I think Risperdal was maybe my second or third antipsychotic. My first was Seroquel. Risperdal was definitely helpful at curbing agitation, which I experienced a lot of at that time. I forget my doses, but I recall being on a small dose, at some points, and a larger dose, at others. Like fern, I eventually developed hyperprolactinemia. My periods were screwed up, and sometimes didn't come. I started to have lactation. At one point, it was so bad that I had to wear pantyliners in my bra. Sorry that sounds gross, but it was reality. I confess that my psychiatrist brushed this stuff off a bit too much.

I eventually went off of Risperdal after a hospitalization that was not so much caused by medication ineffectiveness, as much as alcohol binges and suddenly quitting my medications cold-turkey. Bad idea! At the hospital, they changed my medications. I sort of forget to what.

I don't know how weight unfriendly Risperdal really was. I did gain some weight from the time I was first hospitalized through Risperdal, but I think it could have been partially related to the transition from self-medicating with alcohol, to self-medicating a bit with food.

Note: The medication Invega (paliperidone) is a very closely-related medication to Risperdal, originally made by the same company (Janssen Pharmaceutica). I was later put on Invega. I again developed hyperprolactinemia (no periods, lactation). Again, though I adore my psychiatrist, I felt he ignored that side effect too much. I eventually consulted about it with my gynecologist, since it is rather related to what a gynecologist might be concerned about. She ordered an MRI for me. The results were quite surprising and a bit alarming. I had developed a pituitary tumor (microadenoma). My gynecologist referred me to an endocrinologist. The endocrinologist said he did not think the Invega was the culprit, but to this day I totally disagree. There are numerous online articles discussing how Risperdal (the Invega older cousin) can cause pituitary tumors. Google it, if you like. He was telling me that if the tumor grew larger, that I'd need a surgery removing the brain tumor via my nose. Fun, fun!

The end of the above story is that I was hospitalized again because I grew severely depressed on the combo of Depakote and Invega. I kind of blame Depakote more than Invega, though. During that hospitalization, I had ECT. Then they put me back on the same stinking combo. Another hospitalization happened. Then I was finally taken off those two medications and put on Lithium ER (which I had taken years prior) and Geodon. About six months later, I had a follow-up MRI. MIRACLE!!!!!!! The pituitary tumor had disappeared on its own. Gone! Another MRI some years later also showed that the tumor was still gone.