basuraeuropea Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 hi all, i was a more active member years ago and now i'm back! i have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. i currently take daily: 900mg/pregabalin, 3mg/clonazepam, 300mg/fluvoxamine and 1mg/risperidone. the risperidone was added just a week ago to control the symptoms of ocd mainly, but the other three disorders as well. i am a bit afraid of the medication though, given that my doctor said that it may make me begin to lactate or grow breast tissue (i'm a guy) via increased prolactin levels, gain weight via a number of mechanisms (leptin, serotonergic, and metabolic in nature), and may cause for metabolic syndome. EPS of course were discussed as well. I sort of don't seem to have much of a variety in the way of psychotropics any longer as i've trialed a number without success and those that have benefitted me, i'm currently taking, although they do not curb the disorders to provide for wellness. i don't really know what i'm looking for by posting this other than to connect with other people who have been or are in similar situations. thanks for reading! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 also, my doctor just today increased my dose from .5 to 1mg of risperidone per day. he stated that i could take both .5mg tabs at night or i could take them split apart. the prescription bottled also says take two .5mg tablets together or twice a day. i'm so confused because i don't know what to do and i don't know what's typically done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifequake Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Your doc certainly made you aware of the potential negative side effects! heh. Honestly, if you have intolerable side effects, you can talk to your doc about stopping it or trialing one of the meds you have not ruled out. Proactin can me monitored, in addition to a comprehensive metabolic panel. Since it has a long half-life, I would go with whatever feels best for you. If it makes you feel drowsy or sedated during the daytime, then I would take the full dose at night. Some people find once-daily dosing easier to remember, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 thanks for responding, lifequake! i think that i will begin taking the entire milligram at night starting tonight because it does really make it easier to remember. and yes, my doctor told me all of the scary things about the drug with a brief throwing in of, 'oh, and it might help your refractory disorders as well.' haha well, i'll see. i hope that it works out for me without significant side effects and that i don't gain 48934894389 pounds on it a la remeron. thanks again for taking the time to respond! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 I liked Risperdal very much. The first time I took it, it worked wonders for my depression, and it helped me to get my life going again after a major life-changing tragedy. I actually started to make plans for the future while on Risperdal. Unfortunately, I had to go off it because it went generic and I couldn't get any more samples from my pdoc. I took it again a few years ago, but it didn't work the same the second time around. I have heard others also have find that certain meds don't work the same the second time around. One milligram is still a low dose. I'm guessing that the side effects will be minimal. However, if you come across any intolerable side effects, be sure to report them to your doctor. I wish you a lot of success with this med. I hope it helps you as much as it helped me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 At 1mg, hormonal side effects shouldn't be an issue. 17 minutes ago, jt07 said: I liked Risperdal very much. The first time I took it, it worked wonders for my depression, and it helped me to get my life going again after a major life-changing tragedy. I actually started to make plans for the future while on Risperdal. Unfortunately, I had to go off it because it went generic and I couldn't get any more samples from my pdoc. I took it again a few years ago, but it didn't work the same the second time around. I have heard others also have find that certain meds don't work the same the second time around. One milligram is still a low dose. I'm guessing that the side effects will be minimal. However, if you come across any intolerable side effects, be sure to report them to your doctor. I wish you a lot of success with this med. I hope it helps you as much as it helped me. Invega, which is an improvement on Risp, recently went generic. You might want to look into that. I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 (edited) thank you both, jt07 and velvetelvis for your experiences and advice. paliperidone is another option that my doctor mentioned but he said that he was going to try me on risperidone first because i was on it for all of a week several years ago and during that week i didn't have anything remarkable happen and my chart listed a reduction of symptoms -- no idea why my doctor at the time took me off of the medication. jt07 - i'm sorry that the medication didn't work out so well the second time around, but i wish you well with the medications you are currently taking. also, thank you for your well wishes, as i do need them! velvetelvis - 1mg isn't a terribly high dose at all, thankfully. although it may be too soon to thank the psychotropic gods as i don't know if i'll stabilize on 1mg. hopefully so -- 0.5mg didn't cut it at all. Edited January 23, 2016 by basuraeuropea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Discomfort Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 I get no side effects at 2mg which is great, although I'm a little paranoid about growing breasts, I keep looking at them wondering if they've grown any bigger. haha. I remember my first night on risperidone, I woke up feeling so refreshed and my bed being the most comfortable it ever felt. I like to think it's controlling my tics a little more too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 3 hours ago, Southern Discomfort said: I get no side effects at 2mg which is great, although I'm a little paranoid about growing breasts, I keep looking at them wondering if they've grown any bigger. haha. I remember my first night on risperidone, I woke up feeling so refreshed and my bed being the most comfortable it ever felt. I like to think it's controlling my tics a little more too. me, too. haha. i'm definitely going to be looking at them also and wondering whether or not they're just my pecs or whether anything is abnormal. i'll have to try to limit the time i worry about them lest that whole issue become a part of my ocd. i just woke up after taking 1mg for the first time and i have a sore jaw. bruxism on risperdal? i also woke up remembering having violent/bizarre/disturbing dreams which aren't typical for me at all. i'm sitting here typing this sort of lethargically and in a daze, although that might wear off in a few minutes. hopefully this is just an adjustment period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Discomfort Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 Yeah, you've got to expect some weird side effects for the first few weeks unfortunately as with nearly any drug. My cravings went up considerably for the first week or two but thankfully evened out in the end, not that it could have been a bad thing, I tend to struggle with eating food and I'm underweight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 23, 2016 Author Share Posted January 23, 2016 thanks for the heads-up. my doctor didn't seem to tell me much in the way of onset efficacy and such. all he did mention were that the medication was "fast acting" and then provided for a list of potential and horrifying side effects. i'm 5'8" and 135lbs, so i'm pretty concerned about weight gain, although after a week at .5mg/day, my appetite has gone down, if anything. that said, i mirtazapine was switched for risperidone and while i didn't gain weight on mirtazapine, i was insatiably hungry. not so on risperidone thus far -- hopefully it stays that way. with all of your disorders, it's seemingly a miracle that you're only on one medication. i don't know why four are needed to (hopefully) keep everything under control as i'm not quite stable yet. were you on more previously? did you have to trial a number of AAPs/APs? i'm baffled. maybe i'm the crazy outlier and you're the crazy norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 22 hours ago, Velvet Elvis said: Invega, which is an improvement on Risp, recently went generic. You might want to look into that. I am. Yes, Invega was what I was switched to after Risperidone went generic. I did not find it as good as Risperdal for my symptoms. YMMV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Velvet Elvis Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 1 hour ago, jt07 said: Yes, Invega was what I was switched to after Risperidone went generic. I did not find it as good as Risperdal for my symptoms. YMMV FWIW, my generic Risp is only around $20 a month before insurance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 27 minutes ago, Velvet Elvis said: FWIW, my generic Risp is only around $20 a month before insurance. i think she had mentioned that it didn't work well for her the second time around. perhaps, though, the third time will be a charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 so, i guess i'll track my progress (read: report my side effects) as i go along. last night i took my second dose of risperidone at 1mg/night. i've been on the medication for about seven days now, but previously i was on .5mg/night and my psychiatrist upped it a few days ago. so, anyhow, i couldn't sleep!! i was staring at the walls forever and then finally, BAM! out without warning. i don't even remember feeling sleepy. i just woke up to music softly still playing as i hadn't turned it off as i usually do. today i have had a bit of akathisia which i was dreading because i have experienced severe akathisia before. ugh. it subsided by nearly noon, although i also had uncomfortable anxiety throughout the morning as well that still is bothersome. that's all i got, kiddos. any advice? are these start-up symptoms? do they subside? ahhhh! last night i was also more ocd-ish than normal and even slightly paranoid, which isn't typical of me at all. i don't want to tell my doctor yet because i fear the dreaded zyprexa switch. fat central. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 When I first started taking it, I would wake up early (and feeling refreshed). That was good because I sleep too much due to my depression. I also felt a little foggy for the first week or so. But other than that, I didn't really get any side effects. I mean zero. It was like taking a sugar pill for me, but over time I started to do better, to function better. Finally, I was making plans for the future and taking action to put them into play. Abilify helps my mood better, but it doesn't really help with the executive functioning like Risperdal did. Wish I could get that back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 thank you for the words of encouragement, jt07 -- i appreciate them! i am going to stick it out. the next time i'm scheduled to see my psychiatrist isn't until late march, although i can contact him to schedule a sooner appointment at any time, or, conversely, i can call or email him about a concern. i don't think there's cause for concern yet. i'm terribly sorry that abilify isn't working as well as risperdal did. have you tried zyprexa, by chance? that and the clozaril are supposed to be the golden standards amongst the aaps, or so i've heard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Abilify works great for mood. Spectacularly even. It just doesn't seem to affect executive functioning as much as the Risperdal did. I think you'll do fine on the Risperdal. The akathisia is somewhat troubling, but it might go away as you are on a low dose. If it becomes a problem, be sure to call you pdoc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 i hope it goes away, however should it not, i'll phone my doctor. thank you again for the advice and encouragement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 this morning into the early afternoon i felt notably drugged, listlessness or weakness or a lack of energy or something. it wasn't a pleasant feeling. i still had lingering psychic and somatic anxiety as well which was really quite distressing as well despite the lack of energy/weakness/listlessness. both feelings combined were really quite distressing. i don't want to give up on the med, of course, because, well, i'm hoping for it to work and so i'm also hoping that these effects are transitory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basuraeuropea Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 so, my doctor has upped my dose from .5mg/day to 1mg/day to 1.5mg/day over the course of a few weeks to a month. today was the latest of the increases and i'm a bit concerned because i feel a bit lethargic and indifferent to a whole lot that's going on around me. that aside, i have some akathisia issues that aren't terrible, but are uncomfortable as anyone who has had the pleasure of experiencing akathisia will attest to. do these get better while taking an aap? do they not get better? help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts