Clozapine Pharmacology

On this episode, I discuss clozapine pharmacology. This drug has multiple mechanisms of action: Dopamine blockade, anticholinergic activity, and alpha blocking activity all contribute to the complexity of this drug. Smoking cessation can significantly increase the concentrations of clozapine. This is because smoking can induce CYP1A2. Listen to the podcast for more details on how this can impact our patients clinically. Clozapine has 5 boxed warnings. I discuss them all in this podcast. The most well-known boxed warning is for agranulocytosis. Because clozapine has alpha blocking activity, it can cause orthostasis. We need to monitor for this. Clozapine can cause QTc prolongation. Keep an eye out for other medications that the patient may be taking that can also cause this. Examples include: amiodarone, ondansetron, quinolones, and macrolides Be sure to check out our free Top 200 study guide – a 31 page PDF that is yours for FREE!