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Sudden Cardiac Death With Clozapine And Lorazepam Combination, Sriram Ramaswamy, Susan J. Boust, Prizada S. Sattar, Subhash C. Bhatia, Frederick Petty
Sudden Cardiac Death With Clozapine And Lorazepam Combination, Sriram Ramaswamy, Susan J. Boust, Prizada S. Sattar, Subhash C. Bhatia, Frederick Petty
Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry
Objective: To report a case of sudden cardiac death in a patient taking a combination of clozapine and lorazepam.
Case summary: A 31-year-old white man with schizophrenia was found dead at his apartment. His medication regimen included clozapine 500 mg at bed time, lorazepam 0.5 mg three times daily and levothyroxine 75 mcg once a day. Autopsy studies revealed cardiac hypertrophy, pulmonary congestion and edema.
Discussion: Clozapine therapy may cause cardiomyopathy and reduction in heart rate variability (HRV) indices. Benzodiazepines can reduce vagal tone and increase sympathetic activity. This combination can have an enhanced potential for sudden cardiac death.
Conclusions: …
Case Report Of Dramatic Resolution Of Psychotic Symptoms During Cross-Over To Clozapine, Leo Sher M.D., Alan Mendelowitz M.D.
Case Report Of Dramatic Resolution Of Psychotic Symptoms During Cross-Over To Clozapine, Leo Sher M.D., Alan Mendelowitz M.D.
Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry
Clozapine is the first antipsychotic drug with proven superiority over conventional antipsychotics in the management of treatment-resistant patients. We describe a case of tratment-resistant schizoaffective disorder in a young woman who improved rapidly on clozapine. The patient was started on a low dose of clozapine while fluphenazine was decreased. She improved significantly during the first several days of treatment. This improvement took place well before the expected effect of clozapine. Possible explanations for this unusual response include: 1) the placebo effect; 2) fluphenazine dose-response curve; 3) acute clozapine neurochemical mechanisms; 4) inaccurate original diagnosis. Better understanding of the mechanisms of …
[In Response To "The Neuroleptic Treatment Of Schizophrenia: Dosing Strategies, Depot Preparations And Novel Medications" By Alexander S. Young, M.D. (Volume 13, 18-26)], James Longhurst M.D., Joseph Cassar M.D.
[In Response To "The Neuroleptic Treatment Of Schizophrenia: Dosing Strategies, Depot Preparations And Novel Medications" By Alexander S. Young, M.D. (Volume 13, 18-26)], James Longhurst M.D., Joseph Cassar M.D.
Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry
No abstract provided.