvoxamine; Obsessive compulsive symptoms; Pneumonia.