Risperdal?

So I've been taking Risperal for a few days and I feel slightly less paranoid. I also no longer have insomnia. I just wanna know if any of you have ever taken it and how it went for you?

I hate googling things because all you seem to find are the overdramatic horror stories of people who obsessed over the side effects of the meds before they took them and then decided that anything bad that ever happened to them after they started taking it must unquestionably be related to the med. Placebo side effects probably accounts for a lot of it since they read about it beforehand. I could be wrong. I'm just... annoyed right now.

Also I don't care about weight gain. I'm very fit and have an intense exercise routine. Spare me the weight gain stories please.

So what are your experiences?

I did not suffer any bad side effects. It knocked me out in the beginning which is why I took it at night. I am not on it now. I didn't find it to be that effective, but I am glad it has done you some good.

my two cents.

Otter.

Two words: no libido.

That pill made me gain so much weight and I felt as though all my life force was dying out of me.

Mark

It was way too potent for me. Knocked me out for 14 hours minimum, and I was groggy long after that. I didn't take it for long, so I don't know if that wears off or not. Anti-psychotics in general tend to make me so tired that I'm not functional, though. Guess it's better than self-destructive, but I still hated it. Everyone's different though, so if it works for you, that's great.

I was on risperdal with various other medications mostly lamotrigine, Wellbutrin and clonazepam but also with mirtazapine and on a few occasions when i was really manic quetiapine and lamotrigine.

Sometimes with the lamotrigine and wellbutrin it did help my bipolar but it usually takes atleast 2mg's to do anything. At that dose if i'm not really manic i will feel like a zombie. I won't feel sleepy just zombish. I don't find it to be as reliable or as good as olanzapine is in stopping mania or mixed states. Seroquel usually works better for me as well but it takes longer to kick in.

oliveira wrote:Two words: no libido.

Well so far I still have a raging libido. I hope it doesn't go away because that's just about the only thing that makes me happy right now.

I'm not worried about "breast growth" either, I'm a female, but lactation would be a bit alarming. Hopefully it doesn't happen.

But anyway thanks for the input guys.

I'd honestly rather be slower and a bit dopey/"zombie-like" than hallucinating and constantly feeling like people vehemently hate me and can read my thoughts and are messing with my head, and constantly feeling like [mod edit] hurting myself [/mod edit]

I have a true and not overdramatised story about side effects. Also i have weight gain, not from respiridal, but since becoming mentally ill. I wouldn't get so cocky about your weight, it can happen to anyone, I was once a healthy person.

[mod edit]

Hi there!

I took risperidone for like a year when I was first diagnosed as borderline to help me control my implulses that made me self-harm among other things, I was on 3mg at night. At first it knocked me down but that side effect only lasted like a couple of days, I did get a good night sleep and I could wake up in the morning feeling rested unlike the damn quetiapine that makes it impossible to wake up.

The side effects I had were, well, I was a little zombie-like, although I'm not sure if it was just risperidone or the combination with fluoxetine and clonazepam. It did make me gain weight (I know you don't care but still) I gained around 3 kilos, when I started my weight was around 46/47 kls, and I kept eating normally and healthy like I usually did, with some snacks between meals, I mean I didn't eat more than usual. I went up to 50 kls in like 6 months but then I went to a nutritionist who gave me a special diet avoiding carbs at night and sugar mainly and with exercise also I lost around 3 kls. Since you're a female, I remember a good side effect was that my period was very short, around 3 days, I had no PMS symptoms and I bled very little (and I bleed a lot) My breast size remained the same though, I have very small breasts so I was hoping for that side effect

Overall, I had a good experience with risperidone, it helped me with impulse control and self harm and besides the weight gain that actually freaked me out, the side effects weren't that bad When I was diagnosed ar bipolar II, doctor switched it to quetiapine and although it was good at first, I can't stand that pill now.

Hope you found this helpful

Take care

I was on Seroquel for a few weeks to get me stable before my lamictal kicked in but I was gaining weight real fast and I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. My doc switched me to Risperdal instead because he said it's less harsh and indeed I've been feeling much better getting out of bed in the morning though my moods are a little more severe than on Seroquel. I haven't had any noticeable side effects yet (prolactin, libido, too much sleep), but I've only been on it for a week and it'll hopefully only be temporary. Also I'm BPI and I'm just coming down from a psychotic manic episode so it might have a different effect. Anyway, hope things even out or you find a better med