Summarised by Centrist
A 25-year study found that clozapine, a drug for hard-to-treat schizophrenia, can cause problems like pneumonia and blocked intestines in users. The study followed over 2,600 patients, showing that 30% contracted pneumonia, and 5% had gut blockages after long-term use.
These complications can be life-threatening, with pneumonia tripling the risk of death and gut blockages increasing it fourfold.
Clozapine works by changing the way the brain releases chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. This helps with symptoms like mood swings and thinking clearly. But it also interferes with the immune system and gut, which can lead to infections like pneumonia and gut blockages.
Dr Jukka Koskela explains, “These serious side effects should be treated with the same urgency as older issues, like the drop in white blood cells.” Clozapine was once banned because it caused a dangerous decrease in white blood cells, which are crucial for the immune system. Now, researchers are turning their attention to the long-term risks, like pneumonia and gut blockages, which are proving to be just as serious.
Because 70% of people taking clozapine have at least one severe side effect, including seizures and breathing problems, doctors only use it when other treatments fail.
The study also found that the drug is broken down in the liver, and people with certain genetic traits might have a harder time handling it, leading to further complications.
Editor’s note: Clozapine is available in New Zealand under the brand name Clozaril.
