STUDY: Clozapine Curbs Psychosis in Parkinson's Patients

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Clozapine Curbs Psychosis in Parkinson's Patients
Thu May 13, 2004 05:20 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Low-dose clozapine is helpful in reducing psychotic 
symptoms brought on by drugs commonly
used to treat patients with Parkinson's disease, French researchers report in 
the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery
and Psychiatry.

Dr. Pierre Pollak of Hospitalier Universitaire de Grenoble and colleagues 
conducted a study of 60 patients with
Parkinson's disease. The first stage consisted of a 4-week period during which 
patients were randomly assigned to
receive a daily dose of 12.5 to 50 mg of clozapine or placebo (an inactive 
drug).

This was followed by a 12-week period in which the remaining 55 patients 
received clozapine. The patients were then
followed for another month after drug discontinuation.

At the end of the first phase, patient test scores had improved in the 
treatment group, but not in the placebo group.
At the end of the second period, 25 patients had completely recovered from 
hallucinations and delusions. However, 19
relapsed within one month of stopping clozapine.

The rate of adverse events did not differ between active treatment and placebo 
groups, but drowsiness was seen more
often in clozapine patients.

SOURCE: Reuters Health


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