Clozaril

Description

What Is This Medicational Treatment And How Is It Going To Help Your Health Problem Get Better?

The generic name for Clozaril is (clozapine). It’s a form of antipsychotic medication. It works by altering the behaviors of specific chemicals inside the brain that can be out of balance for a number of different reasons. The main use of Clozaril is to help treat people who suffer from serious schizophrenia, or to lower the possibility of suicidal behaviors in people who have schizophrenia or disorders of a similar nature. There may be other uses for this treatment, but this will be for a doctor to decide.

What’s the best way to take this medicational treatment in order to ensure your chances of experiencing unwanted side effects is kept low?

You’ll need to make sure you ask questions to a doctor as well as inform them of as much information concerning you as possible. Don’t always assume a doctor is going to have access to your medical records as sometimes such records can be hard to obtain or take a long time to access. You’ll want to ask why it’s been decided that Clozaril would work best for your condition and how long might you have to use it.

You want to understand if there are any special instructions you have to follow that aren’t general (meaning for everyone who would use the treatment). In many cases special instructions will be given to you because you are at some special high risk that needs to be managed. If there are no unique directions you need to follow then you can just follow the directions that come with the prescription package.

Be sure to not take more or less of this drug than what you need. If you do this then this can throw off the effects of the drug. A doctor might decide to change the dose if they feel it isn’t working for you the way they feel it should be. In the meantime you would want to stick to the regimen they give you.

Can you take this medicational treatment with food or do you always have to take it alone?

You can take Clozaril with food or without food, but you just need to be careful what types of foods you take it with. If you eat it with the wrong foods you can experience discomfort. If you do consume it with food make sure it’s only a little. The reason why taking it with food for some people is required is because taking the drug alone can sometimes cause stomach pains. Taking it with food helps to prevent this.

What are some of the more common potential side effects a person puts themselves at risk for if they use this prescription drug?

 Weight gain

 Tremor, dizziness, spinning sensation

 Headache, drowsiness

 Nausea, constipation

 Dry mouth, or increased salivation

 Blurred vision

 Fast heart rate, increased sweating

What are some of the more serious potential side effects you put yourself at risk for if you decide to use this prescription drug?

 Headache with chest pain and severe dizziness, pounding heartbeats or fluttering in your chest;

 A light-headed feeling, like you might pass out

 Sudden cough, rapid breathing, coughing up blood

 Tight feeling in your neck or jaw, twitching or uncontrollable movements of your eyes, lips, tongue, face, arms, or legs

 A seizure (blackout or convulsions)

 Kidney problems – little or no urination, swelling in your feet or ankles, feeling tired or short of breath

 Liver problems – nausea, upper stomach pain, loss of appetite, tiredness, confusion, unusual bleeding, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)

 Severe nervous system reaction – very stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, fast or uneven heartbeats, tremors, feeling like you might pass out

 High blood sugar – increased thirst, increased urination, hunger, dry mouth, fruity breath odor, drowsiness, dry skin, blurred vision, weight loss

 Signs of inflammation in your body – easy bruising or bleeding, severe tingling or numbness, muscle weakness, upper stomach pain, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), chest pain, new or worsening cough, trouble breathing.

If you experience any of the serious side effects you might need to stop use of the drug right away until you could get further evaluation from a doctor. In some cases you might require emergency treatment. Understand that the serious side effect chances are very low as long as the drug is taken correctly.