An International Adult Guideline for Making Clozapine Titration Safer by Using Six Ancestry-Based Personalized Dosing Titrations, CRP, and Clozapine Levels.

This international guideline proposes improving clozapine package inserts worldwide by using ancestry-based dosing and titration. Adverse drug reaction (ADR) databases suggest that clozapine is the third most toxic drug in the United States (US), and it produces four times higher worldwide pneumonia mortality than that by agranulocytosis or myocarditis. For trough steady-state clozapine serum concentrations, the therapeutic reference range is narrow, from 350 to 600 ng/mL with the potential for toxicity and ADRs as concentrations increase. Clozapine is mainly metabolized by CYP1A2 (female non-smokers, the lowest dose; male smokers, the highest dose). Poor metabolizer status through phenotypic conversion is associated with co-prescription of inhibitors (including oral contraceptives and valproate), obesity, or inflammation with C-reactive protein (CRP) elevations. The Asian population (Pakistan to Japan) or the Americas' original inhabitants have lower CYP1A2 activity and require lower clozapine doses to reach concentrations of 350 ng/mL. In the US, daily doses of 300-600 mg/day are recommended. Slow personalized titration may prevent early ADRs (including syncope, myocarditis, and pneumonia). This guideline defines six personalized titration schedules for inpatients: 1) ancestry from Asia or the original people from the Americas with lower metabolism (obesity or valproate) needing minimum therapeutic dosages of 75-150 mg/day, 2) ancestry from Asia or the original people from the Americas with average metabolism needing 175-300 mg/day, 3) European/Western Asian ancestry with lower metabolism (obesity or valproate) needing 100-200 mg/day, 4) European/Western Asian ancestry with average metabolism needing 250-400 mg/day, 5) in the US with ancestries other than from Asia or the original people from the Americas with lower clozapine metabolism (obesity or valproate) needing 150-300 mg/day, and 6) in the US with ancestries other than from Asia or the original people from the Americas with average clozapine metabolism needing 300-600 mg/day. Baseline and weekly CRP monitoring for at least four weeks is required to identify any inflammation, including inflammation secondary to clozapine rapid titration.

Four cases of myocarditis in US hospitals possibly associated with clozapine poor metabolism and a comparison with prior published cases.

Objectives: Clozapine-induced myocarditis may be a hypersensitivity reaction due to titration that was too rapid for a patient's clozapine metabolism. Obesity, infections, and inhibitors (e.g., valproate) may lead to clozapine poor metabolizer (PM) status. The hypothesis that 4 patients with clozapine-induced myocarditis from two United States hospitals were clozapine PMs was tested by studying their minimum therapeutic clozapine doses and titrations. Methods: Using methodology from a prior myocarditis case series of 9 Turkish patients, we studied: 1) the concentration-to-dose (C/D) ratio; 2) minimum therapeutic dose required to reach 350 ng/ml (a marker for PM status); and 3) titration speed. Results: All 4 patients were possible clozapine PMs (their respective minimum therapeutic doses were: 134, 84, 119 and 107 mg/day). The identified possible contributors to clozapine PM status were: 1) valproate in Cases 1, 2 and 4; 2) obesity and a urinary tract infection in Case 2; and 3) obesity and very rapid titration in Case 4. Case 3, who was given a normal US titration, appeared to be a genetic clozapine PM. He developed clozapineinduced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome after rechallenge using 12.5 mg/day > 3 months later. The results were similar to 9 Turkish cases, all of which were PMs (6 on valproate, 4 with obesity, 1 with infection and 1 possibly genetic). Conclusions: Future studies using clozapine levels and considering the role of clozapine PM status should explore whether or not all cases of clozapine-induced myocarditis could be explained by lack of individualized titration. (Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2022; 24(1): 29-41).

High Doses of Drugs Extensively Metabolized by CYP3A4 Were Needed to Reach Therapeutic Concentrations in Two Patients Taking Inducers.

INTRODUCTION: In the last 20 years of clinical practice, the senior author has identified these 2 rare cases in which the patients needed extremely high doses of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 to reach and maintain serum therapeutic concentrations. METHODS: The high metabolic ability of these 2 patients was demonstrated by the low concentration-to-dose ratios (C/D ratios) of several drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. RESULTS: Case 1 was characterized by a history of high carbamazepine doses (up to 2,000mg/day) and needed 170 mg/day of diazepam in 2 days to cooperate with dental cleaning. The high activity of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme was manifested by fast metabolism for quetiapine and diazepam, which took more than 1 year to normalize after the inducer, phenytoin, was stopped. Case 2 was also very sensitive to CYP3A4 inducers as indicated by very low C/D ratios for carbamazepine, risperidone and paliperidone. The carbamazepine (2,800 mg/day) and risperidone (20 mg/day) dosages for this second patient are the highest doses ever seen for these drugs by the senior author. Risperidone induction appeared to last for many months and metabolism was definitively normal 3 years after stopping carbamazepine. On the other hand, olanzapine C/D ratios were normal for induction. CONCLUSIONS: The literature has never described similar cases of very high doses of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. We speculate that these 2 patients may have unusual genetic profiles at the nuclear receptor levels; these receptors regulate induction of drugs.

Catatonia Secondary to Sudden Clozapine Withdrawal: A Case with Three Repeated Episodes and a Literature Review.

A literature search identified 9 previously published cases that were considered as possible cases of catatonia secondary to sudden clozapine withdrawal. Two of these 9 cases did not provide enough information to make a diagnosis of catatonia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th Edition (DSM-5). The Liverpool Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) Causality Scale was modified to assess ADRs secondary to drug withdrawal. From the 7 published cases which met DSM-5 catatonia criteria, using the modified scale, we established that 3 were definitive and 4 were probable cases of catatonia secondary to clozapine withdrawal. A new definitive case is described with three catatonic episodes which (1) occurred after sudden discontinuation of clozapine in the context of decades of follow-up, (2) had ≥3 of 12 DSM-5 catatonic symptoms and serum creatinine kinase elevation, and (3) required medical hospitalization and intravenous fluids. Clozapine may be a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor agonist; sudden clozapine withdrawal may explain a sudden decrease in GABA activity that may contribute to the development of catatonic symptoms in vulnerable patients. Based on the limited information from these cases, the pharmacological treatment for catatonia secondary to sudden clozapine withdrawal can include benzodiazepines and/or restarting clozapine.

Three patients needing high doses of valproic Acid to get therapeutic concentrations.

Valproic acid (VPA) can autoinduce its own metabolism. Cases requiring VPA doses >4000 mg/day to obtain therapeutic plasma concentrations, such as these 3 cases, have never been published. Case 1 received VPA for seizures and schizophrenia and had >50 VPA concentrations in 4 years. A high dose of 5,250 mg/day of VPA concentrate was prescribed for years but this dose led to an intoxication when switched to the enterocoated divalproex sodium formulation, requiring a normal dose of 2000 mg/day. VPA metabolic capacity was significantly higher (t = -9.6; df = 6.3, p < 0.001) during the VPA concentrate therapy, possibly due to autoinduction in that formulation. Case 2 had VPA for schizoaffective psychosis with 10 VPA concentrations during an 8-week admission. To maintain a VPA level ≥50 µg/mL, VPA doses increased from 1500 to 4000 mg/day. Case 3 had tuberous sclerosis and epilepsy and was followed up for >4 years with 137 VPA concentrations. To maintain VPA concentrations ≥50 µg/mL, VPA doses increased from 3,375 to 10,500 mg/day. In Cases 2 and 3, the duration of admission and the VPA dose were strongly correlated (r around 0.90; p < 0.001) with almost no change after controlling for VPA concentrations, indicating progressive autoinduction that increased with time.

High Doses of Drugs Extensively Metabolized by CYP3A4 Were Needed to Reach Therapeutic Concentrations in Two Patients Taking Inducers / Dos pacientes que tomaban inductores necesitaron dosis altas de medicamentos metabolizados en gran medida por el CYP3A4 para alcanzar concentraciones terapéuticas

ABSTRACT Introduction: In the last 20 years of clinical practice, the senior author has identified these 2 rare cases in which the patients needed extremely high doses of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 to reach and maintain serum therapeutic concentrations. Methods: The high metabolic ability of these 2 patients was demonstrated by the low concentration-to-dose ratios (C/D ratios) of several drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. Results: Case 1 was characterized by a history of high carbamazepine doses (up to 2,000 mg/day) and needed 170 mg/day of diazepam in 2 days to cooperate with dental cleaning. The high activity of the CYP3A4 isoenzyme was manifested by fast metabolism for quetiapine and diazepam, which took more than 1 year to normalize after the inducer, phenytoin, was stopped. Case 2 was also very sensitive to CYP3A4 inducers as indicated by very low C/D ratios for carbamazepine, risperidone and paliperidone. The carbamazepine (2,800 mg/day) and risperidone (20 mg/day) dosages for this second patient are the highest doses ever seen for these drugs by the senior author. Risperidone induction appeared to last for many months and metabolism was definitively normal 3 years after stopping carbamazepine. On the other hand, olanzapine C/D ratios were normal for induction. Conclusions: The literature has never described similar cases of very high doses of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4. We speculate that these 2 patients may have unusual genetic profiles at the nuclear receptor levels; these receptors regulate induction of drugs.

RESUMEN Introducción: Durante sus últimos 20 años de práctica, el último autor ha identificado estos 2 infrecuentes casos que necesitaban dosis extremadamente altas de medicaciones metabolizadas por el CYP3A4 para alcanzar y mantener concentraciones séricas terapéuticas. Métodos: La gran capacidad metabólica de estos 2 pacientes se demostró por los bajos cocientes entre concentración y dosis (C/D) de varias medicaciones metabolizadas por el CYP3A4. Resultados: El caso 1 se caracterizaba por una historia de altas dosis de carbamazepina (1.500 mg/día) y la necesidad de tomar 170 mg de diazepam en 2 días para facilitar una limpieza dental. La gran actividad de la isoenzima CYP3A4 se manifestó por una gran capacidad metabólica de quetiapina y diazepam, cuya normalización tardó más de 1 año tras la toma de un inductor, fenitoína. El caso 2 tambien era muy sensible a la inducción, lo cual se demuestra por los bajos cocientes C/D de carbamazepina, risperidona y paliperidona. Las dosis de carbamazepina (2.800 mg/día) y risperidona (20 mg/día) de este segundo paciente son las más altas nunca vistas por el último autor. La inducción de risperidona duró muchos meses y su metabolismo era normal 3 años después de interrumpir la carbamazepina. El cociente C/D de olanzapina era normal para la inducción. Conclusiones: Nunca se habían descrito casos similares de dosis tan altas de medicaciones metabolizadas por el CYP3A4. Se especula con que estos pacientes podrían tener unos perfiles genéticos inusuales en los receptores nucleares que regulan la inducción de medicamentos.