Results: Patients subject to rapid (N¼44) and standard (N¼23) titration were similar in age, gender,
smoking status, body mass index, illness severity at baseline and discharge, and highest clozapine dose.
Clozapine was discontinued due to hypotension (N¼1) and pneumonia (N¼1) during rapid titration, and
for excessive sedation (N¼1) in each titration group. The number of hospital days from starting clozapine
until readiness for discharge was 3.8 days shorter in the rapid titration group (12.776.3 vs. 16.575.8,
p¼0.0077).
Conclusion: Rapid clozapine titration appeared safe and effective for treatment-refractory BD. The
potential for shorter hospital stays justifies prospective trials of this method