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Clozapine-associated elevation in serum triglycerides
B D Gaulin1, J S Markowitz, C F Caley
1Department of Psychiatry, Worcester State Hospital, MA 01604, USA. bruce.gaulin@dmh.state.ma.us
Objective:
This study was conducted to determine serum lipid level changes in patients who received clozapine or haloperidol.
Method:
Medical records of 222 inpatients treated with clozapine or haloperidol were reviewed. Age, weight, gender, daily antipsychotic dose, total cholesterol level, serum triglyceride level, and concurrent medications were recorded.
Results:
Clozapine-treated men had significantly higher follow-up serum triglyceride concentrations over baseline than did haloperidol-treated men. Female patients experienced serum triglyceride level elevations regardless of antipsychotic treatment. Changes in total cholesterol levels were not significantly different between treatment groups.
Conclusions:
An increase in serum triglyceride levels occurred in clozapine-treated patients; screening for serum triglyceride elevations may be warranted before treatment with clozapine.