Exploring the Efficacy of Clozapine in Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia

Clozapine is considered the gold standard treatment for treatment-resistant psychotic illnesses with response rates ranging from 40 to 60 percent. This medication is significantly more effective compared to other antipsychotics. While clozapine may start to lose efficacy after approximately 2.8 years, there are no absolute contraindications for its use. Patients can be re-challenged with clozapine even after experiencing severe side effects like myocarditis or severe neutropenia, but a cautious approach is necessary due to the potential life-threatening nature of these side effects.