betcsu Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 hi all, im on risperdal .5mg. started at .25 but upped it to .5. ive read thru all the links stickied to the top and ive browsed the boards reading what others have to say but i guess i wanna know what it should make me feel or not feel, etc. for instance, if you get seasonal allergies or hives, benadryl makes it go away (and makes you sleep.) if you get a headache, tylenol or advil make it go away. valium calms you down. etc. what exactly is risperdal supposed to make go away or help or do to you? im also taking 500mg depakote so im gonna be posting this same question on that board. im just so confused as to which one is suppsoed to help which symtoms and what effect their supposed to have and why. not the technical mumbo jumbo. but from real people and real life experiences. thanks in advance for any help you can give. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackbird Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 Hi betscu and welcome to the boards. What Risperdal will do for you really depends upon your diagnosis and what your p-doc has precribed it for. It was a wide range of uses in the psych spectrum including psychosis and schizophrenia (diseases which entail hallucinations/ delusions/ paranoia/ hearing voices) and as a mood stabiliser for bipolar. It may also be prescribed for panic disorders or OCD, Im not quite sure. Over here, doctors would primarily prescribe it for the psychotic disorders. I have schizotypal disorder/psychotic disorder NOS and was initially prescribed risperdal but it had unpleasant side effects for me - massive weight gain, hormonal issues and extreme sedation. I was taking it at 4 mgs a day, not everyone will gain these side effects. Incidentally what is your dx if you don't mind me asking? It might shed some light on why your p-doc has prescribed it. All the best Blackbird x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scatty Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 I can only speak for myself, but I love risperdal. Been on it for about 8 months. Things it helps me with: ruminating, obsessive thoughts, racing & disorganized thinking, paranoia, and I'm sure there's other symptoms I'm forgetting. I have had no side effects. I started out at .5 and had to increase it to 2 mgs a day. Who knows if/how it will help you, but I hope you have luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betcsu Posted April 10, 2006 Author Share Posted April 10, 2006 thanks for the responses so far and the welcome. my dx is bipolar but its all new to me so i dont know much more than that. thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 It should help take the edge off mania, particularly anxiety that may come with a mixed state. It helps with delusional thinking, ruminitions, obsessions, and general head noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsloony Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 also- like other anti psychotics- if you are really anxious and overly sensitve like me- pdoc says it givvves me "thicker skin" so things that upset me can roll off easier. ( i didn't do well with risperdol side effects either but a lot of people swear by it- we're all so differnt in how we react to these things) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehygon Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 a question of my own ; does risperdal tend to be more sedating, neutral, or activating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted April 16, 2006 Share Posted April 16, 2006 a question of my own ; does risperdal tend to be more sedating, neutral, or activating? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's more or less neutral in terms of sedation. I felt a little sedated/stoned for about two weeks after starting or upping a dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loon-A-TiK Posted April 19, 2006 Share Posted April 19, 2006 I took Risperdal at 4mg/day, and was just re-RXed it again, this time at 1mg/day. I love the stuff. The reason I quit was that it made me lactate (I'm female). The pros: smashed paranoia got rid of intrusive thoughts helped Lamictal balance my moods helped with my ADD-ish symptoms (and now I've been DXed with ADD- how weird) -- no sleep effects -- no weight effects,l even at that high dose The con: lactation. I woke up one day with a wet arm. I thought, gee, why is my arm wet? I looked at it and noticed that it actually came from my breast! Talk about shocking! I had to call the pnurse right away!! I'd say give Risp. a try. I'm giving it a rerun at a lower dose to knock out some paranoia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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