Past Issues
Decreased White Blood Cell Count Related to Haloperidol Add-on
Treatment to Olanzapine
Wei-Lieh Huang, Chao-Cheng Lin, Shih-Cheng Liao
Background: Leukopenia is a potentially severe side effect of antipsychotic
drugs. Clozapine, olanzapine, and chlorpromazine are found to induce leukopenia.
Haloperidol-induced leukopenia is occasionally reported. Research are limited to
explore hematologic side effects related to the combined use of olanzapine and
haloperidol. Case Report: We present a case of a patient with schizophrenia,
whose white blood cell count was decreased following receiving a combination of
haloperidol and olanzapine, and increased rapidly after discontinuing haloperidol.
Conclusion: This case reminds us paying attention to the leukopenic effect of the
use of haloperidol or combined antipsychotic drugs. Encountering a patient with
a suspected antipsychotics-induced hematologic problem, clinicians need to consider
those frequently mentioned offending agents, and to observe its relation with
other antipsychotic drugs.
drugs. Clozapine, olanzapine, and chlorpromazine are found to induce leukopenia.
Haloperidol-induced leukopenia is occasionally reported. Research are limited to
explore hematologic side effects related to the combined use of olanzapine and
haloperidol. Case Report: We present a case of a patient with schizophrenia,
whose white blood cell count was decreased following receiving a combination of
haloperidol and olanzapine, and increased rapidly after discontinuing haloperidol.
Conclusion: This case reminds us paying attention to the leukopenic effect of the
use of haloperidol or combined antipsychotic drugs. Encountering a patient with
a suspected antipsychotics-induced hematologic problem, clinicians need to consider
those frequently mentioned offending agents, and to observe its relation with
other antipsychotic drugs.
| Key Word | leukopenia, neutropenia, haloperidol, olanzapine |
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