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Hello everyone! So, this is more exploratory than anything. I accept that, as someone with bipolar disorder, taking an antipsychotic might be a necessary part of my maintenance treatment, and lately that has become more evident. I had been taking Rexulti (brexpiprazole) in varying doses since 2017 when I started it with Depakote ER (divalproex, 24-hour) and Trintellix (vortioxetine). Still taking the Depakote (now up to 1500mg), but Trintellix and Rexulti have worked their way out of the equation, as of late. My medication regimen has taken a more classical turn due to a breakthrough hypomanic episode in Dec./Jan., and I am currently taking a combo of Depakote ER at night along with 0.5mg of Risperdal (risperidone). Because of persistent issues with depression and anxiety, I am also now taking 50mg of Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) each morning along with 50mg of Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine) for ADHD that I have been taking for some time. This combo seems to be working fairly well for me. When I started the Risperdal at 0.25mg/day at bedtime, I didn't really notice much difference at all during the day, but I suppose it was nice as a sleep aid. I increased to 0.5mg on Day 4 and I've parked here to try it out for a bit before deciding to increase further. The Risperdal is really to deal with those breakthrough hypomanic/mixed symptoms such as irritability and agitation, which have always been tough for me. In the beginning of my treatment (2014), antipsychotics were used as monotherapy for mood stabilization, but I could never tolerate the doses necessary to calm those symptoms, because I was easily susceptible to EPS like akathisia. Fast-forward a few years, and we've found that using an anticonvulsant as the primary mood stabilizer with the antipsychotic as a secondary has generally served me well without too much incidence of akathisia. I started Risperdal on June 8th and increased to 0.5mg a few days afterward. So it's been almost 3 weeks at this dose. My experience so far tells me to keep increasing. I'm curious to know people's experiences on Risperdal, particularly in combination with another established mood stabilizing agent like lithium or valproate. I recognize that I take Depakote and that a combo of lithium+Risperdal may not be the same, but the mood stabilizing effects of lithium and valproate are generally regarded with equal respect in most literature for the time being. Any thoughts on lower dose Risperdal?....particularly in concert with another mood stabilizer?

*Disclaimer: I am not here to provide professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to any individual. I am just providing my own experience for educational purposes only. This is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. My Method 1. Began taking time release 5-htp (you can find Natrol time release 5 htp 200mg on Amazon). Once in the morning and once in the evening. A side effect is possible GI (gut) disturbance (aka diarrhea). That never happened to me but I figured I would just take once before bed if that was the case. (see below for my reasoning) 2. Lowered my dose of risperidone from 3mg to 0.5mg. I went down 0.5mg every week. So week one I went down to 2.5mg, then the next 2mg then the next 1.5mg then 1mg the next and finally 0.5 mg. It's hard to actually do this but if one can crush it and weigh it that would be best but to tell you the truth I just eyeballed it and nibbled the tablet like a squirrel until I figured it was the right amount. Like you can break a 3mg into two 1.5's and a 1mg into two 0.5's. So yeah anyways hopefully you get the point. I got to 0.5mg and then I took 0.25mg every day for the last week and then stopped. I did have a night or two of restlessness and sweating profusely but I would just take a pinch of risperdone, almost like licking it or nibling an extremely small portion to the likes of 0.1mg. And then it all went away. I continued 5-HTP for the next month and then stopped. The 5-HTP saved my life because the withdrawals were nowhere close to as bad as they should have been. It even made me a lot happier than normal and I even lost a little weight because it makes you less hungry. 3. Ran for 5-10 mins preferably outside once a day. I didn't over do it or I wouldn't feel like doing it the next day. I couldn't run outside sometimes because of a heavy snowfall so I bought a jump rope from walmart and did it at home. (see my explanation below) 4. Ate a bag of crisp green garden salad, the crunchy type. At least once a day. (see my explanation below) 5. Took 1000IU Vitamin D every morning. Made sure it's an oil soft gel and not a tablet since it's a fat soluble vitamin and will be absorbed better. (see explanation below) 6. Changed my psychology. I can do everything for my body but I also needed my mind to be on the right track. Because when I put good stuff in my body good stuff started happening but I also needed to dump good thoughts in my head so good thoughts would come out. So I went on amazon and searched for self help books. Sometimes I would buy the book or I would get the audiobook if I just wanted to chill and listen but it helped me change the way I thought. I also used abebooks.com because they have super super cheap prices sometimes. 7. Refrained from masturbation. (see below for explanation) 8. I ate good fats (it won't make you fat) and protein. I ate lot's of mixed nuts and avocado and drank almond milk with peanut butter (since I'm not allergic) for fats and protein bars and brown rice with lentil soup for protein. This gave me incredible energy and stamina. My Recovery I did push ups every day and ate protein bars. Dr. Daniel Amen in his book Change your Brain Change your Life emphasizes the use of protein for brain recovery and I can attest to the miracles it has done for me. Since there are only three building blocks of humans which are carbs, proteins and fats I realized I was getting carbs but proteins and fats were lacking which are really important for brain function. I also drank a ton of water because that allows your body to rehydrate after the protein intake. I also put a small squeezed slice of a lemon (an actual lemon, not lemon juice) in the water. This is both slimming and allows you to drink a lot of water because it reduces stomach acid and thus heartburn so you don't feel like food is sitting in your esophagus. Dr. John Ratey of Harvard wrote a book called Spark which emphasizes the importance of aerobic exercise aka running, which is why I try to run in the morning after breakfast or at least jump rope if there's snow outside. He says it is important to brain function, as well as new vessel formation within the brain and one interesting example he discussed was a school in Naperville who were required to do a short intense run first thing in the morning before beginning class and they ended up performing the best in the world on standardized testing, not just within the US, but compared to other nations as well. There are other variables at play of course but for the most part the school was considered average before beginning the program. Dr. David Perlmutter in his book Brain Maker discusses our gut flora which is the bacteria inside our bodies. There are good ones and bad ones but the good ones grow and help us when we feed them. And the good ones eat fiber. You can take a probiotic but an even better way is with fresh produce. I personally have found that eating a bag of garden salad, the crunchy kind that comes with some carrots and cabbage is the best. (btw this is an amazing underground hangover cure) I feel rejuvinated and bowel movements are much better especially with the addition of bananas. Dr. Perlmutter estimates that about 90% of illness arises from the gut which is incredible. 90% of the time people have something wrong with them it's because they're not putting the right stuff in their tummy. He says that the bacteria actually "talk to us" by releasing chemicals in our gut that communicate with our vagus nerve and make us feel good if they are coming from good bacteria. Lastly I take vitamin D 1000IU in the morning. I didn't notice it immediately but within a few days I did. I find this especially good in the winter since I tend to get more sad in the winter. Maybe it's seasonal affective disorder (SAD) maybe not but I know it helps a lot. It's very subtle but it works and there is a ginormous amount of evidence to back the supplementation of vitamin D. Also there is a growing amount of evidence regarding the silent epidemic that is sweeping the world which is porn addiction. Scientifically speaking masturbation lowers testosterone (in men), lowers dopamine and basically slowly ruins your life. However real sex in moderation is good because you actually increase your testosterone unless you over do it to the point that you are tired. So when you climax you burn out your dopamine receptors similar to the way someone does when they smoke a lot of weed. In order to rebuild your dopamine receptors one must exercise (run) and refrain from masturbation. Also, when one climaxes watching porn they think that they are being rewarded with actual sex and the brain builds an actual pathway that says "if I go on the internet and do this this is good for me." You don't realize it but it's all happening subconsciously which is why many women and men wonder why and feel guilt once they've already done the deed. Refer to the book Your brain on porn for more details. One more thing, sleep more than anything else is the most most most important thing. If there is a bright screen in front of ones face before bed or they've masturbated just before bed their whole sleep pattern is disturbed. I find chamomile tea helps but I need to research this more. I do know that otc sleep aids like diphenhydramine and doxylamine are horrible because they make you sleep longer but they kill your REM sleep which is the golden part of your sleep that makes you feel rested. Anyways now I'm a third year medical student so I figure things are working for the better. One major thing I've learned is balance in that I used to think if I do a lot of one thing or ingest a lot of one thing all at once it will change me all of a sudden, which is not true, it just throws you out of balance. It's better in my opinion to do a little bit everyday of exercise for example so you still have energy the next day and the day after to do more exercise and to take a little bit of a supplement for example vitamin d so that you don't have side effects from long term use because your body is not chalk full of stuff when you wake up the next morning. My Background I was diagnosed with marijuana-induced psychosis following approximately 10 years of smoking after college when I began to become extremely paranoid and began to have various visual and auditory hallucinations. My psychiatrist moved me up gradually to 3mg and I remained at this dose once before bed for about 5 years. I gained weight. I had a blunted affect (medical term for severe reduction in ability to show emotion on your face). When I looked at people I couldn't show the full range of emotions I had originally shown. I got man boobs (which a result of excess prolactin from the dopamine inhibition). I tried numerous times to quit with no luck at all. I would shake and sweat and the paranoia and worry and sadness would come back so I quickly returned to risperidone. I do have to say though that the one advantage was that I had a regular sleeping schedule because I knew the risperidone would knock me out within half an hour of taking it. I would wake up extremely late though and miss classes and my interaction with people was dismal. I burned out my dopamine receptors from smoking and then the risperdone shut down the whole dopamine system so I could recover but I also lost all motivation. Hence I researched and found out that risperdone mostly blocks your serotonin (5-HT) and dopamine (it's called a receptor antagonist). It also blocks your alpha receptors somewhat and has a minor effect on histamine receptors. But the most important in my scenario were the dopamine (aka motivation/drive) and serotonin (aka happiness). The worst thing about the withdrawals was that I felt sad and alone and anxious and it wouldn't go away so I reverted back to risperidone all over again. Thus I used 5-HTP which is basically serotonin in a pill. However the instant release is fast acting and can also cause much more GI (gut) disturbance so it's better to use time release so it slowly releases over the period of the day and night.

So about 3 weeks ago i wen't to the doctor because i was suffering from OCD and had enough, so he prescribed me Risperdal. It caused me to feel sick, tired and not myself and I had NO libido while taking it. I used to be able to get hard at just a thought, now it doesn't work at all .... iT'S MAKING ME EXTREMELY Worried ! I've been only on it 3 weeks and I went back to the doctor and he said it's a side effect and got him to take me off it. My question is, am i screwed now for life, also since being off the tablets for 3 days now i have bad guilty feeling in my stomach, like a deep pit and i get sick when i eat and have diarrhea.

I've asked this question already but it's been another day and still nothing changed So about 3 weeks ago i wen't to the doctor because i was suffering from OCD and had enough, so he prescribed me Risperdal. It caused me to feel sick, tired and not myself and I had NO libido while taking it. I used to be able to get hard at just a thought, now it doesn't work at all .... iT'S MAKING ME EXTREMELY Worried ! I've been only on it 3 weeks and I went back to the doctor and he said it's a side effect and got him to take me off it. My question is, am i screwed now for life, also since being off the tablets for 4 days now i have bad guilty feeling in my stomach, like a deep pit and i get sick when i eat and have diarrhea.

I'm currently on the lowest dose of Risperdal for severe OCD. Not long after I started taking it, I nearly fainted in class and had to go home for the day. The dizziness came on very quickly, and my vision started to turn black (to put it simply. The effect is hard to describe) I could hardly hear what people were saying, and the event lasted for a very short amount of time. I felt nauseous, and my stomach was in a lot of pain. Is this a common side effect of Risperdal (assuming it was caused by this particular drug)? If so, has anybody else had a similar experience with this medication?

Ok, so I've had PTSD since 2007 when I was still in the Air Force. My meds just aren't working right to me, and I'm having side effects from one of them. I'm on 1000mg Depakote ER, Cymbalta (I forget how much), and 3mg Risperadone (Risperdal). I was taking 750mg of Depakote and 6mg of Risperadone until recently...we're trying to take me off the Risperadone, so the pdoc is upping the Depakote. I see *a* pdoc in the afternoon (my normal pdoc had to cancel and I wasn't waiting until June to talk to someone...I don't like my experiences with the VA for the most part). Anyway, so the plan is to take me off the Risperadone, but I have a major concern...I'm already getting really, really irritable! I haven't really been getting *more* angry, but I still get really angry more often than I'd like. But the irritability is driving me nuts and feels like it's getting out of control, and I'm afraid it's starting to interfere with my work, and I work in a call center and they record and listen to the calls... I also have issues regarding the Depakote. I kinda need to stay on the Depakote because it supposedly helps with my migraines too (which are getting to the point where I'm getting ready to go back on Botox again), so coming off of it and switching to something different may not be an option...I'd want my pdoc to confer with my neurologist before making that decision so they can both make arrangements and changes if necessary. Anyway, I also have narcolepsy. The last time I was on 1000mg of Depakote I almost drove through a bush in the middle of someone's yard. Granted, I wasn't on the stimulant I'm currently taking back then (Nuvigil). But I have concerns that it could make me drowsy again. But like I can take percocet and benedryl and be wide awake, so who knows...I don't normally take pain meds, just when I get kidney stones, but when I do I have to take benedryl because it makes me itch. I'll let you know what the pdoc says tomorrow, but I'd love some input on ideas I can discuss with the pdoc on my next visit. I need something for irritability, depression, and anger (preferably no more than 2 meds), and if one of them could help with migraines too (like Depakote) that would be great...

Hi all, I'm just wondering if anyone who gained weight after initial treatment with Risperdal managed to successfully make it back to their baseline while still on the medication. I'm on Weight Watchers at the moment and so far I have taken off a couple of kilograms, but I'm concerned that the effects of risperidone on metabolism etc will cause me to plateau and ultimately put the weight back on. If you did have success with weight loss, it would be great if you could share any methods / techniques / dietary regimens / exercise programs you used (but obviously not in too much detail). Also, if you managed to lose weight on Olanzipine (Zyprexa) I would be just as interested, as it seems to have the same effects with weight gain as Risperdal. Cheers.

Hello all, So a year ago, let's just say I was... not well, and after a million drugs that didn't work, the doctor put me on Risperdal. For me, it is a miracle drug. No other medicine had ever made the slightest difference, but after taking Risperdal everything changed and I could live my life. I desperately don't want to give it up. That's why I was horrified when a few weeks ago I woke up in the morning with a milk stain on my shirt. The lactation has continued and I am female so it could be worse (I would hate to be a man and have this happen) but it still freaks me out. The doctor checked my prolactin level and I'm at 157, when normal is less than 23 and a breastfeeding woman's is like 100. I'm wondering if anyone else has ever been through this and been able to stop the lactation without stopping the Risperdal? The gynecologist said she could talk to her endocrinologist about a drug to stop the lactating, but she didn't want to do it if I didn't insist because it was just adding medication on top of medication. So I didn't insist. I read about it and I heard that mint and sage can dry up people's milk supply so I've been consuming lots of them, but so far it hasn't worked for me. I'm wondering if they work by making the body stop producing prolactin, which my body isn't, instead of countering the prolactin I'm getting through the Risperdal. Is there any other kind of herb or home remedy that anyone has had success with? At this point I'm ready to just lactate for life if it means I don't have to change medications, but if there were a way to stop the lactation and stay on Risperdal, that would be even better. Thanks in advance for any insight you guys can offer! Helen

I started Risperdal some years ago when I was depressed and psychotic. I was on 2 mg for years. About one year ago my doctor switched me to 1 mg. I started getting a lot of persistent self harm thoughts but not really psychotic but he put it back up to 2 and the thoughts stopped. About 6 months ago we tried going back down to 1 mg and this time it was fine. A few days ago he put me on .5 mg, he really wants me off it. He said there could be problems if used long term. Now I am having a shitty day feeling really anxious and having self harm thoughts. I am wondering if this could be part of withdrawal and will go away. I know I need to talk to the doctor, but he won't be in the office till Wed. Did anyone here have any problems weening off Risperdal?

Hello - I am in desperate need of help/answers/advice from anyone with experience with Risperdal. About 9 months ago a crime was committed against me. Over the course of the next few weeks I was receiving little help from the police and was very outspoken about my disgust with the department. About 2 months in, I texted some pretty accusatory things about the police and it was brought to their attention the next day. I was out walking a dog with a friend that day and when we got back to the house 2 cops arrived saying they needed to "take me to the hospital". I asked what for and said I was fine. They said I sent some texts that raised concern about my wellbeing and I need to be "checked out". They also said I'd be back in an hour. I went willingly with just the clothes on my back. I'll gloss over the ER part (where I was calm). I did overhear the one cop say to the other before departing "she needs some boundaries set for her". Needless to say I ended up getting sent to a psych ward in spite of my story being true. I was calm at the next place as well in the population but when I saw the doctor my speech was rapid and passionate. I WAS the victim of a crime and what I said about the police WAS TRUE. Well I was quickly labeled bipolar (in spite of being a successful person, owning several homes and winning many awards in my service profession). I had never been depressed or needed psych medication in the past. I was stable and lived on my own for 20 plus years. I'm 43. I didn't want to take any meds but a nurse told me if I don't I'll be hard pressed to ever get out. Hearing that I swallowed. After 5 days of Abilify and trileptal I passed out. A trip to the ER and the next day shipped out to a different place. There I was also calm but again insistant that I'm not bipolar. I refused medication for 2 plus weeks. I was calm and friendly and mistaken as staff many times. I was told I'm the only person not on "override". Meaning that as long as I am not disruptive they couldn't inject me. So I was cool as a cucumber and nice to everyone. Eventually push came to shove and the doc said if I don't take anything I'll get sent to the state hospital. (I believe they can't justify to insurance why you're there if you aren't on meds). Again hearing that I thought I better take this crap to get out of here. I was given no info on the drug and when asked what it was i was told it's like a "long acting xanax". It was Risperdal. I ingested about 20 days or so of the stuff. When I was released I didn't fill the script. I noticed I started having concentration issues within the week. That progressed into "not feeling like myself" and suicidal thoughts began. Within 2 months of getting out I was a shell of who I used to be. I lost all executive function, ability to feel, concentration, comprehension, etc. I started not leaving the house. I felt like I had encephalitis by May. My eyes were vacant. I stopped calling people and doing things. To this day I feel and KNOW I am brain damaged. I can't plan and my mind is utterly blank with the exception of fear of what happened. I had to sell my beautiful home. A med a psych doc put me on gave me a few hours a day I could do something (I sought the counsel of one myself) . This was very odd for a person who had been a successful independent contractor her whole life. I had no idea what was going on. I was afraid to go to anyone but an independent psychiatrist for fear of getting thrown back in the hospital. I actually think I may have had neuroleptic malignancy syndrome but at the time, not suspecting the Risperdal, I couldn't have arrived at that possibility. The same doc I sought help from recently added an anxiety script. It only seems to help me forget about the brain damage which is so bad I can't even watch TV. That med allows a little TV watching but I think it's already losing effectiveness. Anyway I am terrified I'll never be the same and now I'm on the 2 hardest drugs on earth to come off of. I'm not seeing a future here. I feel absolutely nothing. I have no reward system. I must force myself to do small things just to maintain life. I have lost 25 pounds because even eating is not a priority. Nothing is. I know many of you will say that such short term use of Risperdal couldn't produce such drastic results but it has. I read that it permantly turns off the 5HT7 receptor. Whether it was the med or it's aftermath upon abrupt discontinuation the results are that my IQ has plummeted, I feel zero contentment, I can't make simple decisions and I have nothing to say to anyone....just can't think of anything to say. I have the worst time getting out of bed in the morning too. I lay there sometimes unsure of if I'm sleeping or kind of hypnotized. I hate mornings because it means another day of not being me which I ruminate on as I lay there. Daily I think death would have been a more humane way to punish me for being outspoken. Now if anything happens to me they'll say it was my "disorder" as documented in the med records. Is our government so evil it would drive someone crazy to eliminate them? I apologize for the long story but I was hoping there might be some way to reverse the damage. I'm willing to try anything. I saw that clozapine can wash 50% of the 5ht7 receptors but that was in rat studies. Not sure any doctor wants to be the first to dabble in human trials. If anyone has felt "righted" by a competitive antagonist after ta king Risperdal, please let me know. I read another reply to similar post and someone said Seroquel XR was the "antedote" I'm totally disabled now. One day just blends into the next with zero relief. The only thing I enjoy is sleep because I'm myself in my dreams. My life was ruined because I had an opinion. I was coerced and lied to so that I'd swallow the poison. It wasn't until I found this board that I saw other people had similar problems with Risperdal. For months I was exploring if I had Lymes disease, CIRS or Candidiasis. I never drempt it was what they gave me in the hospital. Someone mentioned a week ago "maybe it's the medicine they had you on". That's when I googled it and it all came together. I had no idea a pill could turn off your spark forever. This fate is far worse than death. I prefer only positive responses. I already know I probably don't have much longer to live. Just last year I was vibrant and looking forward to the future and my latest business venture. Now I just look at the Internet hoping someone else may have survived a similar fate. I've found none.

has anyone taken risperidone/risperdal AND stopped and fully recovering from the after effects? its been over 5 months since stopping and i still feel lifeless, blank, and weak plus a zero libido. i took risperidone for 3 weeks and had a horrible reaction to it and a horrible withdrawal but i still feel the effects....has anyone recovered or heard a recovery story? need some hope here.

i have hyperprolactinemia and i'm a male. it's probably risperidone induced. does anyone have any idea on how to cure high prolactin levels? i am currently using american ginseng and vitamin b6 (p5p) to naturally cure myself but i haven't noticed a difference though it's only been a couple days. btw it's been 5 months since i stopped risperidone although i had long acting injections (not sure how long they act) please help as some of you may know, the low energy and low libido is killing me.

Hey guys I need your help! The past week and a half or so I've been getting progressively more paranoid and it's getting to the point I have panic attacks as I get ready to leave the house for work. I don't feel safe at work and am so stressed that I block out the majority of the day and have no idea what I do. When I shower the Shadows start chattering just quietly enough that I can't make out the words but I feel threatened by them, and they scramble my thoughts as I try to work. My pdoc just added Abilify 5mg to my meds in addition to Risperdal 3mg, Lamictal 200 mg, and Effexor 150mg. Have any of you had success with Abilify reducing paranoia? How soon might it work? I'm really struggling to get myself out of the house and to put in a day at work. I cry on the way there and usually on the way home too from the fear. I feel like they're plotting to capture me for experimenting. I don't know what for but I feel like they will keep me. Please help! Thank you so much!

Hello, I have been having issues for the last 15 years or so, and I am 29 now. I started with a Dx of MD and I was loaded with a deep depression, rage, and anger. Self-loathing, despair yada yada. Anyways, after a while it progresses due to life. November last year I speak with my pcp and break down in tears because I can no longer handle my life. I was not suicidal, yet, but more than overwhelmed to the point I was beginning to worry I might hurt one of my children without realizing it. Action before thought... he put me on risperdal. It worked like a dream after I adjusted. Not fully but I was much better. I began going to therapy, and seeing a pdoc? And had a psych eval done and was Dx as being bipolar 1, general anxiety,, and ptsd. The risperdal, while it helped, I felt it still needed tweaking of some sort or something added to it. I also gained 50 lbs with it. I was already on zoloft btw) I was still randomly raging and crying. Temper exploding. The first pdoc put me on celexa with the risperdal and zoloft to try. It made me beyond super happy. I was so happy it felt like I could fly. It was a terrible wonderful feeling. It was terrible because if the tiniest thing did not go my way then I would just blow up at the drop of a hat. I already had an appointment with a different pdoc that my pcp made that I had planned to keep so I went in. The first one scared me anyways. She was..overwhelming. this one had a ponytail. He said celexa made me manic and took me off of it. And just increased my zoloft to 100mg. I didn't feel any different. I tried making an appointment with him after I received my dx about changing my meds somehow because I was gaining so much and that was depressing me too. Next available appointment was 5 months away and before I couldn't get through when I had trouble with wellbutrin side effects (forgot about that one) so I changed pdoc again this time to the place I go to therapy at. I so far like this doc. She seems human enough. Smiled. Laughed. I think I even stopped shaking. I told her my issue with weight gain and meds not working fully. She switched me from risperdal (cold turkey) to abilify 5mg and topamax 50mg twice a day. I had massive withdrawals and mixed episodes for over a week. Fought and argued with my husband, made him feel like shit. It was like my mouth was out of control. My mind was racing o fast I could think. I screamed and yelled. I threw things. I hated. I isolated myself. I shook worse than usual. I cried for no reason. I cried about everything. I considered and daydreamed about suicide. I even shoved my dad and I have NEVER raised a hand against my parents. Now my therapist is considering asking my pdoc about how I might do with lithium. I'm beginning to be leery of med changes, but I'm still not sure how abilify and topamax will work for me as they are still working into my system. I tried going inpatient. Didn't meet criteria. Sorry this was so long winded, I'm still mixed/manic...

Hi-- I got so frustrated with trying to lose weight while on Risperdal that I decided to try to make my own diet app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rfo.speakcc&hl=en So far I have been losing about 0.25lbs a week for the past 250 days (with some ups and downs: It still has some glitches but I really like it because it uses voice entry mostly which I think is the easiest way to track calories. There is also a $0.99 version that has keyboard entry I have a friend who is working on making an iOS version.

I'm currently in the midst of a mixed episode. Its really wearing me down; I haven't ever had severe mixed symptomology in the past, more of what my doctor would call "agitated depressions". This is most definitely not that. This is full-blown mixed-as-hell torture. I called my doctor and she said to d/c my Abilify (we think it was the cause/is at too low of a dose to be helping; this was a long time coming) and schedule a sooner appointment with her. She offered no other medication advice over the phone (she usually does). I felt crushed after that call. Before Abilify, I had been on Risperdal. She deemed it didn't work when a mere 0.5 mg didn't do the trick. But I really want to explore a higher dose to see if it might cause any positive changes for me. Does anyone have experience with either drug? I've never tried Invega but would be interested to see if it would be more beneficial than Risperdal. PS - I currently take 1,000 mg of Depakote ER; these seem to be breakthrough symptoms (and my level is only 63 ug/ml). I know I have room to go up, and I think I might do so. I know thats a no-no, but she gives me wiggle-room. I just know during our appointment she is going to stick to the AAP route, and I want to gather some info on these two drugs to be prepared. I'm really sorry about how long this post is.

Hi guys, I guess I have a very adverse reaction for antipsychotics, both times I was treated I experienced severe side effects like loss of motivation, enability to enjoy ANYTHING, emotional numbness and sort of a "tunnel vision", inability to lose focus a bit and constant suicidal thoughts and fear that I'll never be the same as before treatment. After 1st time (1 month of Risperdal treatment) I managed to recover in about 6 month (only by that time I becamse physically active and get a job). This second time I was treated with Haldol (2 weeks of injections + 1 shot of haldol deconoate 3 months ago). 3 months later I'm still experiencing loss of libido, emotional numbness, inability to feel pleasure from anything and this "changed" perception of the world. I'm 100% this is not the illness as I've never been diagnozed with schiz. Both times I felt really damaged, but this second time really sucks. I've very afraid I'll never be the same again. Please could someone tell me will it pass? Could it be that Haldol fried my dopamine receptors (can't get pleasure from taste, smell, music, nicotine etc.)? I've talked to several pdocs and they all say I don't need any meds but they don't know about side-effects/aftereffects of these meds.

Hello, As the title states, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia last year. At least I have a title to put on this hellish nightmare. I seem to have a major episode every six months or so. The rest of the time I am "high functioning." I am on Risperdal and hate it. But it keeps the voices away so I take it. Very scared of what the future holds for me, so I take one hour at a time. Thanks for listening!

So yeah...looking for people's personal experiences with risperdal, its side effects, and withdrawal was what helped me find you all in the first place, so I guess I can thank it for that. But the rest of it? Hell no. Here's the story: I was put on Risperdal, 0.5mg/day for my anxiety and chronic insomnia, and was taking it for around two months before I HAD to stop. I was admittedly a bit hesitant to take an antipsychotic off-label, but I was desperate enough, and the dose was low enough, that I was willing to give it a shot. The first two weeks, I believed it was the answer to my prayers. My anxiety did lessen considerably, and I was sleeping through the night (which rarely ever happens). Then all of a sudden, everything changed. The anxiety returned, and quickly became worse than it'd been before. I was no longer sleeping through the night, but was sleepy practically all day. Next thing I know, my boobs (which are already too big) have grown a cup size, and I started LACTATING. I had my ovaries removed to cancer in 2002, and my uterus went the same way a few years later, so I knew I couldn't possibly be pregnant, but between the swollen and leaky titties, the exhaustion, the now ridiculous mood swings (inexplicable crying jags), and the insatiable hunger and subsequent rapid weight gain, it sure as hell looked like I was. After x'ing all other possible reasons for the condition of me, I finally learned it was all Risperdal's fault and quit taking it. The withdrawal is at least as bad as people say it is. I was pretty sure I was dying with the chills, sweating, weird, disconnected feeling in my head, weakness in my legs, and electric-shock-like zaps in my neck and face, and I quickly became more unhinged than I've ever been in my life. For the first time ever, I was showing signs of psychosis. It was absolute hell, and that lasted for over a week. I am now halfway through week two without Risperdal, and am feeling more or less like my old self, but with a few unpleasant changes. The severe and very different from anything I've experienced before panic attacks are still happening, at least once or twice a day. They are completely unprovoked, and involve laboured breathing, tingling and numbness in my extremities, and tightness in my throat and chest. All physiological issues have been ruled out, though...as much as it feels like an asthma attack or heart attack, these are indeed anxiety attacks, though while some resolve within minutes, others persist for over an hour. The crying is still happening as well. I am as weepy as I used to be when I'd get PMS, only it's ALL THE TIME. And the food cravings...still there, though not quite as bad...which is distressing to me, as with all my other issues, my eating disorders are the ones I find hardest to keep in check, and the weight gain from this stupid medication has pushed me off the recovery wagon right onto my face (I was lucky to only gain about ten pounds, as I see some people gain 50 in the same length of time!) What I want to know from anyone who's gone off Riisperdal before, is how long do these things persist? Based on the half life of the drug, it is out of my system at this point...so I'm really hoping that these are residual and will disppear soon, and I'm not permanently damaged.

I've found Risperidone to hinder my sleep if I take it at night; although it definitely does cause some level of sedation when I take it during the day. Am I the only one who experiences this?

I may be new to CB boards but I am not new to mental health. I have been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder Type II. You could consider that I have schizoaffective disorder bipolar type 2 but my current pdoc hasn't listed me that otherwise. I am here for one thing and that is Daytime Sleepiness. Am I the only suffering from this while on an atypical antipsychotic? It is such a nuisance that when I try doing things around the house, my sensory issues also are problematic and it makes the feeling worst. Simple as other people around me could cause me to tick off, or feel much worst. Or when I am trying to use the computer, or read I can barely keep my eyes open enough to stay attentive. My days are laying next to a fan in a daze. Not entertaining at all. You are to fearful of your surroundings to binge on eating (in fact I lost 25 lbs since the onset of schizophrenia), tv entertainment, and computer usage. I had a suicidal attack from just uploading a picture on the internet. How can one keep their day fulfilled such as me? Does anyone volunteer or work part time? Is there people that manage their lives so well they can live practically a normal life and have a normal relationship? Please be insightful. I am looking to gain some knowledge. I have been bipolar since 2008 and schizophrenic since 2009 (in remission) and now remitting. I currently take 80 mg of Latuda, 1200 mg of Lithium, 1 mg of Clonazapam and 25 mg of Metaprolol There are worst side effects and I would have to say akathisia by far is the worst feeling ever. Spiders in your legs crawling over and over. Other antipsychotics I've tried: seroquel, geodon, risperdal, invega, abilify, xyprexa, clozaril. I either suffered from severe somnolence, daytime night terrors and crying spells, catonic states, akathisia, and weight gain.

My first episode psychosis started June 2013, after a very stressful period which lots of problems happened at the same time and after some sleepless nights. For one week I was living in another world! I completely isolated myself and had lots of delusions and paranoid thoughts. I was thinking there was a conspiracy and all my family and friends are plotting against me. I was thinking they are controlling my internet and watching me through hidden cameras. I thought that I had a tumor or very dangerous illness and they are not telling me the truth. I was thinking they have spoken with a psychologist and he is telling them what to. All Facebook posts and emails I was receiving was a part of that plan. I didn't know what I am doing and I was writing crazy stuff on Facebook, thinking everybody is following. I also had a very strange and strong headaches and I was taking whatever pill I could think of, but none of them was working. I also had some recurring thoughts, for example reading the same comments 100 times or listening to the same music from dawn to dusk. My brain was like in a loop with obsession to specific thoughts. I didn't really know what I was doing. After that horrible week, one night I slowly remembered what I did and wrote. I realized that something is wrong with me but I didn't know what! I thought that I am becoming crazy and I cried a lot. In the morning I was calm and I thought that everything is finished. I was very happy until the headaches started again in the evening. At this point I went to the ER, and after many tests including brain MRI and Lumber puncture, the neurologist said I don’t have any physical problems and probably I have psychosis. I didn't accept that and until the end of August I still believed that I don’t have psychosis and the doctors are not telling me the real problem. They started treating me with Abilify which made me tired and after several days I had restlessness. I can say it is the most horrifying feeling in the world. I had some strange dream-like feelings and I was thinking I’m dying. Every day I was thinking of how to kill myself. I never thought that I could become better. My situation got worse and doctor stopped the Abilify and started Risperdal. After a while I had restlessness again and some very devastating feelings. Doctor reduced the dose and with this change the situation became manageable. But the problems with Risperdal was that it blocked my brain. I couldn't do anything and I was just lying in bed waiting for time to pass. After some weeks I had very severe anxiety and many panic attacks. I was thinking I was becoming crazy and I was suicidal. Doctor gave me Lorazepam and Valium on demand. I also had problems sleeping, having nightmares and night terrors. Doctor gave me some addictive sleep aid pills so I could sleep. In this horrible three months, I was still delusional and I was still thinking people are following me wherever I go, or monitoring me through cameras and so on (But I was thinking everybody is trying to help me!). Doctor said probably I have paranoid schizophrenia but he wasn't sure. Last week of August, I was less delusional and the doctor stopped Risperdal because I couldn’t do anything and my body wasn't adapting to it. But soon after, that strange headaches started again. So doctor started Zyprexa 5 mg and warned me about the weight gain and diabetes possibility. I started a diet and going to the gym. Fortunately, not only I didn't gain weight but I also lost 7 kilograms on it. Zyprexa was a miracle drug for me and all the delusions disappeared and I finally accepted my illness! My anxiety and panic attacks also get better. I reduced the dose to 2.5 mg after a while and I could sleep without sleeping pills. But after a while, I went into a severe depression and mode swings. I didn't have motivation for doing anything and I was sleeping 12 hours a day. Doctor gave me Cipralex (Lexapro). After just a week I had a terrible anxiety so I discontinued but the anxiety didn't go away! After that I struggled with anxiety for several months. I was using Xanax, Valium, Rivotril, etc. to calm down. In March, doctor started 10 mg of Prozac and my depression and anxiety got better after several weeks. In May, I reduced Zyprexa to 1.25 mg and after 2 weeks I stopped it. But severe anxiety and bad feeling started and I restarted taking 1.25 mg again. Since 2 weeks ago (July) I reduced to 0.625 mg and had a little anxiety and insomnia. But it went away after some days. I’m now quite well but still tired in the mornings. I can do my everyday tasks but I still have problems with concentration. I am planning to stay at this dose and after some weeks make it every other day and then cut it off. Is this a good idea to stop taking Zyprexa since I didn't have delusions or paranoia for about one year and am feeling normal? My other question is I don’t know what exactly my illness is!! If I had a first episode psychosis and fortunately I will not have another episode, or I am Schizophrenic? Thank you for reading my long story. Any comments would be appreciated.

Immediately upon starting Risperdal about 3 months ago I started experiencing rapid eye twitching from left to right that lasts no more than half a second. It has been quite persistent throughout the last few months. A few weeks ago I played video games (which I rarely do, first time since starting Risperdal) and the eye twitching kept happening every five minutes or less, constantly messing me up in the game. I blank out when I have the twitching, everything turns white for a moment. The twitching happens often when I focus in on something, when I'm looking at an electronic screen, usually. It can be exacerbated by caffeine. My mother was the first person to see it and today she recommended me call my pdoc and let him know as she thinks it's a seizure. I'm on Wellbutrin which lowers the seizure threshold and also Risperdal which does the same. My thinking is the two are working together to produce partial seizures if that is indeed what is happening. Has anyone else had experiences with seizures from these medications? After looking online this could be a seizure especially is exacerbated by screens and lights and video games but it could also just be a muscle twitch. That's what I thought it was all along. And even if it is a seizure, simple eye movements for a split second isn't all that dangerous or annoying.

Hi all, Wondering if anyone has had experience with Risperdal for the maintenance for Bipolar depression? If so, what was the effective dose for you? I am currently taking 0.75 qhs with plans of going up to 1 mg. Did anyone split their doses through out the day or was it all taken at one time? Thanks in advance!

I was on Latuda and it gave me akasthia (sp?) -just pure restlessness- and like restless leg syndrome I was on Seroquel 300mg and it would knock me out for 16 hours a day. The three antipsychotics I was thinking about: RISPERDAL, ZYPREXA, and SAPHRIS I am also thinking about sleeping meds: LUNESTA I was wondering if you tried any of these: What dosage were you on? what side effects you had? Which one did you feel helped you the most with less side effects? Did any of them help you sleep or interact with a sleeping med you were on? I am on neurotin right now and love it for my anxiety so will not change that. I see my psychiatrist Monday and would like to have an idea which one I want to try. Thank you for answering!