clozapine vs thioridazine

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Side-by-side comparison of clozapine and thioridazine. Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.

minor Known Drug Interaction

Drugs that cause QT prolongation include: specific antipsychotics (e.g., ziprasidone, iloperidone, chlorpromazine, thioridazine, mesoridazine, droperidol, and pimozide), specific antibiotics (e.g., erythromycin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, sparfloxacin), Class 1A antiarrhythmics (e.g., quinidine, procainamide) or Class III antiarrhythmics (e.g., amiodarone, sotalol), and others (e.g., pentamidine, levomethadyl acetate, methadone, halofantrine, mefloquine, dolasetron mesylate, probucol or tacrolimus) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.9) ] .

Drug Class
clozapine Atypical Antipsychotic
thioridazine Typical Antipsychotic (Phenothiazine)
Type
clozapine Prescription
thioridazine Prescription
Summary
clozapine

Versacloz is a medicine used to treat severe schizophrenia when other medicines have not worked. It can also help lower the risk of suicidal behavior in people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.

thioridazine

Thioridazine is a medicine used to treat schizophrenia. It is only used when other antipsychotic medicines have not worked well enough.

What It Treats
clozapine

Versacloz is used to treat schizophrenia in people who haven't responded well to other antipsychotic medicines. Schizophrenia is a mental illness that can cause hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. Versacloz can also help lower the risk of repeated suicidal behavior in people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who are at high risk.

thioridazine

Thioridazine is used to manage schizophrenia in adults and children. You should only use this medicine if other antipsychotic medicines have not worked for you. This is because thioridazine can cause serious heart problems.

How It Works
clozapine

Versacloz works by affecting certain chemicals in the brain. These chemicals, like dopamine and serotonin, are involved in mood, behavior, and thinking. By changing the levels of these chemicals, Versacloz can help reduce symptoms of schizophrenia and lower the risk of suicidal behavior.

thioridazine

Thioridazine affects the balance of certain chemicals in the brain. These chemicals, like dopamine, can affect mood and behavior. By changing the balance, thioridazine helps to reduce symptoms of schizophrenia.

Common Side Effects
clozapine
  • Feeling sleepy
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Shaking
  • Fast heart rate
thioridazine
  • Drowsiness
  • Dry mouth
  • Blurred vision
  • Constipation
  • Nausea
FAERS Reports
clozapine
  • Neutropenia 18,655
  • Hospitalisation 12,101
  • Death 11,398
  • Schizophrenia 4,547
  • White Blood Cell Count Increased 4,444
thioridazine
  • Weight Increased 8
  • Dyspnoea 7
  • Dystonia 6
  • Hyperglycaemia 6
  • Hypoxia 6
Serious Warnings
clozapine

Versacloz can cause several serious side effects: * **Severe Neutropenia:** This means a dangerously low white blood cell count, which increases your risk of infection. You will need regular blood tests to check your white blood cell count. * **Orthostatic Hypotension, Bradycardia, and Syncope:** This means low blood pressure when standing up, slow heart rate, and fainting. These are most likely when you first start taking Versacloz or when the dose is increased. * **Seizures:** Versacloz can increase your risk of seizures, especially at higher doses. * **Myocarditis, Pericarditis, and Cardiomyopathy:** These are serious heart problems that can be fatal. Tell your doctor right away if you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or other heart-related symptoms. * **Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis:** Elderly patients with dementia who take antipsychotic medicines like Versacloz have an increased risk of death.

thioridazine

Thioridazine can cause a life-threatening heart rhythm problem called Torsades de pointes, which can lead to sudden death. Because of this risk, only use thioridazine if other antipsychotic medicines have not worked. Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis who are treated with antipsychotic drugs have an increased risk of death.

Pregnancy
clozapine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Babies born to mothers who take Versacloz in the third trimester may have withdrawal symptoms or other problems after birth. There is a pregnancy registry for women who take atypical antipsychotics like Versacloz.

thioridazine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if thioridazine will harm your unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking thioridazine during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Also Compare, Nearby Drugs

How to Read This clozapine vs thioridazine Comparison

clozapine is classified in the Atypical Antipsychotic drug class, while thioridazine sits within the Typical Antipsychotic (Phenothiazine) class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.

Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, clozapine has 51,145 submissions while thioridazine has 33. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume, not per-patient risk, so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. These two drugs have a known minor interaction flagged in FDA labeling, attributed to both drugs can cause the heart's electrical cycle to take longer than normal to reset. this combination makes it more likely that you will experience a life-threatening heart rhythm.. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.

A table cannot represent individual circumstances. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This registry does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions for clozapine or thioridazine.

Registry boundary: This comparison displays source-record fields and does not provide individualized medical direction.