Questions about clozapine

Published

I have been away from psych for 4 yrs, now work LTC. When I left psych, if a pt. was on clozapine they had to be registered with a national registry and have weekly CBC's d/t potential for agranulocytosis. We have a pt. that was just admitted on clozapine. Pt. is scheduled for weekly CBC. What are the current guidelines? We are aware of which SE to moniter for. This pt. has an extensive psych hx. Thanks for any info.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Oncology/Psych/College Health.

http://www.clozaril.com/hcp/index.jsp

Didn't see much of it except the occasional pt on outpatient, but here's the info including federal requirements according to the company :).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, LTC.

I have been out of psych for a while but I think it was a red flag if the WBC's went below 2000. Hopefully someone will chime in to see if my memory is correct.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Home health, Med/Surg.

When I worked on a med/surg unit that took A LOT of psych overflow (because the psych unit wasn't getting reimbursed) all patients on clozaril had to have a form filled out with their CBC results and sent in to the monitoring agency. I think if you go to the website you can find the form. If I remember correctly each pt on Clozaril has a ID number that needs to be on the form. The forms had to be filled out before the prescription would be filled. A pharmacist should be able to help you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

I work in a medium-security prison. In our extended care unit, there are three inmates on clozapine. Blood work is required every seven days, and the orders are written for two weeks. A couple of inmates have been taken off the drug due to developing abnormalities in the CBC. The pharmacy will not even fill the order without the reporting sheet with the lab values written in.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion