치료저항 정신분열증 환자의 Clozapine 효과

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of clozapine in the treatment of treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. This multicenter open study included 77 patients drawn from 3 hospitals in Taegu. After a wash-out period of 7 days, subjects were treated with clozapine according to a standardized titration and dosage schedule for 12 weeks and evaluated at 4 points ; at baseline, and 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment. Patients who tolerated and responded to treatment were maintained on a regimen(100-600㎎/day) of clozapine. The psychiatric severity and functioning status of the patients were assessed by PANSS, CGI, and GAF scale. The mean dally dosage of clozapine was 333.57±127.0㎎. All rating scores on the end point(N=70) demonstrated a significant improvement compared with baseline. Significant improvements in both PANSS positive and negative subscale scores was as early as week 4 through week 12. The tolerability of clozapine was generally found to be good. Hypersalivation(90.0%), sedation(66.7%), and constipation(61%) were the most common adverse effects. Our results suggest that clozapine is an effective antipsychotic drug for the treatment-resistant schizophrenics, who are non-responsive to classical antipsychotic drugs.