Generic Name: Risperdal (risperidone)
Risperdal Reviews
For Autism "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!"
For Bipolar Disorder "Yesterday, I requested an emergency call from my psychiatrist, and she called this pill in because I was in a severe manic episode. I didn’t think it would work, nothing has. Then the insurance didn’t pay for it. I was ready to go to a psych hospital at this point. Luckily, I had a little bit of money, and the pharmacy let me partially fill it because the effects are amazing. Literally stopped my manic episode dead in its tracks, and two hours later, I was feeling amazing! Like I said, I was in such a bad manic episode, and I have extreme anxiety too, so I was literally ready to admit myself into a hospital and just give up on life altogether. But I’m self-employed, own a business, and I’m moving next week, so I really didn’t want to wind up in a hospital or worse in jail for doing something crazy! This drug may have just saved my life altogether!"
For Autism "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."
For Bipolar Disorder "Risperidone has really helped me. I used to be either depressed or manic. My thoughts are clear and my mood is stable now. I would like to mention that I have not gained a single pound on this drug. Always, always, always... take this right before you lay down at night to go to sleep. Take this pill, then lay down and go to bed. That way, you will sleep your way through the munchies. I take it as though it is a sleeping pill and it works for me. I just wanted to share, in hopes that this will help someone else struggling with weight gain."
For Schizophrenia "Risperidone saved my life. Before it, I was suffering from delusions, and I was paranoid all the time. But ever since being put on 2mg, all the delusions have stopped, and I can function like a normal human being. I've had no side effects whatsoever. I was scared of starting risperidone because of all the negative reviews, but it is honestly the best antipsychotic I have tried (and I've tried three). I haven't put on weight, I haven't got an increased appetite, I am not drowsy, I am not lazy or zombie-like, and I am not lactating."
For Autism "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!"
For Bipolar Disorder "I have Bipolar type 1 disorder. I take 1200mg of lithium, 1mg of Risperdal, and 25mg of Quetiapine. When I initially started the Risperdal, it fired me up with the same effects that I've experienced on previous occasions with antidepressants. It also began to mess with my sleeping pattern. For example, I would constantly be waking up two hours before my scheduled time. The good news, however, is that these side effects which I endured were short-lived, and after 3 weeks, they settled down. Any issues that I had previously encountered with regards to psychotic features: Hearing voices and talking to myself excessively, impulsivity, and anxiety all seemed to vanish from the face of my earth."
"This medication literally ruined my life. I used to be outgoing and social, but now I'm just really silent. It makes me feel really depressed and anxious. I lost passion for the things I love like music and writing. I used to study finance, but now I lost my drive to study. I want to know if the side effects go away or if they are permanent. Does it also make anyone else quiet to the point where it ruins your life?"
For Asperger Syndrome "Our son has ADHD and Asperger's and often lost his temper and was irritable. We started him on 0.25 mg of Risperdal each morning for 2 weeks, and he is happy and sleeps better. To see him smiling and happy is worth it."
For Autism "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."
For Autism "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."
For Schizophrenia "I used to hear voices on a daily basis, especially when I was near a fan or running water. The noise turned into words. Since I have been on Risperdal, I have had a significant decrease in the voices to where they are almost gone. If I don't get any sleep or I am really stressed out, the voices come back, so I try to get plenty of sleep and avoid stressful situations. I give Risperdal an A. The first week on Risperdal, I was extremely sleepy. It was really hard to wake up, but now I am fine, and my body has adapted to the medication. You should try it. The peace of mind I get from Risperdal is priceless. I used to think my thoughts were being broadcast out loud, and now my own thoughts are much quieter."
For Asperger Syndrome "My son was given risperidone at age 6. He took it for 2 weeks. He became a blob. Sure, the teachers loved it. He was sweet, not hyper, and easy to manage. The downside? Yeah, he was a blob of a kid just sitting there, dull as can be, and then on his tiny frame, he gained TEN POUNDS IN TWO WEEKS. Two. He couldn't even put his jeans on! OMG. I took him off of it, and he was back to being hyper, laughing, and fun, but annoying. So, suck it up, teachers. He just is what he is. Needless to say, today, a few years later, after ABA therapy and other therapy, he's just fine. Stay away. I also found out that Risperdal causes boys to sprout breasts and lactate. The next psychiatrist we had said NEVER put a boy on that medication… they grow breasts. So yeah, not a good medication for us."
For Bipolar Disorder "I feel calm all of the time. With the exception of some grave disaster, nothing gets me down. I feel normal for the first time. I haven't gained any weight either. Sometimes I do get the munchies. When this happens, I eat a bunch of grapes, celery or fat-free/sugar-free pudding made with fat-free milk. You don't have to gain weight. I gave it a 9 because I don't like how sedating it is."
For Bipolar Disorder "I've tried a lot of different meds, my favorite by far is Lamictal, but it stopped working after 10 years. I started Risperidone a year ago. It makes me calm, I hardly get angry, I have no anxiety, and I have not had an episode since I started it. I feel great on it in general. The downside is that it makes me lazy, I'm so chill now that I'm totally comfortable just sitting on the couch. I feel relaxed and balanced, but without the anxiety, I have no reason to get up and 'run it off'. The biggest and worst issue I have with it is the damn weight gain. I've always been super fit and thin, but now I have a belly that I just can't get rid of. If it didn't work so well for my mood, I would get off of it immediately to lose my weight. I would still recommend it and I won't be stopping it anytime soon."
For Bipolar Disorder "Risperdal saved my life. I was hospitalized two times with psychosis, and this is what they gave me. It took a few weeks to really kick in. At first, I was tired. I have been on the medication for almost five years now. I am able to live a normal life, although I still have some depression. I take 4 mg of Risperdal, which I just increased from 3 mg because at times I would have mild hallucinations or delusions when tired or the like. They are almost non-existent now, really just coming on if I have caffeine. I did gain weight, but not meaningfully so. The trick is to watch your calories and exercise as much as possible. I would recommend trying this for severe psychosis. I also take 600 mg of lithium, which seems to help my mood. I like to think that the lithium helps protect the brain from the damage Risperdal can cause. Without Risperdal, I wouldn't be here by now. Every day is a blessing and a gift!"
For Bipolar Disorder "This has to be the best medication (at least for me) for bipolar disorder, paranoia, and anxiety. I have had bipolar episodes since my teens, now in my 30s, and every time I have a bipolar episode, this medication almost works instantly. What I mean by works instantly is it snaps me out of my mania and unwanted thoughts quickly. It does take a few weeks to work fully, but if you are someone who suffers from bad mania, this is the right medication for you. Luckily, I did not experience bad side effects from this medication. I have had some muscle stiffness in my neck, some twitching and muscle spasms, and slight weight gain. Also, my menstrual cycle was thrown off. Additionally, it helped my somatic symptoms, and I was able to live my life again. A+++med"
For Autism "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."
For Autism "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."
For Autism "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."
For Autism "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?"
For Bipolar Disorder "Risperdal was the first medication I ever tried for my bipolar type one, and it was awful. They started me out on 8 mg, which is unusually high, it kept me from being manic or depressed, but also completely stopped me from being able to feel any emotion. I was a zombie. I honestly felt like if my best friend died, I'd feel absolutely nothing, it was that bad. Would not recommend. My current psychiatrist also says she hates Risperdal, if that helps any."
For Bipolar Disorder "This medicine is the best thing that ever happened to me. I had tried several medicines over the years and nothing helped what I thought was stress and anxiety. After I had my baby at 27, I thought I was worse than ever and assumed I had postpartum depression. I was surprised to be diagnosed as bipolar. The medicine worked right away, and I have never been happier. I am a better person, mother, and wife now."
For Bipolar Disorder "I've never had anything that helped my extreme anger and irritability. This has. I've had very minimal side effects. I finally feel 'normal' after being on fifteen different medicines over the duration of ten years."
For Schizophrenia "I was admitted to the hospital and prescribed Risperdal. I recently went from 3 mg to 2 mg. I've been having really bad swallowing issues on this med, and we're hoping the lower dose helps with this. Otherwise, a great medicine for me. I've been active in the community and able to control some of my unusual thoughts. I would recommend this medication, but be cautious of the side effects. I've been on the med for 2 years now. I gained 40 lbs and remarkably, I was able to lose 50 lbs since starting Risperdal."
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- Autism
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