Clozapine delay results in poorer outcomes for treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients

Abstract

Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a condition where schizophrenia patients do not respond to at least 2 non-clozapine anti-psychotics administered in proper dosage and for a proper period of time. The typical treatment for TRS is clozapine but many alternatives are attempted prior to administering clozapine. Current research shows that the effectiveness of treatment with clozapine decreases with time in TRS patients; the longer a TRS patient waits to use clozapine, the less effective it is likely to be. In this paper, I review clozapine delay; clozapine treatment is effective if it happens within the first 3 years.