Loxapine

Loxapine is a typical antipsychotic medication, used primarily in the treatment of schizophrenia. Trade names for loxapine taken by mouth include Loxapac and Loxitane; the inhalable form is approved as Adasuve. The drug is a member of the dibenzoxazepine class and structurally related to clozapine (which belongs to the chemically akin class of dibenzodiazepines). Several researchers have argued that loxapine may behave as an atypical antipsychotic.

Loxapine may be metabolized by N-demethylation to amoxapine, a tetracyclic antidepressant.

Therapeutic uses and dosages

The typical starting dosage is 10 mg twice daily; usual dose range 30–50 mg twice daily; maximum recommended dosage is 250 mg per day. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved loxapine inhalation powder 10 mg (Adasuve, Alexza Pharmaceuticals) for the acute treatment of agitation associated with schizophrenia or bipolar I disorder in adults.

A brief review of loxapine found no conclusive evidence that it was particularly effective in patients with paranoid schizophrenia. A subsequent systematic review considered that the limited evidence did not indicate a clear difference in its effects from other antipsychotics.