Generic Name: Risperdal for Autism (risperidone)
Risperdal for Autism Reviews
"My son is almost 4. He is autistic, and his violent rage got completely out of control. His pediatrician prescribed Risperidone for him about a week ago, and so far, the results have been mind-blowing. He is on 1 mL once daily. He has had minimal side effects (tremors, fatigue), however, the aggression, outbursts, meltdowns, and violence have ceased completely. He is also non-verbal, and I do not know if this medicine is a contributing factor, but in the last week alone, my son has started repeating words and even sang his ABC's out of nowhere. This has been a godsend for us!"
"My son was on risperidone at 4 years old for aggression associated with Autism. This medication has changed his life. No more aggression and very happy. He is now 8 and doing great. We did attempt to take him off to see if he still needed the medication at age 7 and all his past behaviors, hitting, kicking, swearing, crying came back immediately. With my son, we could not miss a dose and has to be given at the same time each day. He is now on 3x per day 0.5 given at school by nurse for afternoons. He has had no major side effects. He is very tall and very skinny. When he first got on the medication he became overweight, we changed his diet to more fruit and protein and the weight came off quickly. Highly recommend this medication."
"My son became aggressive when he hit puberty (age 11), so the psychiatrist put him on this. For the first 2 months I was happy with the results. But his aggression started increasing, and he became extremely aggressive over the next year. His psychiatrist attributed it to rising male hormones and kept increasing the dosage, until my son was on 8 mg/day. I finally had to have my son hospitalized, as he was a danger to me and others. I was fed up, so I changed psychiatrists. She prescribed Abilify, but it took weeks to wean my son off the Risperdal. However, once he was off it, he became the lovely boy he used to be. Every child is different, so keep that in mind!"
"I was given this horrific drug, Risperdal, at 14 years old because my anger was out of control. I had an eating disorder and gained over 20 pounds in 2 or 3 weeks despite starving myself. The weight kept piling on. I was very uncomfortable and couldn't get used to it. It makes me angry that mentally ill people are expected to just live with the uncontrollable weight gain for the sake of mental health. I felt like I was constantly in a fog. I could barely understand or react to anything anyone was saying, I had uncontrollable jerky tics. My night terrors got way worse. I fought my parents tooth and nail to get off this drug. They tried to hide it in my food and drinks, but I saw pieces and grinds of it every time. After a few weeks, I stopped taking it. I found out later the tics and movement problems can be permanent if you stay on these types of drugs for long. I'm not sure how long though. Doctors kept trying to push anti-psychotics on me, and I flat-out refused."
"My 4-year-old takes 0.5 mg dissolvable tablets twice a day. It has helped a little with sleep, but more with aggression. The pharmacy changed it to an off-name brand, his aggression got three times worse. His doctor switched it to the name brand, and he was back to normal. I was told that this is common with some off brands. We can't believe there's that big a difference."
"I have recently started my 25-year-old son with autism on Risperdal. He has taken it when he was 13, but due to the combination of antidepressants and no improvement in his violent behavior, we stopped. However, he did improve verbally. After he refused to take antidepressants after 9 months of treatment with improvement made, he deteriorated over the next 7 months. We insisted he try Risperdal, immediate improvement. 3 weeks in, and he is more verbal and calmer with no more aggression. He is sweet and happier again."
"Honestly, this medication was awful, and the doctor who prescribed it failed to mention that it made it impossible to think. I think it's abusive to give this medication out for people who are not schizophrenic. It's just another way for people to take away autonomy and to force us autistic people into harmful therapies that deny us our humanity."
"This drug changed my life. It turned down my emotions just enough (I'm on 0.5mg) that I could actually function in normal society. Thanks to it, I am now in college (when I was diagnosed at 16, I was failing half my courses) and doing phenomenally well. I can't say this will work for everyone, but I must say it's exactly what I needed. Thank you Janssen Pharmaceutical, you have given me a future."
"I have grown breasts from this pill. I swear if they don't take me off this, I'm gonna cry. I take a 10 mg tablet, and my chest size has grown, and I'm skinny. I'm only 18. Why can’t autism be more important for researching a cure than cancer?"
"My son is high-functioning autistic. His behavior specialist recommended Risperdal 0.05 mg daily for my son for aggression and violent outbursts. After being on it for a week, we noticed that he is much calmer. We have noticed some side effects such as hyper attentiveness, nightmares, muscle spasms, and itchiness."
"My daughter, 9, HF Autism level 1.5, severe ADHD, and sensory disorder. She was medicated with Ritalin, which did not help her concentration, but did help her sit longer in a chair. Her negative behavior did not change. She was given 0.3 mg Risperdal drops, and we were able to redirect her violent episodes easier. But still, was not helpful enough. With 0.25 Risperdal drops in the morning and again 0.25 at 4 or 5 in the evening changed her violence to tears (big improvement). She is now able to cry from her frustration. We are then able to redirect her thinking to a happier place. Thankful, she has had absolutely no side effects. Since taking Risperdal, she is functioning better in school and is able to listen to directions better. She is also more verbal on this dose. She has begun to ask for it when she enters the negative moods, which happen morning and evening before her scheduled dose."
"My daughter has been on this for several years (started at 0.25mg, worked up to 0.5mg 2x a day) to help with mood/emotion, and to help her move past things when she gets emotionally 'stuck' and there were times when I thought it wasn't really doing much. Then I couldn't get it refilled for a couple days, so she didn't have any before school. They noticed something was different. They called me to ask if there had been a medicine change. Sometimes, you think it isn't working, but at home, things are different than at school. No weight issues: 5', 98lbs."
"I have such a love-hate relationship with Risperdal. It helped us during a time when my son was in crisis (has OCD), but the thing is, it loses its effectiveness, and we are constantly having to increase or keep him where he is even though it’s not working because weaning off the med is so awful. Honestly, I don’t think the side effects and nightmare of trying to get off this med are worth it, in my opinion."
"My son is autistic, he is 10 years old. My son's doctor recommended Risperdal for him because of his aggressive behaviors. After 3 months on the medication, he has been more agitated, and he put on 15 pounds. So the doctor wants to increase the medicine. I will not be doing this increased."
"At 0.5 mg, it made my mood swings and overall irritability a lot less chaotic and more manageable. It made me able to think about what I'm feeling and why. It's not perfect, but it's a huge aid. For me, it had certain drawbacks, like slight weight gain and oversleeping, which made me look for other options."
"My son has high-functioning autism, and the doctor prescribed this medication for outbursts and agitation. It did the exact opposite. He became more aggressive and physically abusive to the point that he could no longer go to school and learn anything else. It took time to gradually take him off the medication, and once we did, he was so much better. An ADHD medication worked much better."
"My high-functioning autistic son was placed on this medication to help control his anger and aggression. Instead, it has made him worse. The only positive effect of this medication is that it helps him sleep past 5 a.m. His anger, aggression, and impulsiveness are just out of control. He was then put on Vyvanse to help with ADHD, and there are no changes worth noting."
"This medication was given to my son by an ARNP who swears by it. My son cries for no reason, does not help him sleep but makes him eat like a bear, and he is argumentative about everything whenever he takes this. He needs help sleeping, but there has got to be something else more effective for him with fewer side effects."
"My son took this drug for a few years, and I was told he would have 'mild' weight gain. 40 pounds later, we had to take him off of it because the weight gain was compromising his overall health. I can't really say I noticed a big difference while on it anyway."
"My son was put on 0.25 mg when he was just 4 years old. It has helped him, but he is weighing 72 lbs (now 7 years old), and his sugar is up. Now we are on the hunt for a replacement. At least it helped us for 3 years. My son has PDD."
"I found out a year ago that my high functioning autism son had Asperger. He was put on Risperdal. After about 10 months, I found out the doctor should have been doing blood work to test his prolactin level. His levels should have been between 2.8 and 5.8. His was 55.9. His doctor told me this was okay and not to worry until it got up to 1000 or higher. We tried other medications, but nothing seemed to help like the Risperdal. So he is back on the Risperdal. It does not have the same effect in girls that it does in boys."
"My son was put on Risperidone when he was three and a half years old. It has helped him some, but he is still extremely aggressive and would take off running out into the road and parking lots. So, his psychiatrist said he had to put him in the psych ward to try new medicine. They upped his Risperidone to 0.50 mg twice a day and added Depakene 205 mg twice a day. He's still very aggressive and out of control and moody. He's only 5, and in 12 more inches, he's going to be as tall as me."
"Awful. Took it for 4 months. Doctor justified giving me this drug after I had a mere hx of “instructive thoughts”. It made me throw up when it hit my system. It made me shake. It took away my motivation for several years. It made me gain 50 lbs that I struggle to lose. Made me have mood swings and my first ever psychotic episode. When it “ran out” it unlocked a whole new level of anxiety I never experienced before. Drove me to insomnia and I struggle to sleep without an anti-psychotic since. Had to drink several red bulls and smoke cigarettes just to function. Since I’ve been off the meds, I don’t need cigs or Red Bulls. Have been nicotine 3 for three years! Screw this horrible drug. Made me hyperventilate when walking. Caused me to have circulatory problems, breast-like growths and gout. All improved when I got off this medicine."
"I have no actual experience yet. My son is 4 years old, and the first specialist we have seen now wants to give him 0.15 mg a day. My son is very attentive, very busy, hyperactive at times, struggles a bit with emotional control, especially frustration, and when other kids don't play the way he wants. There is occasional hitting, more like shoving, but nothing I would call a violent outburst. Diagnosed as HF autism. The reason I am posting here is the reviews are really split down the middle and would be very interesting to see if anyone updates their review, what the children's blood types are, and if that has a role to play in how they respond to risperidone."
"Helped with the behaviors, but the side effects were swollen throat, heavy feeling in limbs, facial tics, hearing voices. Be careful and monitor your child closely if your child is on this medication."
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