milkman Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 i was told clozapine is used as a last resort for schizophrenia because of the dangerous side effects. the main one being ur white blood count dropping to zero and unable to fight infection BUT besides the white blood cell issue what other dangerous side effects can happen with clozapine. can someone plz plz explain it to me in NON fancy medical langauge and NOT refer me to a different website. thank you i really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanderk Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Technically, the biggest risk is not the white cell count crashing, it is the agranular cells. The risk is small, but real. I know of two deaths due to this. The other risks are weight gain, sudden cardiac death and the possibility of death by drooling. Ok, that last one is a bit of a spoof. The risk of agranulocytosis is not the chief reason for considering clozapine the med-of-last-resort. I thnk it has more to do with the fact that it remains THE most potent antipsychotic medication available. A medication cul de sac, if you will. If this doesn't work for you, your treatment options become limited to non-medicaton techniques. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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