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Hello Camilla, at 21 Dec 95 you wrote the following about _Re: Med questions_: >Joyce and Chuck--glad the clozaril is working for you! Could you >explain for newcomers the reason why you have the blood tests? This med >is great when it works, and was helpful for a man in our support group >who was having hallucinations, but I know there were risks involved. I am neither Joyce nor Chuck, but as a resident in neurology in a German hospital I hope I can provide some information: When taking Clozaril (the substance's name is Clozapine) there is a small but existing risk of getting too low in the WBC (white blood cell count) - a condition called agranulocytosis, which makes people prone to infections, feaver etc. The risk of agranulocytosis is highest during the first 18 weeks of treatment decreasing after that period. For that reason, in Germany (and I do only know German reglementations, but they may be similar in other countries) it is required to check the blood count weekly during the first 18 weeks and then every fourtnight (later the intervall may be one month). Ciao Stephan Blaschke