New to risperdal

[scatty]

I just got prescribed .5 mg risperdal for my BPI.

[xdiamond]

I don't have any experience with Lamictal, but Risperdal is very good with anger/rage. It can calm you down pretty quickly. It didn't do much for my paranoia (I mean, I don't think my family's plotting to kill me anymore but I'm still very paranoid). If you suffer from hallucinations Risperdal is quick in making them go away. It's also quite good for obsessive thoughts but, hey, it affects everyone differently.

[myrkkyhammas]

I just got prescribed .5 mg risperdal for my BPI.  I haven't had much luck with

conventional mood stabilizers or other APs.  I tend to get the "rare" or "very rare" side effects. 

I'm tirating back up on lamictal for the depressed side of things.  I also take 1-2 mg klonoipin for anxiety. 

I've been cycling since spring and it's so tiring. 

I almost decided to go unmedicated, but pdoc has convinced me to give it another try. 

My main issues are irritation, anger, rage, and making a total ass of myself in general.

I also tend to get paranoid & have rapid, obsessive thoughts.

Anyone have anything to say about risperdal or the risperdal/lamictal combo?

                                    Thanks,

                                        Scatty

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

yeah, risperdal mellows the hell out of me, without knocking me out like seroquel. lamictal is awesome for bipolar depression, too.

[scatty]

Thank you both for replying.  I've been on lamictal since April 2004 but quit it

cold turkey last month due to a dose increase that made me a major bitch to be

around.  Now I have to tirate all over again, but this time I'll only be going to 100

mg (I was at 200) with the risperdal to hopefully quell the mania. Pdoc said

it might take a few weeks to see results.  <fingers crossed.>

[steves]

I have been on risperdal for about 2 weeks it works well to calm you down and control mania.

It also starts working within 3 days. It will make you sleepy though almmost like a zombie.

[ZoeGurl]

I have been on Risperdal for over a year now. I am currently being prescribed 3mgs a day. 1mg in the the a.m., and 2mg before bed. It has been wonderful for me. I have Rapid Cycling Bipolar w/ Psychosis, insomnia, OCD, and very bad anxiety. All of which Risperdal is supposed to help. And it seems to work wonders, except for the OCD which it does nothing for. But as far as my other problems, it really helps a lot. Paranoia is pretty much gone, and it really mellows me out great.

When I was put in a mental hospital last year, they doubled my Risperdal dose, had me up to 6mg a day. Which was waayy too much for me, and I turned into a complete zombie. But when I got home I went back down to the regular 3mg, and I felt calm, without feeling zombified anymore.

I was also on 800mgs of Tegretol XR a day for about 3 years for my Bipolar, but have recently been forced to stop taking it due to bad neurological side effects. (Numbness and burning in feet and ankles, involuntary jerky eye movements, bad balance problems, etc.) Went to neurologist, who gave me an MRI because it appeared as though I had MS. But as it turns out, my neuro symptoms were because of Tegretol.

Which has been a complete bummer for me, because the mix of Tegretol and Rispderdal had been working awesome for my mania. So, I sure hope Risperdal on it's own can keep me stable. Here's hoping.

As far as the Lamictal, I've never been on it, so not sure on that. But the Risperdal will hopefully work great for you, and have no bad side effects. Good luck!!