whats so special about risperidone?

[swanny]

ive been admitted about 4-5 times in psych wards in the last couple of years. i talk to most of the patients there. mostly schizophrenics. they ALL say the same thing when they are first diagnosed risperidone is the FIRST antipsychotic that is tried. but why? is it coz its strong? powerful? i dunno. can someone offer an explanation?

[DogMan]

It's old, tried and tested, works on most with minimal side effects

[swanny]

It's old, tried and tested, works on most with minimal side effects

risperdal came out in america in 1993. is that old for a drug?

[DogMan]

for it's class it is. it was the first new generation anti psychotic to not suck. so it's the most known value in it's class, so in pdoc101 they teach 'rx risperdal first and see if it works'

[dancesintherain]

So I use it at a minimal level, but id second the comment above...at 1 mg for me, it helps induce sleep without giving me a hangover, helps me stay out through the night, and helps glue my brain back together. I haven't seen any negative side effects. And it is super cheap.

[confused]

I had never heard that, but it was the first anti-psychotic I was put on. It worked, but I had to stop taking it because of side-effects.

[notfred]

In is available as a generic, so it is an affordable AAP.

nf

[koali777]

Haha...I know what you mean. When I was in the psych ward, that was always what they started people on if they were anything other than just depressed (they seemed to start people on Abilify that were on an antidepressant but were clearly horribly depressed and needed more, like the commercial says!). I was started on Risperdal, another woman I talked to was as well (we were both suicidal and a little psychotic) and then there was a schizophrenic guy that was thrown on it too. Risperdal wasn't a BAD drug by any means so I think it's a good start. It just didn't help me with what it was supposed to!

[exl2398]

i started risperidone about a year ago or so, give or take. it stopped my paranoia and i had had few breakthrough symptoms, though had one hallucination and one moment of delusion that lasted about a week or two. it works, i guess is why they use it. i am on 5mg at night.

[mika]

it is the best drug i was on besides lithium but it makes you fat. that's why i don't take it. preferable drug for many disorders, including ptsd but instead i take trilafon.