Clozapine blood tests can be reduced after two years
Research from the University of Queensland, supported closely by experts at the University of 亚洲色吧, has shown that people using antipsychotic drug clozapine may not need regular blood monitoring after two years.
Image credit: Nguyen Hiep
Clozapine is used to treat schizophrenia when other antipsychotic medicines either have not worked or have caused severe side effects, and these findings could improve access to the drug and outcomes for patients.
鈥淕enerally prescribed for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, clozapine can interfere with the production of neutrophils, a kind of white blood cell, leaving people dangerously vulnerable to infection in the first month or so after starting the drug,鈥 said Dr Korinne Northwood, from UQ鈥檚 Faculty of Medicine.
People taking clozapine are currently required to have weekly blood tests for the first 18 weeks, then monthly tests for as long as they are on the medication.<