Guest PinkToo2grrl Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 pdoc is suggesting i try risperdal as a sleep aid, because while seroquel is helping me sleep WONDERFULLY it is also making me blow up like a balloon, and is contipating me even in the face of vast quanitities of prunes. my understanding is risperdal has similar effects (both positive and negative) as the seroquel only not as strong. thing is, i don't see anyone having used risperdal as a sleep aid per se. any experiences out there i am missing? i'm trying to make an informed decision as to whether to try it. my new med patience is wearing thin these days. Pinky fat and full of shit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Pink - From my experience with risperdal (and vast amounts of literature I gobbled up before going on it) risperdal will have a similar to seroquel sleepy effect at first but this will go away shortly thereafter. When I was on risperdal it lasted about a week, maybe a week and a half and then it didn't affect me at all. I think it really matters about dosage too. Did pdoc say what dosage they might try and also whether prn or nightly? Echo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sulu Posted July 22, 2005 Share Posted July 22, 2005 Hey Pink, just got back from my pdoc appointment and low and behold, she changed my sleep med, seroquel (which is great for sleeping 9-10 hours a night) to risperdal. And of course I just finished looking up everything I can on it. Also because my depression is still screwing me over big time she is having me take .5mg in the morning, .5mg in the afternoon and 1 mg at bedtime. She wanted to try me on zyprexa but I have personally seen someone double their weight on it (mind you she was a tiny little thing before she started it). According to my pharmacist the drowsiness should abate after a week or so, but it should help me by keeping my moods more even. Also risperdal is supposed to be more weight neutral, yea! I too am tired of trying new meds all the time, but hopefully one day I'll find the cocktail that kicks my depression's ass. I will let you know how I fare with it once I get a personal perspective on it. Hang in there, Sulu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MellowYellow Posted July 23, 2005 Share Posted July 23, 2005 I used to use Risperdal for sleep, but I would get terrible nystagmus from it so bad that I've have headaches over my eyes. Nystagmus is when your eyes jerk back and forth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derichi Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 ...Risperdal is an antipsychotic. Don't let anyone give it to you unless you're in that range or have a serious similar condition. I took it because the doctor thought it might help me recover from stimulation overdose for my ADHD. It really fucked me up and I tested far lower on a psychologist's IQ test than I normally did. I spent about a month falling asleep all the time. So yes, it might help you sleep, but I recommend hitting yourself over the head instead, first. Mack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freesoul Posted August 10, 2005 Share Posted August 10, 2005 My son (11 yrs old, once diagnosed ADHD but now suspected Bipolar) is on a small dose of Risperdal every nigth "to help him sleep". I suspect that this is just an official excuse, and they are really trying to treat the bipolar without outrigth labeling him or letting him know for now. I was strongly opposed to it at first as i found the thougth of such as young child on antipsychotics (atypical or not) very disturbing, but I am not in a position to object as I don't have custody of him at this moment (I'm still figthing!). The dose they use as sleeping aid (if that is indeed why this drug is given to him) is much lower than the one that would function as an antispychotic. For what it's worth, he reports being a bit lethargic at first but now functions fine, actually better than he has for years. He says he sleeps great. And, he even lost some weigth (he was fairly chubby). I am not that well informed, but apparently Risperdal has good mood-stabilizing qualities...could this be of help to you? maybe your pdoc thinks so. Just something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jenn Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 ...Risperdal is an antipsychotic. Don't let anyone give it to you unless you're in that range or have a serious similar condition. I took it because the doctor thought it might help me recover from stimulation overdose for my ADHD. It really fucked me up and I tested far lower on a psychologist's IQ test than I normally did. I spent about a month falling asleep all the time. So yes, it might help you sleep, but I recommend hitting yourself over the head instead, first. Mack To answer you, you should not be telling people who should or should not take risperdol. Are you a neurologist? Psychologist? Everyone is different and although it did not work for you, it has really helped others. My son is on it and for the first time in awhile, he is able to sit down and learn at school. He has Autism....nothing like schizophrenia or psychosis. Maybe your dose was too high and you should be looking for another dr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gary Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 The resperidol helped me sleep like seroquel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SashaSue Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 ...Risperdal is an antipsychotic. Don't let anyone give it to you unless you're in that range or have a serious similar condition. I took it because the doctor thought it might help me recover from stimulation overdose for my ADHD. It really fucked me up and I tested far lower on a psychologist's IQ test than I normally did. I spent about a month falling asleep all the time. So yes, it might help you sleep, but I recommend hitting yourself over the head instead, first. Mack So, you had a bad experience with Risperdal. That sucks. But it hardly means it's a bad drug, and should be generally avoided. It just wasn't right for you. FWIW, I've never heard of any AAP being used to treat ADHD in any way, so your doctor was going pretty far off label with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cetkat Posted April 14, 2010 Share Posted April 14, 2010 pdoc is suggesting i try risperdal as a sleep aid, because while seroquel is helping me sleep WONDERFULLY it is also making me blow up like a balloon, and is contipating me even in the face of vast quanitities of prunes. my understanding is risperdal has similar effects (both positive and negative) as the seroquel only not as strong. thing is, i don't see anyone having used risperdal as a sleep aid per se. any experiences out there i am missing? i'm trying to make an informed decision as to whether to try it. my new med patience is wearing thin these days. Risperdal didn't make me that sleepy, and the minor effect it had went away quickly. That said, I doubt you're just on an AAP for sleep, and Risperdal is a nice weight-neutral drug without a bad side effect profile. I liked it alot when I was on it.. it just didn't end up working. I would definitely consider a real sleep aid rather than counting on the side-effects of MI meds for the most part. Things like Sonata & Lunesta are good mild ones. And there are stronger things should you need it. The only MI med that I'd advise for sleep is Remeron. It's pretty mild and has a good tendency to help you sleep - in my case it didn't knock me out, but it gave me really good quality sleep instead. Just something to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netsavy006 Posted April 15, 2010 Share Posted April 15, 2010 For me when I took Risperdal (.5mg HS), it made me drowsy all day long and I couldn't remember anything but it was mildly helping my bipolar moods. It was causing side effects within 30min to 1hr of taking the pill which made me feel like I was having a heart attack, but I dealt with it. 6 weeks into the medication, I developed tics and my pdoc advised me to discontinue the medication. It didn't really help me with sleep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Polar Bear Posted September 8, 2010 Share Posted September 8, 2010 ...Risperdal is an antipsychotic. Don't let anyone give it to you unless you're in that range or have a serious similar condition. I took it because the doctor thought it might help me recover from stimulation overdose for my ADHD. It really fucked me up and I tested far lower on a psychologist's IQ test than I normally did. I spent about a month falling asleep all the time. So yes, it might help you sleep, but I recommend hitting yourself over the head instead, first. Mack To answer you, you should not be telling people who should or should not take risperdol. Are you a neurologist? Psychologist? Everyone is different and although it did not work for you, it has really helped others. My son is on it and for the first time in awhile, he is able to sit down and learn at school. He has Autism....nothing like schizophrenia or psychosis. Maybe your dose was too high and you should be looking for another dr. I don't have schizophrenia, but I suffer from depression, racing thoughts and fluctuating moods. I have been on this medication for about 6 months now. It's the only medication that helped me. I feel really calm as opposed to irritable and out of control, my thoughts have slowed down to the point I can focus and concentrate well in school, and I feel very energetic. I am on a very small dose of .5 mg/day, and with the exception of weight gain (I now exercise more times/wk) and a dry mouth, I have gotten my life back. I can work, attend school, and enjoy life. My psychiatrist said that Risperdone has a mood stabilizer, antidepressant properties and antipsychotic all in one. In high doses Risperdone does zonk you out and make you very lethargic and sluggish. If you can function on a very small dose it's good, because the medication may work well for you. That's a bonus for those who don't gain weight on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mika Posted September 9, 2010 Share Posted September 9, 2010 sorry to ruin it for you but risperdal made me gain almost 15 pounds. But it's better than seroquel. I didnt use risperdal for just sleep, I used it for racing thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mike Posted December 13, 2010 Share Posted December 13, 2010 I take 1/2 of 4mg of risperidone at night. Have had many nights sleeping. Over the last couple weeks out of sheer exhaustion I thought to try a 1/2 tablet more. I am finally close to 7 hours sleep. I will discuss this during my next neurologist appointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonsum Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 i was on 4 mg of risperdal for about 6 months. it didnt really help me sleep after the first couple of days. i had to discontinue the med because it caused me to have severely elevated prolactin levels which made me quite ill. if it hadn't have been for the prolactin issue i would have continued taking it because it really did wonders for my stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I still take it at night to help me sleep and it usually does the trick. I also use it for its ability to glue my brain back together. I do have benadryl or triazolam to knock me over the edge into sleepiness land if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancesintherain Posted December 16, 2010 Share Posted December 16, 2010 I still take it at night to help me sleep and it usually does the trick. I also use it for its ability to glue my brain back together. I do have benadryl or triazolam to knock me over the edge into sleepiness land if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
give&take Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 You should try clozapine it will knock you out in no time. It should only be taken 20min to bedtime. This is very important because it will make you hungry but if you're already a sleep. You can't eat It is usualy used to treat shizophrenia but is also one of the strongest sedatives on my opinion.(stronger than benzos) make sure to have atleast 8h of sleep ahead of you when takung it so you wont feal sleepy the next day. A good dosage for sleeping is 6,25mg to 12,5mg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yourwrong Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) All of you berating Derichi, don't have a clue what you're talking about. Risperdal is an antipsychotic that works through binding to receptors in the brain associated with serotonin and dopamine, the feel good neurotransmitters. Many reviews also state a consistent large increase in weight through use. Furthermore using it you run the risk of " sexual side effects, galactorrhoea, infertility,gynecomastia and, with chronic use reduced bone mineral density leading to breaks all of which are associated with increased prolactin secretion. "Not to mention a permanent condition known as tardive dyskinesia. Honestly all of you would probably jump off a building if your doctor recommended it. Ugh. Do some research. https://www.drugs.com/sfx/risperdal-side-effects.html Edited January 9, 2017 by Yourwrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 (edited) I noticed now that this is an old thread, but this is my personal experience with Seroquel vs Risperdal for sleep: Seroquel for me, worked much better than Risperdal....Seroquel and Risperdal both caused weight gain, so either one is off the table for me. Trazodone is what finally worked for me--no weight gain, I actually lost weight on Traz. Remeron, Doxepin, Ambien, and Lunesta also could be other options you could look at if the Risperdal doesn't work out....There are probably other options, too--those are just what I have experience with. Edited January 9, 2017 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 13 hours ago, Yourwrong said: All of you berating Derichi, don't have a clue what you're talking about. Risperdal is an antipsychotic that works through binding to receptors in the brain associated with serotonin and dopamine, the feel good neurotransmitters. Many reviews also state a consistent large increase in weight through use. Furthermore using it you run the risk of " sexual side effects, galactorrhoea, infertility,gynecomastia and, with chronic use reduced bone mineral density leading to breaks all of which are associated with increased prolactin secretion. "Not to mention a permanent condition known as tardive dyskinesia. Honestly all of you would probably jump off a building if your doctor recommended it. Ugh. Do some research. https://www.drugs.com/sfx/risperdal-side-effects.html I'm not quite sure why you resurrected a very old thread, but so be it. I'll never understand why people feel the need to make an account here just to list potential side effects that not everyone gets as if we aren't already aware of them. People research their meds. They don't blindly swallow them. And if you think so then you're wrong (note it's you're, not your). I took Risperdal for major depressive disorder, and it helped me get my life back on track. It was a good med for me, and I had zero side effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnickNak Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 I remember taking Risperdal i would be on the phone with my friends and pass out like a brick.. with the phone on my cheek the next morning. So it worked. Seroquel.. i sort of just feel a wave and fall asleep. I had to stop the Risperdal because my Prolactin levels were up .. but it did give me bigger boobs which is a plus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Discomfort Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 3 hours ago, KnickNak said: it did give me bigger boobs which is a plus. Yeah, knowing about that side effect I don't know why people who think they have small breasts don't just get their doctors to put them on risperidone instead of implants! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnickNak Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 7 hours ago, Southern Discomfort said: Yeah, knowing about that side effect I don't know why people who think they have small breasts don't just get their doctors to put them on risperidone instead of implants! haha! i know...i am off it now i notice some deflation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yourwrong Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 jt07 and what if he was one of the unlucky few? The problem when it comes to meds like that is that anyone hardly ever mentions the side effects like it could be a real possibility but when people are stuck with the side effects its not longer anyone else's problem. you people were berating the only guy who cared to mention that the drug he was prescribed for sleeping issues was an antipsychotic. Many people I;ve talked to have had permanent side effects even thought they have come off of it., and remained off of it for years.Permanent. Why you would want to risk permanent emotional numbing, and cognitive decline, along with the rest of the symptoms is beyond me, but hey that was his choice, not mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyRedhead Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) 17 hours ago, Yourwrong said: you people were berating the only guy who cared to mention that the drug he was prescribed for sleeping issues was an antipsychotic. Many people I;ve talked to have had permanent side effects even thought they have come off of it., and remained off of it for years.Permanent. Why you would want to risk permanent emotional numbing, and cognitive decline, along with the rest of the symptoms is beyond me, but hey that was his choice, not mine. Have you ever experienced long-term insomnia or long-term sleep deprivation? @Yourwrong? I don't mean the occasional restless night, I mean the kind where you can only get 0-3 hours sleep per night, for weeks or months?.........No, you probably haven't..... Chronic insomniacs get very desperate for sleep, and most have tried just about every milder sleep aide, or natural sleep aides...And when those don't work, the big guns like antipsychotics may be considered. Yes, we know they have potential side effects--we aren't stupid just because we're mentally ill. Every drug has potential side effects. I've taken several anti-psychotics as sleep aides, including risperdal, and have not experienced any permanent side effects. You see, without sleep all my MI conditions become extremely worse......I can't go night after night without sleep...If I did I'd start hallucinating.. Guess what anti-psychotic I'm on now for sleep--Thorazine.....You're probably cringing and will post now about all the horrible potential side effects of Thorazine.....But no worries, I already know them--and so far haven't experienced any of them.......I'm on a low dose, and it works for me. Until you've walked in our shoes, don't judge us for the meds we take to get relief, please. Thank you...... Edited January 15, 2017 by CrazyRedhead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts