Safe and Effective Use of Low-Dose Clozapine for Tardive Dyskinesia in a Patient with Schizophrenia and Comorbid Epilepsy: A Case Repor

Abstract

Atypical antipsychotic clozapine has a special therapeutic impact on tardive dyskinesia and treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Clozapine also has important adverse effects such as epileptic seizures. For this reason, most clinicians avoid using clozapine in patients with schizophrenia and epilepsy. Therefore, treating patients with schizophrenia, tardive dyskinesia, and epilepsy is challenging. Here, we describe the case of a 32-year-old woman who was already suffering from epilepsy, schizophrenia, and tardive dyskinesia. She experienced clozapine-related seizures. But at the same time, clozapine dose adjustments successfully improved her psychosis and tardive dyskinesia and also stabilized her epilepsy. This case study indicates that epilepsy does not preclude the use of this important agent whenever it is clinically appropriate.