Dorothy asked about Clozaril vs. Seroquel-several recent reports of both
these drugs being used safely and successfully in low doses by Parkinson's
patients for hallucinations. Mechanism of action for both is similar, however
for Clozaril, as previously noted, blood monitoring is required-every week for
the first two weeks and then bi-weekly after 6 months on the drug. This is
because Clozaril has the potential of lowering the level of white blood cells,
which can make you vulnerable to infection. In my experience this has rarely
been the case and my psychiatric patients take the drug in doses up to 900
mg.,which is many times the dosage you would need.We have so many patients
using the drug, which works wonders at times, that we are starting a Clozaril
clinic.We also use Seroquel, which also works well but not as effectively with
our clients, who are generally quite ill. Both can be used with
anti-depressants. Both have to have their dosages tapered up when starting the
drug and down when discontinuing the drug, but we are talking about high
dosages, which is not the amount a typical Parkinson's patient would need.
Carole Hercun, RNC (psychiatric nurse)
____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.
