Factors Associated With Poor Response to Clozapine in Schizophrenia: A Study From Northern India

This study aimed to assess the demographic and clinical factors associated with an inadequate response to clozapine in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Methods/Procedures Two hundred eighty-seven outpatients with TRS receiving clozapine for more than 1 year were divided into 2 groups based on the need for a second antipsychotic medication and/or electroconvulsive therapy after receiving clozapine in the maximum tolerable dose for at least 3 months. Results/Findings One hundred two patients (35.4%) were considered to be clozapine nonresponders. Compared with responders, clozapine nonresponders were more often unemployed at the time of starting clozapine (P = 0.04), had a longer duration of untreated psychosis (P = 0.007), had received significantly higher number of adequate antipsychotic trials in the past (P = 0.02), had received antipsychotic polypharmacy in the past (P = 0.01), had experienced adverse effects with first- (P
Source: Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Original Contributions Source Type: research