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. 2019 Nov 20;17(4):559-563.
doi: 10.9758/cpn.2019.17.4.559.

Efficacy of Asenapine in Schizophrenia Resistant to Clozapine Combined with Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Report

Shinichiro Ochi  1 , Saori Inoue  1 , Yuta Yoshino  1 , Hideaki Shimizu  1 , Jun-Ichi Iga  1 , Shu-Ichi Ueno  1
Affiliations

Efficacy of Asenapine in Schizophrenia Resistant to Clozapine Combined with Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Case Report

Shinichiro Ochi et al. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci. .

Abstract

Schizophrenic patients resistant to antipsychotics are diagnosed as having treatment-refractory schizophrenia, and they are treated with clozapine. However, clozapine is sometimes combined with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) if clozapine monotherapy fails. In this report, a severe treatment-refractory schizophrenic patient who did not respond to clozapine even with ECT, but who recovered with asenapine monotherapy, is presented. Asenapine, considered a serotonin spectrum dopamine modulator, is a new atypical antipsychotic with unique pharmacological features that is used not only for schizophrenia, but also for bipolar disorder. The unique features of asenapine may be effective for some treatment-refractory schizophrenic patients.

Keywords: Asenapine; Clozapine; Electroconvulsive therapy; Recurrence.; Suicide; Treatment-refractory schizophrenia.

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Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

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