Risperdal

Has anyone tried Risperdal to treat schizophrenia? What side effects were experienced? I'm 26 years old, 5'4, weigh 130 pounds, and am physically healthy. Abilify makes me drowsy and affects my memory negatively. I am very sensitive to Abilify and need medications to fight off the side effects. Is it a good idea to try a different medication such as Risperdal? I'm going to see my psychiatrist in two days, but am wanting the opinion of those who've used Risperdal.

I've used both abilify & risperidone but for psychotic depression not schizophrenia. I'll tell you about my experience of risperidone's side effects, but you should remember that everyone is different so, if you want to try risperidone then you should go for it and see how it works for you.

I don't want to put you off, but I found risperidone to be horrible for me. But then I had little problem with abilify so we clearly respond differently to these things. Basically it got rid of the voices but it just kind of put a blanket over everything so that I couldn't think properly and was really sedated to the point that it was obvious to those around me. I was only on 1mg, then dropped to 0.5mg before I had to come off it. Maybe if I'd stuck with it the side effects would have decreased but i couldn't cope with not being able to think; it really freaked me out. However I know lots of people who have had little problem with risperidone and found that it really helps with their psychosis. All they got was a bit sedated so just take it at night.

Hope that helps. See what your pdoc has to say.

*Willow*

I was on risperidone for a week gave up when my left eye started twitching. I'm highly serotonin sensitive though. Like WW23 said everyone is different.

It worked for my psychotic symptoms, which was a tremendous relief to me at the time, but it also caused me to gain a lot of weight (I went up from twelve stone to sixteen ten at my heaviest) and then I started lactating. It caused tingling sensations in my legs and feet, as though I had tiny ants crawling around under my skin, and my pineal gland went into overdrive.

Fortunately they were able to switch me over to another antipsychotic, and I've managed to get my weight back down to fifteen stone. (Still a long way to go). For some people this drug does work, I know a young man who's doing extremely well on it. But be aware of possible side effects when you start. Only you can know how much you're prepared to put up with. I put up with it for about six months till my blood results became worrying, when the doctor switched me to seroquel XL. I was so relieved to have lost the psychotic thoughts, hallucinations, etc, that I'd have put up with an awful lot. But I was obviously very lucky to find a med that has fewer side effects, and is just as affective against my symptoms.

Make sure your doctor takes regular blood tests, and be particular attentive to any swelling in your breasts, or lactation, since that can be a sign of hormones going whacky.

It made me go stiff, i coudnt put my chin down. They had to give me a shot of benadryl to make it go away.

Interesting, stiffness is usually a sign of NMS. Benadryl can be used for serotonin syndrome. I always figured these two syndromes are related to some extent. I hope you recovered from these nasty effects.

I would hypothesise that the risperidone worked 'too well' in that it left RunningEagleRuns with too little dopamine (like in Parkinson's) causing stiffness. This is due to low dopamine compared with acetylcholine. Apparently the Benadryl helps by reducing the acetylcholine, bringing the (low) dopamine back into balance with the (low) acetylcholine, which stops the extra-pyramidal side effects.

As for benadryl treating serotonin syndrome, I dunno? I read it was a very weak ssri thereby possibly increasing serotonin if used with antidepressants, so that sounds counter-intuitive to me

*Willow*

They put me on Risperdal in the hospital when I was experiencing Psychosis. It did the job but left my mind very foggy and made my whole body feel very restless. I'm on Geodon now (for the psychosis and Bipolar) and it works beautifully.

WeepingWillow23 is quite right. Risperidone causes stiffness as one of the extrapyramidal effects treatable by antiparkinsonian agents.

Thanks for the responses, the stiffness is all gone now. It didn't last long. I was at 8mg risperdal when I got the stiffness.

Hi,

I take antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar mania. My psychiatrist informed me that Seroquel is one of the antipsychotic which helps.
Since 2007, I take Seroquel and I found it very helpful for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)that I mostly have!

The problem is that, I face some side effects such as: dizziness the time which I take it and I should drink a coffee which helps to eliminate the dizziness. I also tried to reduce the dosages and I take half dosages in morning and evening hours and almost normal dosage at bed time hours.

I found Seroquel very helpful according to my psychotic disorder with the combination of Zoloft which also helps to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The problem with Seroquel is starting the time I take it and this becomes inconvenient in my social life. I am saying that because the side effects change my mood!

In comparison with Zyprexa, Seroquel is SUPER!!! Recently I have started to try Abilify but from the first day I felt sick and the second day I was vomiting. Then I decided to stop them!


BACK ....TO HISTORY:

I used to take Seroxat but now I replaced them with ZOLOFT (is the new PROZAC)

Stelazine is an old medicine like Haldol and also Anaframil. Basically, all of them were very helpful but Anaframil add many kilos!

What I feel and what I have: I have the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety, Panic Attacks and Psychosis.I do not have a sychophrenia or/ and a bipolar disorter!

Those medicines are use for many situations regardless is if they could treat for example anxiety and they were created to treat sychophrenia! ALL MEDICINES HAVING COMMON USE!

When I started with Stelazine I was in a very bad situation. I was taking also XANAX with EFEXOR XR 150mg and also Stelazine. After when I was getting better, my doctor stop gradually XANAX and Stelazine and he replaced them with ZYPREXA. Then I tried the newer GEODOME which had a bad reflexion to me!

Also I tried Risperdal and Deanxit.

TODAY:

Today, I take ZOLOFT instead of EFEXOR (because EFEXOR had changed my metabolism and I took many kilos). Also ZYPREXA caused damage to my metabolism and my doctor replaced them with SEROQUEL XL.

I already spoke to my doctor and he knows my situation. The problem is the side effects which many endures with !

My doctor sometimes push me in order to use on me a new medicine..... like he did with Geodome long time ago while I stopped the treatment because I could not suffer the Geodome side effects!

Recently, I had the bad experience with the Abilify, then I sent some sms to my doctor and I explained to him how I felt.

I did not get a reply from him but I think he left the ball to me with this way to avoid any pressure on me and suggesting me keep using Abilify little more.

Now, with Seroquel I feel some side effects. Beyond dizziness, I have the feel of sleepiness. I think sleepiness is more intensely and to be more precise, dizziness is far less.

What you suggest in order to improve my life without these side effects? AND MOSTLY ...WHICH Antipsychotic DO YOU SUGGEST to switch in order to reduce MY WEIGHT AND MY BLOATED FACE?