# Risperdal?



## tremelo (Oct 29, 2008)

Hey guys,

I was just curious if anyone here has had any experience w/ Risperdal/Risperidone? My Dr. just started me on it and I was wondering if anyone has had any positive or negative experiences on it. Has it helped anyone w/ their SA?

I am currently not taking any other meds. I have, in the past, tried a variety of different combos (antidepressants, benzos, etc...) with varying degrees of success, but have been med free for the past 2 1/2 years... I was reluctant to start medication again, but have been having a hard time lately and my Dr. suggested this particular medication for me so I thought I'd give it a go.

So, yeah, if anyone has any input, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

I think it's a bad choice, I have the "No Antipsychotics for SA-sufferers"-policy.  They don't have any proven efficiency for this indication and a bad risk-benefit-ratio, especially in the longterm.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

Maybe at really low doses it could stimulate dopamine release, I'm not sure. I'll agree with Medline on this one .


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## tremelo (Oct 29, 2008)

you know, the more i read about anti-psychotics, the less i wish to be on one...

i really don't know what to do anymore. i've tried several ssri's, mostly to no avail. benzo's have proven to be highly addictive for me, so i would rather steer clear of that class of drug. i've been on the risperdal for about a week, and experienced a dull, throbbing headache for the first few days, and now all i feel is a sort of 'blank' state of consciousness. i tend to worry obsessively, and it has helped to quell that, but i also am starting to feel oddly static- if that makes sense. it just seems like the negatives outweigh the positives. luckily, i'm meeting w/ my dr. next week and will discuss this w/ him further, but i really am unsure of what path to take. but what everyone has been saying about the antipsychotics is kinda freaking me out.

ideally, i would like to be med free. but i'm sort of in a place where my anxiety is hindering other areas of my life.

can anyone tell me what has worked for them?


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

I'm taking Risperdal, but not for anxiety (I'm Bipolar.) My experience has been positive in regards to my Bipolar, but I haven't really noticed a change with anxiety with that med.

What really helped with anxiety was an anti-anxiety medication, that I'm taking in addition to Risperdone.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

Could you tell us the name?


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

Clonazepam


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## KurtG85 (Sep 19, 2008)

I have been on risperdal and understand the feelings you refer to. 
I imagine you haven't tried every commonly prescribed SSRI, tricyclic and MAOI antidepressant, therefore you likely still have a ton of options left before having to result to antipsychotics (which certainly can help people with anxiety issues; seroquel is particularly commonly used for this). Every single med will usually have noticeably differing effects on each person, that even goes for generics to brand name versions. Don't ever believe anyone that tells you something like "if you have tried four (or however many) SSRI's than none are going to work for you". That is complete BS and the only way you will know if none will work for you is if you give them each an unbiased trial. Yes, it is a pain in the *** and expensive but its the truth. You also have the option of giving a mood stabilizer a shot like lamictal or gabapentin, although these sometimes have a higher side effect profile than SSRIs.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

KurtG85 said:


> Don't ever believe anyone that tells you something like "if you have tried four (or however many) SSRI's than none are going to work for you". That is complete BS and the only way you will know if none will work for you is if you give them each an unbiased trial. Yes, it is a pain in the *** and expensive but its the truth.


OK, you're technically correct that you can't know with certainty that no SSRI will work without actually trying every single one, but let's be realistic here. I've personally failed on 4 SSRIs and I have no intention of ever taking another SSRI. It seems to me that if you fail with numerous drugs in the same class then it's reasonable to expect that other drugs in that same class will likely also fail and it would seem prudent to pursue a different class of meds.

Let's see if I can name ever SSRI:
1. Paxil
2. Prozac
3. Zoloft
4. Lexapro
5. Celexa
6. Luvox

I checked wikipedia to be sure and they can't name any more (that are currently on the market). SSRIs #1-4 were total failures for me that provided zero benefit and only caused sexual side effects. #5 is substantially the same as #4 as Lexapro is simply the active isomer of Celexa. I can't be certain #6 Luvox will fail, but that's the most reasonable guess given my experience.

I would be very interested in hearing if anybody here has actually tried 4 SSRIs that were total failures and then found that SSRIs #5 or #6 worked. I think it's possible, though I'd deem it highly unlikely.



KurtG85 said:


> You also have the option of giving a mood stabilizer a shot like lamictal or gabapentin, although these sometimes have a higher side effect profile than SSRIs.


I've tried both of them as well. I found them to have no effect at all. It was like taking sugar pills. I suspect the reason such anticonvulsants that are used as mood stabilizers do nothing for me might have something to do with the fact that I'm not bipolar. In fact, if you read the definition of mania you'll have just read about a guy who's the total opposite of me.


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## Medline (Sep 23, 2008)

I have tried Fluoxetine,Paroxetine, Sertraline to no avail and just Escitalopram had some positive effects on my anxiety & mood. I don't see a point in trying 5-8 SSRIs, seems like a complete waste of time. One may start with a good one like Escitalopram, give it 4-6 weeks @ 20mg and then possibly try Sertraline (it's a little more "dirty" but that's not always a bad thing). If they don't help I would try Venlafaxine and then move on to other drug classes. Playing the SSRI-game for too long is useless IMHO.

The fact that you're not bipolar or hypomanic doesn't mean you won't react to mood stabilizers btw. Especially Lamictal works more on the downs then against the ups and can be used to augment ADs or alone even if you're not bipolar. It can also be helpful for other stuff like Bipolar Disorder...


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## MissMay1977 (Oct 25, 2008)

I was on risperdal as a mood stabilizer and it made me sluggish.


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## KurtG85 (Sep 19, 2008)

UltraShy said:


> It seems to me that if you fail with numerous drugs in the same class then it's reasonable to expect that other drugs in that same class will likely also fail and it would seem prudent to pursue a different class of meds.


I think it is absolutely beneficial to jump to another class of meds after trying 2 or maybe even just one of a med from another class. It can help you get a general feel of the general effects of the different classes and help you decide which class you would like to focus your attention on first, so to speak.

Personally, with a situation such as with meds where all I need is to find the right one and the quality of my life is suddenly 'worth living' and exponentially improved (as I have founds with meds in the past that have worked, namely: adderall) I don't think it makes any sense to decide that a med wont work for me until I try it. In a sense it is self defeating not to try that last SSRI or whatever (although, so you know, in the case of luvox I felt its effects are just like a weak version of lexapro; I have never felt a med which felt so much like another). Of course, if someones depression and anxiety isn't that severe and it just isn't worth the expenditure of time, energy and money into trying that last med then that's a different story. If I remember right Ultrashy, I think you said you have never really had any significant help from ANY med you have had. I think this difference in our experiences might explain our differing views (basically I have seen the incredible improvement that can result from a med that actually helps and so I have the feeling that the next med could be the one that gives me the same level of positive response I experienced with adderall).

I have tried all SSRIs and outside of luvox, which basically just feels like lexapro to me, I could not tolerate any of the others. I have probably tried like 30 meds or so (unfortunately) and the fact that I have only been able to tolerate 2 of them (but with pretty enormous benefits from these 2) is sort of the proof in the pudding as far as showing the importance of trying all the meds if you want to find the one/s that can help you IMO.



UltraShy said:


> I've tried both of them as well. I found them to have no effect at all. It was like taking sugar pills. I suspect the reason such anticonvulsants that are used as mood stabilizers do nothing for me might have something to do with the fact that I'm not bipolar. In fact, if you read the definition of mania you'll have just read about a guy who's the total opposite of me.


Well bipolar doesn't just mean manic, it also can describe irritable aggressive people with too much energy who may find that energy makes them cower from social contact (obviously not a very diagnostic description). I tried a mood stabilizer, not expecting much of anything and noticed really bizarrely effortless positive social effects (one pill of depakote I sort of borrowed from my mother).


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## dougcyrus (Dec 29, 2009)

just got perscribed risperdal for sa and wondering if anyone has had any scess or downfall on this ned


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

dougcyrus said:


> just got perscribed risperdal for sa and wondering if anyone has had any scess or downfall on this ned


 I got risperdal for hallucinations and depression not sa. but it helps me feel better. :yes and makes me fat though.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

Risperdal will put you to sleep, it will make u so drowsy and out of it.


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## Ashlie (Sep 3, 2011)

I am diagnosed bipolar 2 I don't get the typical euphoric hypomania i get mixed depression with hostility agitation extreme anxiety irritability, etc. I tried 1-4 on your ssri list when I was seeing a psych dr for about 1.5 yrs who had me diagnosed with major depression. The only one that i tolerated was paxil but I had uncontrollable binge eating problem While taking it and gained alot of weight, and I also lost my conscience and started doing bad things out of my character. Lexapro and zoloft both worsened all my depression anxiety symptoms. Prozac gave me horrible akathisia. A diff psych I went to for a second opinioun diagnosed me with bipolar and put me on lamictal and i reacted to it like I was being poisoned. New doc - a GP not a psych - put me on abilify which I got with a drug co voucher for free and besides a few dizzy spells and some muscle spasms it has made me feel absolutely fantastic!!! I am full of energy but not that nasty dirty anxiety energy, motivated to do things energy! And I am sweeter than ever to my husband after months of horrendous irrational mood swings. Unfortunately I can't refill it bc my insurance doesn't approve it being that there is no generic version, and to buy it out of pocket is more than my rent for a 30 day supply. My doc says I will have to switch to risperdol and I am very sad and irritated about this. I wouldn't mind bigger boobs but no lactation please and i still haven't had kids and I do not want my ability to have kids to be compromised! And I cannot live without the ability to orgasm I don't know who could.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Medline said:


> I think it's a bad choice, I have the "No Antipsychotics for SA-sufferers"-policy.  They don't have any proven efficiency for this indication and a bad risk-benefit-ratio, especially in the longterm.


+1

I use it myself but i take ritalin with basicly prevents the TD and other horrid issues.


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## michael10364 (Feb 4, 2011)

i think i i were to take any antipsychotic for anxiety, it would be seroquel.
it is expensive as **** though. around 8 dollars a pill if you have no insurance. the patent on it expires march 26th according to wikipedia, so there should be a generic for it coming soon after that. it just seems that seroquel is less likely to make you feel blank.
and also, there was a new SSRI that came out about 2 months ago called viibryd and some people actualy have an improved sexual desire on it, though it does still cause sexual dysfunction.


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## olschool (Sep 3, 2011)

i have -- it was given to me to help me sleep-- i wud say it worked pretty good


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## eagles12 (Jan 7, 2013)

risperdal side effects for me: the worst stuffy nose at one point i couldnt breathe out of my nose, cant sit still, increased appetite, depressive thoughts, kind of a feeling like a cloudy day analogy: cloudy (boring/waiting) all day except the sun doing things i like showering, being on the computer, reading, experiencing new things anything from watching new tv shows to new movies etc... risperdal will make you love eating more than ever so... basically for 80% of the day im in a mildly depressive state of boredom. all of my symptoms have gotten better with my decrease in dosage i was diagnosed with psychosis and i have been on this drug for about two months now my doc says i have about 4 months left so i should go back to normal only positives: psychosis went away after two weeks on the drug (i think my meds had nothing to do with it going away) i will say though i couldnt sleep i had crazy insomnia for 2 months which led to progressively getting worse the meds allowed me to sleep i take the med and i sleep easily. my experience with psychosis has taught me how to sleep i always had trouble falling asleep and now i know how to fall asleep. anyone taking risperdal for psychosis stay strong and it will go away learn from what made you insane basically. i also needed a little bit of therapy just someone to talk to


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## nomoreants (Mar 31, 2012)

Psychiatrist prescribed risepridone and i read its for schizophrenia ..i started taking it one week ago .. so far nothings changed


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## ladysmurf (Jan 3, 2012)

does anyone use this for anxiety?


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## Hussle (Mar 5, 2014)

Stopped using it due to side effects. One was where i could not sit down or lay down and felt like I always needed to be on the move. Another one was where I could barely breathe and felt like I was going to suffocate. Made me feel better the next day but I did not like the feeling of suffocation and not being able to sit down.

Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk


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## ladysmurf (Jan 3, 2012)

Hussle said:


> Stopped using it due to side effects. One was where i could not sit down or lay down and felt like I always needed to be on the move. Another one was where I could barely breathe and felt like I was going to suffocate. Made me feel better the next day but I did not like the feeling of suffocation and not being able to sit down.
> 
> Sent from my LG-V410 using Tapatalk


It gave me sleep problems, and caused more anxiety than I needed!!!!


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