Risperidal

Hi Everyone :-)

I was wondering about experiences anyone has had with the drug Risperidal. I just started taking it a few days ago,1 mg twice a day and it knocks me on my behind! I know the side effects include drowsyness/weakiness and possible fainting but I can't function lke this if its permanent. I'm exhausted,uncordinated,and just plan blah. Does anyone know if this is pemanent or if it will subside as my body gets used to it? I see my doc again in 2 weeks but I wanted to ask people who have taken the drug about these issues. Thanks ;-) O and any weight gain issues?

I gained 3 stone in less than three months. And the weakness was like something I'd never felt before... I really can't describe it. I was so faint that I'd be standing, and just... droop, have to sit down. It's horrible.

The tiredness side effect disipated, so did the weakness, dizziness etc, but every other side effect stayed. I got fat, started lactating, had nightmares, my boobs got huge... My doctor took bloods off me, and my pineal gland was overacting.

It's worth giving it time for your body to get used to it, but you always need to keep track of what's happening. Tell your doctor what's going on, it may be significant, but don't worry. Just be careful.

When I took it it was bad at first but my P changed it so I only took it at night and it helped me sleep and function better the next day. Is that an option for you?

Thank you both for replying. Yes I will be talking with her about the dosing options. For today though I cut the pills in half and took it that way which helped a TON. I'm going to continue to do that for a couple of days then try a whole 1mg again and see what happens. Also do you guys remember how long it took to start seeing results? I was put on it for constant rapid/racing thoughts and ofcourse swinging back to suicidal depression(i didn't ask which type of bipolar i was though). I'm also on Prozc for Bulimia. I'm hoping these meds work since I have no isurance and I'm broke a hell lol . My first option was Geodon because of the weight issue but I couldn't get it in generic for so I'm pretty much stuck with this.

I don't like the fact that I am lactating on it. I am not nursing. I am going to ask for a change when I go to pdoc in two weeks. Sorry I wasn't of more help.

risperidal was the first med described to me at 17 years of age. i dont think it was a well thought out option i took it for the best part of 5 to years. small dose similar to yours for 3 or so years and 6mg i think for the remainder of the time. my personal opinion is it was a waste of time and i only took it to shut my parents up. i did not give me motivation to get better and im certain that the positve mental progress was psycological ie your on meds everythings cool... didnt notice weight gain but suffered sever confusion and indescisiveness.
i will be totally honest in my personal experience my life went downhill with that particular med by its own may i add i never used rispiridal in conjunction with anything else.
so who knows
take care mate

How long have you been on it?

I keep on reading stuff about that wherever I look. How the heck does that start happening? Anyone?

Thanks for the reply. Sorry to hear your your life went down hill when you were taking it. I have had that happen before with Zoloft,made things much worse. I only took it to shut my parents up to ;-)

Clover...Geodon is expensive but for me it has been a true blessing after years of being on the wrong cocktail. My insurance is good but it still costs me $100/month for my scrip of 2x80mg caps per day. There should be a generic form after March 2012 though.

I just wanted to echo that Geodon has been great for me. I have been on it for 5 years and it has relieved my depression and has kept me stable. I am part of the prescription assistance program so I get my medications for a small fee. You may want to check with your local mental health clinic as they may be able to help you get the prescription assistance program. Good luck.

I've been taking Risperdal since July of last year. It has been my saving grace. Yes my boobs grew ( a bit) and yes I started lactating about 4 months into being on it, but for me it's a small price to pay... no more racing thoughts, rage or dare I say, voices?

I guess it all comes down to what you're willing to put up with.
PS. I take 0.5mg AM and PM and noticed that it doesn't knock me out as it used to...

Thank you for the reply. Yes it already helps with my racing thoughts and allways being so energetic(like REALLY energetic haha). The lactating thing 4 months in is interesting,did it ever go away? is it alot?
I have begun cutting the 1mg pills in half and doing the .5 twice a day instead of the 1mg teice a day. Do you think it is alright to cut them in half or do I need to get the whole .5 pill instead?

Sorry, I couldn't quote this properly, but you asked about how lactation kicks in. Well, apparently it happens to men too. In fact, I have a male friend who started lactating on it, and has had to switch his meds as a result. Apparently what causes it is the pineal gland going into overdrive.

Generally, if you start lactating you'll have to come off, though some people, if they're prolactin levels are low enough can take meds to suppress lactation. My levels were high enough you'd have thought I was nursing twins... so they changed my meds and I feel much better.

I was prescribed 0.5mg last Tuesday, I took it Wednesday night and Thursday night and was so blah and out of it so I decided not to take it Friday night and I felt okay on Saturday, I haven't taken it since Thursday night and have been okay. I got a call from my care manager this morning and I told her that I refuse to take it because of the weight gain. She said many people have that problem on it. She said usually the fatigue goes away with time. I have two young kids and do daycare, I need to be able to function and keep up.

The lactating doesn't bug me b/c my boobs don't leak, and are not filled with milk. If I squeeze really hard a few droplets appear
It hasn't gone away, or gotten worse...

I don't see why cutting your pill in 1/2 could be a problem, but you could still check with your pdoc just to be sure...

I was on risperidone/Risperidal when i was a teenager, about 3 or 4mg. I was a zombie. I remember distinctly. My parents asking me to tidy my room or go out with them somewhere and I could hardly move, or think. I was a drooling mess. And I think that's how they wanted me. In the end I used to hide the tablets under my tongue and spit them out after. Horrible experience.

But everyone is different. Different things happen.

Over an 8 year period, I was on geodon and it made me feel great. Nothing has come close to it! But, it made me pass out daily or at least feel like I was going to. I was on Lithium and cried the whole time. Depakote gave me an appeitite that never went away...regardless of how much I ate. Abilify worked well, but would have cost me $504 a month.
So...now Im on Risperidal. It's only been 4 days and I know it's not entirely in my system & working well yet. So far, I've just noticed a drier mouth.
I wish you lots of luck!

I started on risperdal seven years ago at 0.5 mg a day. It knocked me on my butt, too. I was so tired and fatigued. I remember trying to rock climb during the break in phase and it was a farce. The fatigue and long sleeps faded over 3-4 weeks and over the years I have been up titrated to 1mg bid. I've gained about 90 lbs since starting risperdal but part of that was lithium, and part of it was 20 oz Portland beers. I am not sure what it does for me but had to go off it a few days when I ran out and couldn't get a script and I was a complete wreck. I was so tense I could have snapped an iron rod in half with my butt cheeks. On a side note, when I am feeling suicidal I take extra risperdal and some sleep medicine and usually wake up a new man.

As for Geodon, which has had a few plugs in this string, it didn't work for me. I was super sedated on 40mg and a mess with akithisia X 100 on 80mg. These antipsychotics affect people in varied ways and you unfortunately can't pick the right one for you based on our experiences.

I hope you find something that works.