Abstract
Hyponatremia/hypoosmolemia causes marked morbidity and prolongs hospital stays in a significant subset of schizophrenic patients. Case reports with methodological limitations suggest clozapine ameliorates this water imbalance. To more conclusively assess this possibility, we completed a 24-week open-label study in 8 male polydipsic hypoosmolemic schizophrenic inpatients. Subjects were treated initially for 6 weeks with a conventional neuroleptic, which was replaced by 300, 600, and 900 (if tolerated) mg/day of clozapine for sequential 6-week periods. On clozapine, mean plasma osmolality rose an average of 15.2 mosm/kg (95% CI : 5.5-25.0). Dosage of 300 mg/day of clozapine was sufficient to normalize plasma osmolality and was generally well tolerated. Clozapine appears to be the first effective pharmacotherapy for severe water imbalance in schizophrenia.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 86-90 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 1999 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Psychiatry and Mental health