dragonfly79 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 I have been on both Haldol and Risperdal and have noticed very little difference. What do you guys think? Do you know of any major differences? I am thinking of switching back to Haldol. My diagnosis is schizoaffective-bipolar type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Well, Risperdal is said to be the most "typical" of the atypical APs, meaning that it's chemical make up is most like the typicals. If Haldol doesn't give you intolerable side effects, I'd stick with it. It's pretty much a pure dopamine blocker, really clean acting and really effective if you can tolerate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly79 Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 Thanks, Velvet Elvis! Just what I needed to know! I did very well on Haldol, without the massive weight gain, and less of a prolactin problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I was on haloperidal 5mg 3 x daily for a few months (as an add on for mania). I don't think I experienced any adverse reactions. I also was on Risperdal 1mg x 2 daily several years ago and I had side effects such as increased prolactin levels causing cessation of menstruation and also leaking breast milk, gained a lot of weight, felt a bit agitated, couldn't sleep and generally felt unwell. I liked haloperidal a LOT better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmax15 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Haldol is from the 1960's. Risperdal is from the 1990's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifluous Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 i find haldol is great and prefer it overall to risperdal. for me, typicals in general are better than atypicals (save zyprexa), though risperdal was fine until i discontinued and then when i was put back on it at a higher dose it was less effective and i started lactating. gross. i'm on haldol depot (and daily zyprexa) now and i'd say the side effects and efficacy, with the haldol being the primary medication, are one of the best combinations i've ever been on. hope that helps and best to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgetmenot220 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I love Haldol, I wish I had started it a long time ago! Risperdal made me feel like a zombie, I gained some weight, it wasn't effective, but there is only one negative with haldol, for me. If the dose gets too high I get a tremor in my tongue. I can take an "emergency" dose of Haldol for a few days, even for a week or so, to help reduce symptoms, but then I have to go back to my usual dose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Haldol is a typical antipsychotic, which means older, and works very well on psychosis. I take it PRN if i have breakthrough psychosis and 5mg is enough to knock me back into reality. I take it very rarely, though. I took it before I went on injections. Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic and I found it fairly useless and it upped my prolactin, so my breasts would leak milk, I gained weight, even at low doses. I never liked Risperdal and the only atypical I can tolerate is Seroquel and I still get bad side effects. So I prefer typical AP's. In all honesty, I found Haldol, combined with Artane,to have few, if any, noticeable side effects for me, except extra dry mouth and a bit more sensitivity to the sun. Weight neutral, no loss or gain Some people take it with Cogentin, or Benadryl, because it can cause EPS and rarely, tardive dyskensia, if you're on it for a very long time, in high doses. However, it smashes psychosis. It's a great med. Even in low doses, it is a great med. It's fairly potent as an antipsychotic, so the doses are quite low compared to others. It kicks in fast, instead of needing a couple of weeks. It can be sedating at first, but that goes away. It can cause involuntary movement, but there are meds to counter that, and they work fast. It's one med that is often overlooked because of the newer AAP's. I really like it and am glad I have it as a PRN. For the record, I'm on a typical antipsychotic depot injection called Piportil. (Not available in the US, patent issues or something) Its a phenothiazine, similar to Thorazine, not as strong. Haldol is also a phenothiazine and if I had to switch injections, I would switch to Haldol depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly79 Posted June 10, 2014 Author Share Posted June 10, 2014 Thanks, everyone! Really good information! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iaawal Posted June 12, 2014 Share Posted June 12, 2014 Huh, now I'm wondering if I should try haldol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schizophrenic_Sanity Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Haldol is way better than risperdal in my opinion. Risperdal was the devil for me though so I may be a bit biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Haldol is way better than risperdal in my opinion. Risperdal was the devil for me though so I may be a bit biased. Same opinion here.. I hated risperdal... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revan Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) Haldol I could take PRN for paranoid thoughts. Risperidone only works for that if I take it twice a day. the pdoc wont let me take both... I wish I could still use it PRN, it worked at the lowest dose (0.25 sometimes 0.5 haloperidol). the pdoc said taking it with the risperidone could lead to neurologic bad-ness... Edited June 15, 2014 by Revan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragonfly79 Posted June 19, 2014 Author Share Posted June 19, 2014 Thanks, guys! I have been talking to my psychiatrist about switching back to Haldol.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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