Neutropenia and thyroid dysfunction associated with lithium and clozapine therapy

Abstract

Neutropenia can occur in up to 3% of patients who are treated with clozapine for treatment‐resistant schizophrenia, limiting the antipsychotic's more widespread use (Sénéchal et al., 2002). Most clozapine‐induced neutropenia occurs within one year of initiating the drug (Myles et al., 2018). Since lithium causes neutrophilia, some authorities have suggested using lithium to increase absolute neutrophil count (ANC) in clozapine‐treated patients (Boazak et al., 2018).