Clozapine and long-acting injectable antipsychotic combination: A retrospective one-year mirror-image study

Abstract

To evaluate efficacy and tolerability of the combination of clozapine with an antipsychotic long-acting injectable (LAI) in multi-episode patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Efficacy and tolerability were assessed in seventeen patients admitted to a hospital in Paris between January 2010 and June 2015, using a one-year mirror-image design. Number and length of hospitalizations significantly decreased after introducing the combination (2.1 vs 0.8, p=0.004 and 155.4days vs 26.6days, p<0.001 respectively). No major adverse events occurred in terms of increased weight, agranulocytosis, hyperglycemia and/or dyslipidemia. This combination can be beneficial and safe in multi-episode patients.

Keywords: Clozapine; Long-acting injectable antipsychotic; Schizophrenia.