HeadMeds gives young people in the United Kingdom general information about medication. HeadMeds does not give you medical advice. Please talk to your Doctor or anyone else who is supporting you about your own situation because everyone is different. Please read more important details about our site.

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Clozapine

Return to Clozapine overview
  1. Use and Action
  2. Warnings and side effects
  3. Sex, drink, weight and everything else

Clozapine can be used to treat the following conditions

Headmeds fills the medicines information gaps for young people - things you might want to know about meds like will it affect my sex life? Can I still study?  Can I drink?
Headmeds does not give medical advice so this is just general information.
Each medicine has a balance of good and bad effects, and each person gets their own individual effects.
You might want to know just one thing about your medicine, but on each page we have given you the ‘safety headlines’. Please read them as they are important.
We have included lots of information about each medicine - but if you want all the details, please look at the patient information leaflet - which is inside every pack. These leaflets are also at www.medicines.org.uk - where there will be the most up-to-date information.

Safety headlines

  • If you have taken more Clozapine than it said on the label, you must see a doctor quickly – even if you do not feel any different.
  • Clozapine can affect the way your body handles infections. Tell your doctor or care team if you get unexpected fever, sore throat or illness.
  • It is important to tell your doctor or care team if you stop or start smoking.
  • Clozapine can cause serious side-effects: allergic reactions (difficulty breathing, swelling of your face or throat, itching skin lumps), a painful and long-lasting erection in men (priapism), and other serious symptoms that you can find here. Go to a hospital if you get any of these symptoms, with your medicine.
  • You might feel sleepy or dizzy in the first few days after taking clozapine – do not drive a car, ride a bike or operate machines until you see how this affects you.
  • If you take clozapine while you are pregnant, we do not know if it can affect the developing baby. Use good contraception while you are taking clozapine. It can also cause symptoms in newborn babies if you take it at the end of pregnancy. Talk to your doctor or midwife about this and get their help.

Basic details

Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic medicine

Clozapine is a medicine where it is very important to take the medicine as agreed and have a good relationship with your doctor and care team to make sure you get the best from it. You should have discussed Clozapine with your care team and been given detailed information before you start taking it.   

Clozapine can be used to treat schizophrenia when other medicines have not worked.

Reference sources

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