I was put on risperodol. It was the first medication that gave me any relief from the psychotic thinking and paranoia... it also cut out the hallucinations almost entirely. I can't remember quite how long it took to work, I think a few weeks.

Unfortunately I did have some quite severe side effects, weakness, exhaustion, dizziness, tingling in my feet, increased appetite, leading to weight gain, and finally I started lactating. At that point I was put on seroquel XL, which turned out to be a wonder drug... the only side effect I have now is that I'm very tired the next day if I take the tablets too late at night. I even lost some weight.

Not everybody reacts as badly to rispiridone as I did, so please don't panic about it. If the worst comes to the worse they'll take her off it, and probably put her on an atypical anti psychotic. Even with the side effects I was grateful to be on it, since I started thinking clearly again. It gave me a break, and when I switched meds I was able to keep my mental equilibrium.

I do know that rispiridone has been approved for use in teenagers, and that the medical staff will be careful with your daughter's dosage. Hopefully you'll start to see an improvement over the next few days and weeks, and even if this isn't the med for her in the long term, it's an effective start.

Also, I know that my son is also fifteen, and that I'd be worried sick if he had to be on anti psychotic meds. I really feel for you... please be kind to yourself. You're doing the very best you can.