What happens if you miss two doses of clozapine?

Missed Dose If you miss 2 or more days of clozapine doses, talk to your doctor before you start taking it again. You might have to restart the medicine at a lower dose than you were taking before.

Does clozapine affect blood count?

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration requires regular blood count monitoring of all patients taking clozapine. An uncommon but serious side effect of clozapine is severe neutropenia, defined as an absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 500/μL.

How many days can you miss clozapine?

Do not double your next dose or take more than what is prescribed. If you miss more than 2 days of medication, contact your prescriber because he/she may need to adjust your dose.

What happens when you suddenly stop taking clozapine?

Rapid discontinuation of clozapine has been reported to cause rebound psychosis and worsening of symptoms within 24 to 48 hours of drug cessation.

How often do you need blood tests on clozapine?

How often are blood tests needed? You will need to have an initial blood test to check that you have a normal level of white blood cells before you first start on Clozapine. If this is OK and you begin treatment with Clozapine, you will need to have a blood test on day 3 of treatment and then every week for 18 weeks.

How do you restart clozapine?

When restarting patients who have been off clozapine for two days or more since the last dose, treatment should be restarted with one half of a 25mg tablet (12.5 mg) once or twice daily.

How often do you need CBC on clozapine?

Once you have been on treatment for a year, you should only need a blood test once every four weeks for as long as you continue taking Clozapine and for four weeks after you stop treatment.

How often are labs needed for clozapine?

Patients taking clozapine should receive routine weekly-to-monthly monitoring and maintain an ANC ≥1500/microL (≥1000/microL for benign ethnic neutropenia). Lower ANC levels require more frequent monitoring, and possible interruption of clozapine and/or reevaluation of its use. (See ‘Monitoring’ above.)

How often should clozapine levels be checked?

Patients taking clozapine should receive routine weekly-to-monthly monitoring and maintain an ANC ≥1500/microL (≥1000/microL for benign ethnic neutropenia). Lower ANC levels require more frequent monitoring, and possible interruption of clozapine and/or reevaluation of its use.

When should clozapine be stopped?

When to discontinue clozapine treatment permanently Agranulocytosis, (ANC less than 500/µL) should always lead to prompt permanent discontinuation of clozapine1. If myocarditis is suspected, and troponin is more than twice the upper limit of normal or CRP is over 100 mg/L, clozapine should be discontinued permanently.

When should you stop taking clozapine?

You should not stop using clozapine suddenly. Follow your doctor’s instructions about tapering your dose. If you start taking clozapine again after 2 or more days off the medicine, you may need to use a lower dose than when you stopped. Follow your doctor’s dosing instructions very carefully.

Which two tests are mandatory for patients taking clozapine?

You are required to attend a Clozapine clinic where they will monitor your blood pressure, pulse, weight and temperature. Blood samples will be taken and they will then be sent off to a laboratory.