Longitudinal trends in blood concentrations of clozapine and norclozapine, inflammatory markers, and clinical outcomes in Japanese patients: a 12-week prospective study

A "start low, go slow" titration approach can effectively achieve therapeutic concentrations even without real-time therapeutic drug monitoring. However, the significantly higher concentrations observed in female subjects suggest that more cautious dose titration is necessary for female patients, likely due to hormonal influences on metabolic enzymes. Further research is needed on the relationship between clozapine dosage, plasma concentrations and inflammatory side effects.