Dose titrations

• Serdolect should be titrated by increments of 4 mg after 4-5 days on each dose until the optimal daily maintenance dose is reached. ECG monitoring is mandatory prior to and during treatment with Serdolect (please consult the entire SPC.
• The defined dose is 16 mg/day but it may be increased to 20 mg/day or decreased to 12 mg/day depending on individual patient response. Only in exceptional cases should the maximum dose of 24 mg/day be considered.
• For the elderly, slower dose titration and lower maintenance dose should be considered. Patients with moderately reduced liver function require slower dose titration and a lower maintenance dose.
• Blood pressure should be monitored during the initial dose titration phase and early in the maintenance phase.
• Patients who have stopped taking Serdolect for less than a week can resume the maintenance dose immediately.
• Patients who have stopped taking Serdolect for more than a week should follow the dose titration guidelines including a new ECG.  
• If anti-EPS medication has been used in conjunction with the previous antipsychotic drug, it should be continued for a month after starting Serdoelct to prevent possible rebound effects from the previous treatment.
• When switching from depot injection, including Acutard/Acuphase, Serdolect should be titrated in the usual way, starting from the day the next injection would otherwise have been given.
• It's recommended to switch from clozapine in the stepwise manner. Down titrating clozapine while up-titrating Serdolect in an overlapping fashion according to local clinical practise.
    

Published: 07/02/2007   Last updated: 18/05/2010