Wesley W. Hoyt born in Denver, Colorado in 1948, has been practicing law in Colorado and Idaho since 1972.
Wesley is working on this case Pro Bono (free) and has, along with the help of the letter writers, phone callers, and Clyaton Douglas (www.FreeAmerican.com) , gotten Mark back to Colorado.
However, Mark is far from out of the woods.
The Arizona Mental Health Officials, choose to put Mark on a psychiatric drug that is considered a “last resort” medication:
Clozapine (sold as Clozaril, Azaleptin, Leponex, Fazaclo, Froidir; Denzapine, Zaponex in the UK; Klozapol in Poland, Clopine in NZ/Aus) is an antipsychotic medication used in the treatment of schizophrenia, and is also used off-label in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Wyatt. R and Chew. R (2005) tells us there are three pharmaceutical companies that market this drug at present: Novartis Pharmaceuticals (manufacturer), Mylan Laboratories and Ivax Pharmaceuticals (market generic clozapine).
The first of the atypical antipsychotics to be developed, it was first introduced in Europe in 1971, but was voluntarily withdrawn by the manufacturer in 1975 after it was shown to cause agranulocytosis, a condition involving a dangerous decrease in the number of white blood cells, that led to death in some patients.
In 1989, after studies demonstrated that it was more effective than any other antipsychotic for treating schizophrenia[citation needed], theU.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved clozapine’s use but only for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. The FDA requires blood testing for patients taking clozapine.
The FDA also requires clozapine to carry five black box warnings for
1. agranulocytosis,
2. seizures,
3. myocarditis
4. for “other adverse cardiovascular and respiratory effects”, and for
5. ”increased mortality in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis.”
In 2002 the FDA approved clozapine for reducing the risk of suicidal behavior for patients with schizophrenia.Clozapine is usually used as a last resort in patients that have not responded to other anti-psychotic treatments due to its danger of causing agranulocytosis as well as the costs of having to have blood tests continually during treatment.
While Mark has a qualified treaty psychiatrist in Denver, Donna can not afford to move to Denver County where Mark would qualify for Medicaid. The drug cost $80 a week and must be accompanied by a $200 blood test. The need for funding is URGENT, as Mark has only a few days supply on hand. The withdrawal effects Clozapine are severe and life-threatening.
Author(s)AHMED S. (1) ; ROY CHENGAPPA K. N. (1 2) ; VENKAT RAMA NAIDU (3) ; BAKER R. W. (4) ; PAREPALLY H. (1 2) ; SCHOOLER N. R. (1)
AbstractBackground: Severe psychotic decompensation during clozapine withdrawal has been reported previously. Less attention has been paid to movement disorders following abrupt clozapine withdrawal. This report describes 4 subjects who experienced severe dystonias and dyskinesias upon abrupt clozapine withdrawal.
… All subjects had received clozapine for several months, and 3 of the 4 subjects stopped clozapine abruptly. Two subjects experienced cholinergic rebound symptoms within hours, which resolved quickly. These subjects had severe limb-axial and neck dystonias and dyskinesias 5 to 14 days after clozapine withdrawal. Two subjects were unable to ambulate, and I had a lurching gait. Two gagged while eating or drinking. Two subjects were returned to clozapine, 1 was started on low-dose risperidone treatment, and 1 was started on olanzapine treatment….Revue / Journal TitleThe Journal of clinical psychiatry ISSN 0160-6689
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Columbine Family for Mark Taylor
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