Clozapine use pattern in persons with and without treatment for Parkinson's disease in real-world conditions: a naturalistic study in a community-based sample

Abstract

Efforts have to be made to optimize clozapine treatment in real-world conditions. Considering the high frequency of persons with Parkinson's disease among clozapine users, further studies have to be performed in this population.

Geographical disparities in prescription practices of lithium and clozapine: a community‐based study

“…Consistently with other studies, the present findings show that clozapine is markedly underprescribed considering the very low proportion of clozapine users among antipsychotic users . In one of five administrative areas, we could not identify any users of clozapine over the 8‐year period of the study.…”

“…Underprescription of clozapine was observed since its reintroduction in the 1980s . It has been estimated that 20–30% of persons with schizophrenia present with a refractory form of illness and hence would benefit from a trial of clozapine , but the actual rate of clozapine prescription is at least ten times lower .…”

International trends in clozapine use: a study in 17 countries

“…In the data sets from Colombia, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Iceland, there was a significant age peak in elderly people, which is probably due to the use of clozapine for the treatment of psychosis in Parkinson's disease and also for treatment of several types of dementia (61). At least for France, there is evidence for a significant portion of clozapine prescriptions in elderly patients being due to the treatment of psychotic symptoms in Parkinson's disease (62). Nevertheless, current guidelines encourage a careful and limited use of clozapine in elderly patients and in patients with dementia because of its strong anticholinergic properties (63).…”

Educational needs and psychoeducation interventions in clozapine users: a narrative review

“…Promoting clozapine use in persons with TRS is a widely acknowledged public heath priority (2). Educational programmes targeting prescribers have demonstrated their efficiency in increasing access to clozapine (3)(4)(5), as inadequate appraisal of the actual benefit/risk balance of clozapine and insufficient knowledge about the management of its adverse effects contribute greatly to its under-prescription or premature discontinuation (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”