Tried my Risperdone - finally

I'm always scared to take new medication.
Many folks here replied to my message about wanting to know about this drug and because of everyones replies I finally got the courage to try the pill last night.

My Dr. told me to start with 1 pill (they are 0.5mg) and if that didn't PUT ME TO SLEEP than to try taking 2 pills.

The goal for me taking this medicine is to calm the rage and irritability and to help with my sleep.

I was just scared to take the pill...but I did it...and really felt nothing and then I was aggrivated because I hadn't taken my other sedating medication because I wanted to see how this worked "by itself".

I didn't feel much at all....I actually get more drowsy on my Gabapentin. So..as per the Dr (Shaz...lol)....I will be taking 2 pills tonight and today during the day at some point I will be taking 1 pill.

He had told me whatever dose worked at night to put me to sleep to take 1/4 of that dose during the day (trying to calm mood and anxiety).

I'm pleasantly surprised that this pill did not make me feel like crap or much of anything...because now I feel safe taking it and I will be able to take it for more than a few days and maybe there will be some progress in my irritability and rage.

And I took 1 pill this afternoon.
No issues.

Been on this for 5 days I guess...I wanted to look back and see when I started it.

I have only been taking 1.5 mg at night...works well with my Melatonin, Lorazepam and Gabapentin.

But, I am still very distracted....and suffering mania. I hate using that term when I really don't know what it is...or I don't want to identify with it.

I know it is a heightend expression in energy and impulsive behavior..but I can't wrap my mind around the WORD "mania"...I would call it Hyperactivity.

But, everytime I google excessive energy or lack of impulse control. I get refered to pages to learn about mania! And bipolar.

It can take a few weeks for it to start working. It is a good thing you didn't get any side-effects. Those typically happen pretty quickly.

It appears it is going to work for you, for side effects show up right away. Most people dont get side effects. They just have to list any possible ones, and that is why there are so many.

Try and keep it under 2mg to avoid any possibility of side effects. Most of them are dose dependent, but at even higher doses many people still dont get them.

Risperidone is one of the first of the new round of "atypical" antipsychotics. The 1st one was clozapine, which is good for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, but generally not a go to medication for most of us.

At low(ish) doses, risperidone is often quite effective and tolerable. Problems go up with the dosage, and once you go past 4-6mgs/daily or so, problems become much more frequent and much more severe.

I took 4mgs for a while, after being put in a hospital for "mania." It was OK. They made me take the dissolving tablets in the hospital. Tasted minty. Not great, but better than the Haldol they gave me on day 1 (shudder).

Hope things work out well for you. :-)

I think I liked the Haldol...I didn't even know they were giving it to me in the hospital. My b/f said with my new therapist that I should tell them to check with hospital to see what I was on because I was at my best there and when I first came home.

I found out a couple of weeks ago that it was Haldol and my new psychiatrist...rolls his eyes and seems concerned that I was on Haldol and doesn't prescribe that but prescribes this Risperdone.

I'm not feeling ANYTHING on this drug..at 2mg a day....but I've only take it for like 5 days...so maybe I shouldn't feel anything.

Like..I still have the irritability...anger...frustration although I will say it has dropped from a 10 to an 8.

The psychiatrist told me that it would work immediately for those things which is why Im thinking I may need even more...and yea...no side effects .none

Risperidone side effects are no different that the other A-typicals from what i have read. Just a problem with prolactin levels at higher doses. EPS risk is about the same with all A-typicals. In fact the risk for akathisia is higher with abilify and zyprexa. My last hospital visit everyone was on risperidone.

LOL..."My last hospital visit everyone was on risperidone". I don't know why that made me laugh....lol

I remember on my last hospital visit everyone was on Trazadone! And Traz worked for me good...it really messed me up and put me to sleep but the problem was it didn't take very long for it to stop working....and I am mad about that.

I took 4 Risperdone last night at 0.5mg so equals (2mg).

I'm just glad it is working....what do you mean when you say "first round of anti psychotics". And why does it bother me so much that the word "anti psychotic" is the descriptive term for some medications?

There are two primary antipsychotic groups that have come out over years (typical and atypical), with pharmaceutical companies constantly working on more targeted and effective medications, while also looking to mitigate the potential side effects. Medications like Thorazine and Clozapine are some of the older APs (Thorazine was actually the first AP used in the treatment of psychotic illnesses back in the 50's). Meds like Abifity, Latuda, etc are some of the newer atypical variants.

You needn't be bothered by the term "antipsychotic". Many people misunderstand what psychotic/psychosis is and, as a result, a rather negative stigma has developed around it over many years. Psychosis merely describes a mental departure from reality (hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, etc). Nothing more terrible or malevolent. All the term "antipsychotic" describes is a medication targeting psychosis-related illnesses.

Understand though that APs can also be used to help treat other non-psychotic illnesses as well. For example, it's not an uncommon practice for a doctor to prescribe a low-dose antipsychotic as an auxiliary medication for people whose depression has proven treatment resistant with their antidepressant alone.

of, denoting, or suffering from a psychosis.
"a psychotic disturbance"
synonyms: insane, mad, deranged, demented, crazed, psychopathic;

I don't like the word psychotic either ...LOL...as this is the definition:

of, denoting, or suffering from a psychosis.
"a psychotic disturbance"
synonyms: insane, mad, deranged, demented, crazed, psychopathic;

But, thank you for the explanation of terms.

Such "synonyms" are not clinical definitions. Rather, they are words that have been (unfortunately) tied to the term. Many stemming from past stigma and misunderstanding surrounding mental health, leading to people to feel uncomfortable with the word and others who have psychotic illnesses being scared to tell anyone.

I agree with you that these are the reasons I am having such a difficult time accepting the diagnosis I have recieved in the past 2 years and how it impacts not only the way I view myself but how others view me as well.

When someone asked me what kind of medication I was on most recently and I told them the name of the medication "Risperdone" they asked what type of medication it was...I had no other answer but to say an "antipsychotic" and I felt "crazy" when I said it.

Then I was asked if I was prescribed the medication because I was psychotic and asked what that meant. I said I was prescribed the medication for mood swings...and irritability and that I did not believe I was psychotic...but in truth my Dr. has mentioned psychosis to me and I did not mention that part of the equation to the person who was curious about my medication because I honestly already have turned enough people away with my "mental illness" behaviors.

Why not just say your on a neuroleptic. It sounds a lot more sane.

neuro-lep-tic....lol..

I LOVE IT...and now I have to go look it up.