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Early Clozapine in Schizophrenia: 34% Lower Relapse Risk

Stylized illustration of a stopwatch overlaying schizophrenia treatment-stage icons, representing the multi-year delay before clozapine is offered to patients who already meet treatment-resistance criteria.

Clozapine has been the most effective antipsychotic in schizophrenia for almost 40 years, yet it is still routinely held back until patients have failed multiple alternatives over many years — a “third-line, after years of failure” default that a 2026 Current Opinion review by Davani et al. argues is no longer supported by the evidence.1 …

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Aripiprazole Oculogyric Crisis in Tourette Tics: 2 Cases at 20-30 mg

MHD featured image for aripiprazole-related oculogyric crisis in Tourette tic treatment.

A 2026 Neurological Sciences brief communication added 2 Tourette syndrome cases of aripiprazole-related oculogyric crisis — sustained, involuntary upward eye deviation from extraocular-muscle dystonia — after titration to 20 mg and 30 mg daily, with remission after dose reduction.1 Research Highlights 2 new Tourette cases: Cavanna et al. reported oculogyric crisis in females aged 16 …

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77-Drug Blood Screen Found Benzodiazepines in 37.9% of Detections

MHD featured image for neuropsychiatric drug blood screening and benzodiazepine detections.

A 2026 clinical-lab study tested a 77-drug liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry serum screen in 1,021 patients and found that benzodiazepines accounted for 37.9% of all detections, ahead of antidepressants and antipsychotics.1 Emergency-department cases were a small slice of the sample, but they were positive more often than outpatients: 85.2% vs. 59.5%. Research Highlights Benzodiazepines dominated …

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Risperidone in Dementia Raised Stroke-Related Events 4.11x by Week 4

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A 2026 individual participant data meta-analysis of 1,721 dementia trial participants linked risperidone to cerebrovascular adverse events, HR 4.11 (95% CI 1.77 to 9.51), and major cardiovascular adverse events, HR 2.00 (95% CI 1.23 to 3.26).1 The timing signal is the practical warning: median first cerebrovascular event appeared at 4.3 weeks, and median first major …

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Antipsychotic Shortages Caused Drug Switching: 95,968-Patient Claims Study (2026)

First-generation antipsychotic (FGA) shortages are not just pharmacy annoyances; they force medication changes in people who may have taken years to stabilize on a tolerable regimen. Research Highlights 95,968 patients: Tabah 2026 used Komodo claims data to study people with psychotic-spectrum diagnoses taking shortage-affected first-generation antipsychotics. Switching was not evenly distributed: molindone reached 100% switching, …

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Schizophrenia Dementia Risk: Diabetes, Head Injury, Substance Use

Photoreal illustration of an aging brain with cardiovascular and lifestyle risk imagery, conveying preventable dementia drivers in schizophrenia.

Patients with schizophrenia have substantially elevated dementia risk compared to the general population — roughly 2-3 times the age-adjusted rate — but the specific drivers within the schizophrenia population have been less well characterized. A 2026 case-control study by Ho et al. used population-based data to identify which factors specifically elevate dementia risk among schizophrenia …

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