Success with Risperdal?

For years I was taking Lamictal to treat Bipolar Disorder. It seemed to have worked at first, but over time, symptoms started coming back. A couple months ago I received permission from my doctor to discontinue the Lamictal as I had felt it was no longer helping me. Things were going quite well at first, and I thought that maybe I no longer required medication at all. Starting this past June, my mood swings became rapid again, and I found myself contemplating suicide on a daily basis. Turning to my psychiatrist for a solution, he prescribed 1 mg of Risperdal daily. I have done a small amount of research on the medication, and have learned it's an anti-psychotic often used to treat schizophrenia, as well as bipolar disorder. Obviously I am hopeful that this medication will help resolve some symptoms of depression that plague me. Has anyone been prescribed this medication to treat their bipolar disorder? How successful has it been? How long before the effects start to become noticeable? Please let me know.

Hey, there, and welcome! I was on it for a good while for my bipolar, and I recall that it helped. However, that's been a long time ago, and I don't remember the particulars and even why I was switched off of it at some point.

I've been on Risperdal since I was diagnosed 6 years ago. I find it very helpful for mania and psychosis. As far as psychosis went, I noticed a change within 4 days or so, but I was in acute psychosis and to get fully out of it took longer. Not sure of its effects on depression. I had to reduce the dose a few years ago because it was causing hyperprolactinemia (too much prolactin). I'm on 1 mg now as an addon to my other meds and it's working well.

I've been on risperdal for about a year to a year and a half now and it really seems to help. Like Theatrekid said I do find it help with the mania but more importantly the psychosis. I tend to get paranoid delusions and whenever they get bad she ups the risperdal up to 2 mg and it usually works in about a week or less. I think it helps me best being paird with my lamictal, but that's just me.

I've been taking Risperdal for over two years now. When it was first prescribed I was off the wall manic and it started to take effect almost immediately. I actually have been trying to taper off my dosage (4mg) because of some side effects, mostly weight gain. That being said, Risperdal worked wonders for me in controlling my mania but not so much for my depression. I'm on Lamictal, Zoloft and Latuda for the depression.

Thanks for the quick response, guys!

Things were going quite well at first, and I thought that maybe I no longer required medication at all.

I lost count how many times I have seen this on PC. I find that most cases end up having to resume their medication after a series of catastrophes. I am happy to see you have more sense going back to your doctor when you did.

Risperdal seems to be the most effective med for me. It works fast and controls mania, depression, and psychosis. Unfortunately it also caused weight gain, raised prolactin, and reduced sex drive. I'm now on invega, which is a derivative of risperdal. I'm not having as many side effects and it is working very well.

Good med but exacerbated my hand tremor.