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Clozapine is generally regarded as the most effective medication for schizophrenia, but concerns about hematological, cardiovascular, and neurological adverse effects — particularly if doses are increased quickly — have limited its use. Recommendations for administering clozapine suggest slow up-titration over 2 weeks to full therapeutic doses. To ascertain the safety and effectiveness of a protocol for a more rapid titration, researchers conducted a naturalistic 2-year study at a single Romanian site of all 111 schizophrenia inpatients who were deemed to require clozapine (21% of those admitted; mean age, 41; 52% male; mean illness duration, 19 years).
Of the group, 73 patients were previously exposed to clozapine but had stopped taking it,…