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A retrospective evaluation of the impact of total smoking cessation on psychiatric inpatients taking clozapine
Author(s) -
Cormac I.,
Brown A.,
Creasey S.,
Ferriter M.,
Huckstep B.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2009.01482.x
Subject(s) - clozapine , retrospective cohort study , medicine , antipsychotic , smoking cessation , psychiatry , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , pathology
Cormac I, Brown A, Creasey S, Ferriter M, Huckstep B. A retrospective evaluation of the impact of total smoking cessation on psychiatric inpatients taking clozapine. Objective: To investigate the effect of a complete smoking ban on a group of psychiatric inpatients maintained on the antipsychotic medication clozapine. Method: Retrospective data on clozapine dose and plasma levels were collected from a three month period before and a six month period after the introduction of the smoking ban. Results: Before the ban only 4.2% of patients who smoked had a plasma clozapine level ≥1000 μg/l but after the ban this increased to 41.7% of the sample within the six month period following the ban despite dose reductions. Conclusion: Abrupt cessation of smoking is associated with a potentially serious risk of toxicity in patients taking clozapine. Plasma clozapine levels must be monitored closely and adjustments made in dosage, if necessary, for at least six months after cessation.