💊 Clozapine is an FDA-approved atypical antipsychotic medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
❌ Clozapine is not the first-line drug of choice due to its range of adverse effects including agranulocytosis (a serious condition with a severely low number of neutrophils – a type of white blood cell).
⭐️ Due to this adverse effect, a patient must be enrolled in the clozapine REMS registry by a certified clinician in order to receive treatment.
⚖️ Clozapine is also associated with significant weight gain, diabetes type 2, diabetic ketoacidosis, and increased lipid levels-all due to increased insulin resistance.