Risperdal...a risky drug?

****Sharita said "I took risperdal involuntary for a month at 18, 15mg, it's the only drug that I refused to take again. I felt like a zombie. It took so much of my energy to walk, eat, and talk. My family couldn't understand me when they came to visit me because my speech was extremely slurred. I also lost 40 pounds and that's the only reason why I was taken off, because it became a danger to my health, physically. I don't remember twitching, but then again I slept most of the time. "

my patient was like a new person when we took her off.

greenleaves, antipsychotic drugs scare me and i'd find out WHY your doc gave it to you. i seriously doubt that it was because he wants you to die. xoxox

Please be careful with Risperdal. I took it for awhile and it really helped. BUT!!! One of the "bad" side effects is that your brain starts to make prolactin which can be dangerous. My levels (0 is normal) went way up within a month and had to be taken off immediately. Blood tests 2 weeks later showed the levels were at zero.

Just be careful and always speak with your dr before doing anything!

I also took Risperdal. And I usually take a lower dose of all med than alot of people.
Risperdal did help me with paranoia. It made me feel nothing, just dead. I wanted off it and had to go back on later and it did not work the same. I felt bursts of anger that scared me. That didn't make sense to me. I don't want antipsychotic drugs anymore. Not saying no one should take them if you are in a bad way. It is just how I feel personally.

I was on Risperdal for a short time. It was supposed to help "racing thoughts," but it didn't help me, and like you, RitaMontreal, it made me feel numb. I've found that all psych drugs make me feel numb to some degree. I'm getting off them completely, and I feel passion coming back--things I'd lost interest in, things I cared about, wanting to be active in life--it's all coming back. I didn't realize for a long time that the drugs did that to me, because I still cared about the issues I always had, but I'd lost the passion. I don't know how to explain to others for them to understand the difference, but I know what I feel, and that's good enough for me.

I dunno if it is Risperdal itself, (probably not), but I'm experiencing a significant lack of motivation to do things. I'm not depressed anymore, but I still can't seem to start things.

My p-doc told me that I don't need to be on the Risperdal for long. I think it was given to me because of my crises.

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Please be careful with Risperdal. I took it for awhile and it really helped. BUT!!! One of the "bad" side effects is that your brain starts to make prolactin which can be dangerous. My levels (0 is normal) went way up within a month and had to be taken off immediately. Blood tests 2 weeks later showed the levels were at zero.

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I think one of the indicators of increased prolactin is supposed to be breast pain. I haven't experienced any of that, so I'm guessing that my prolactin levels are OK.

How did you notice that your prolactin levels where up?

Lou

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How did you notice that your prolactin levels where up?

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Yikes, I keep typing the wrong words. I wonder if this can be a side effect of Risperdal...

Maven,
I wish I could stop taking all meds, as you said. FOR ME, taking antipsychotics is like having a lobotomy. I want to feel something, at least. I am glad you are feeling the passion again and I do understand what you mean...

Yeah, it's hard to know what to do. On the one hand, the pills (whatever you take) might be making you feel better in terms of thoughts, emotions, behaviors, etc., but on the other hand, there's a sacrifice, and you have to determine if it's worth it. I don't think it's fair for others to pressure those with mental illness (with certain exceptions, like if you're dangerous to society or something) to take meds, when they don't know how these meds make you feel. Even others who take them don't necessarily understand, because everyone is affected differently, different things are important to different people, and like I said, I didn't realize some of the differences they had made in me for a long time.

When I first started dealing with depression, my insurance sent me to UCLA's psych hospital for evaluation. The pdoc there prescribed respiredal. I took it at night & the next morning when I got up for breakfast I passed out & that reaction continued for the rest of the day. They had only given me a baby amount & wham. That was the start of realizing how sensitive I am to all the psych meds.

Everyone reacts differently.
Debbie

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I took it at night & the next morning when I got up for breakfast I passed out & that reaction continued for the rest of the day. They had only given me a baby amount & wham. That was the start of realizing how sensitive I am to all the psych meds.

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Wow, that's scary...passing out. I think that's one of the side effects listed in the monograph...postural hypo-tension.

I'm taking 0.75 mg Risperdal at nighttime and I haven't noticed any side effects at all. I don't notice any side effects from taking 60 mg Celexa either. It's like I'm taking vitamins. People sure are different reacting to psych meds.

billie fell and always cut herself, the morning after she had taken risperdal. OR, she got up during the night and fell. she was a complete zombie on risperdal.

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Greenleaves said:

I'm taking 0.75 mg Risperdal at nighttime and I haven't noticed any side effects at all. I don't notice any side effects from taking 60 mg Celexa either. It's like I'm taking vitamins. People sure are different reacting to psych meds.

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I'm glad you're not experiencing any negative effects. That's great!

gg

I really wish everyone using these drugs the best of luck with them, but I'm trying to live life without them.

Maven,

I am living my life without them too......there isn't an antidepressant I can take without a bad effect. I have been using seroquel however to keep the nightmares away.....it does knock me out & I feel lousy the next morning....but once I get going, the icky feel goes away & I can function again.

I must say that it does knock me out....but I am not able to sleep without nightmares & flashbacks in the inbetween (sleep & awake) without it.....so being knocked out is a good thing.

Debbie

I don't think I was on Seroquel...I've been on so many of them, there's two or three I might not remember.

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I have been using seroquel however to keep the nightmares away.....it does knock me out & I feel lousy the next morning....but once I get going, the icky feel goes away & I can function again.

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After reading this thread, I checked all my meds to see if any were antipsychotics and, sure enough, Seroquel is. My pdoc asked how I was sleeping and I told him I have insomnia without a sleeping pill but the one he keeps me on (Restoril) I seemed to have built up a resistance to. That visit he put me on 25 mg of Seroquel plus the Restoril. Next visit I said it was a bit better but I was having nightmares. He said to take 2 (50 mg) of the Seroquels at night plus the Restoril (30 mg). That usually gives me a good night's sleep.

I was wondering if anyone else had been put on Seroquel for sleeping and if I'm taking 2 per night, how hard would it be to come off of them?