who is taking Risperdal?

Question

My friend is taking Risperdal, the doc didn't say what she suffers from but she has delusions and she also heard or saw things we didn't. She also thought she was spied on and being harmed.

The side effect she has is mainly dizziness. Anybody has the same / other experience with the drug or in a similar condition?

Thanks.

the dosage she is taking is 1mg, one tablet in the morning and one at night. She also has Hepatitis B+ve

Answer 1

Sounds like classic schizophrenia to me. And Risperdal is an anti-psychotic drug. It can make you dizzy and/or sleepy. But it usually goes away once you've been on it a couple of weeks.

Good site for info:

http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/rxdrugprofiles/drugs/ris1382.shtml

Answer 2

Hello:
This is in response to your question about Risperdal. I personally have never taken the medication, however I am a physician who prescribes the medication to quite a few of my patients.
The medication is FDA approved for various forms of psychosis, including schizophrenia, schizotypal personality disorder, bipolar disorder with psychotic features, medication induced psychosis from drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and various other hallucinogenic drugs, psychosis stemming from post traumatic stress disorder, acute psychotic reactions, etc.
Basically any psychiatric disorder that includes any form of psychosis, Risperdal can be used for.
There are also non-FDA approved off label uses for Risperdal. Many geriatricians are now using this drug in persons with alzheimer's dementia and other forms of dementia.
There are two types of psychiatric disorders. Neuroses and psychoses. The difference between the two is that neurotic disorders, the patient is aware there is a problem and is still in touch with reality whereas the psychotic disorders, the patient does not realize he/she has an illness and is not in touch with reality. "Delusions" go along with a psychotic disorder, not the neurotic disorders. (other symptoms of psychosis include hallucinations-visual, tactile, olfactory, hearing, taste; grandiose ideas, flight of ideas, etc).
The problem with Risperdal is that it can have horrendous side effects, the worst being something called "extrapyramidal" effects (strange body movement disorders, lip smacking, arm flailing, repetitive sticking the tongue out. Patients cannot control these symptoms and a lot of times, they are permanent even if the drug is discontinued).
Other side effects include massive weight gain, dizziness, malignant hypertension (where the blood pressure shoots up into very dangerous ranges, ie. stroke or heart attack levels). This drug can even unmask diabetes in someone who's blood sugars were always normal to start with, can cause electrical blocks in the heart, neuroleptic malignant syndrome (where the temperature will skyrocket..this can be rapidly fatal), can cause anxiety, panic attacks, sedation, constipation, heartburn/acid reflux, skin rashes, nightmares, heavy menstrual periods, decreased sexual drive/libido, impotence in men, fainting secondary to a rapid drop in blood pressure, galactorrhea (nipple discharge), confusion, motor impairment (inability to be in control of arm and leg movements), amnesia and the list goes on and on.
As you can imagine, this is not a drug you want to use unless absolutely necessary to control psychotic features!!!!!!
There are newer antipsychotics that are just as effective as Risperdal with a more favorable side effect profile. The problem is that they are terribly expensive and many insurance companies wont pay for the newer antipsychotics. Examples are Zyprexa, Clozaril, Geodon.
I hope this helped answer your question and alleviate some the concerns you have for your friend.
Best of luck to your friend.
Sincerely,
Warren Shaffer, M.D.

Answer 3

Your friend has schizophrenia. My dad takes Risperdal for the same problem. His dizziness passed after a little while, about 2 months.
Although, I am not sure why your friends doctor would be talking to you about such a private matter

Answer 4

Risperidone (Belivon®, Rispen®, Risperdal® in the United States) is an atypical antipsychotic medication developed by Janssen Pharmaceutica. It was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993. It is most often used to treat delusional psychosis (including schizophrenia), but risperidone (like other atypical antipsychotics) is also used to treat some forms of bipolar disorder, psychotic depression and Tourette syndrome.

Generally lower doses are used for autistic spectrum disorders than are used for schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis; risperidone has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for symptomatic treatment of irritability in autistic children and adolescents.[1]

Risperidone is now the most commonly prescribed antipsychotic medication in the United States.

Answer 5

I was taking respiridone for similar reasons as your friend, but it made me gain a LOT of weight, I went from a size 10 to a size 14 in 3 months, and I started to produce milk, (I wasn't pregnant)although it helped my symptoms I was taken off it because of the side effects, but it wasnt replaced by anything else as I am on a lot of meds as it is. The symptoms have returned but they won't do anything about it. If this drug is not suiting your friend I suggest they go back to their GP or psychiatrist and see if there is anything else they can try. I hope your friend gets on better than I did and I wish them luck.

Answer 6

Risperdal makes me lightheaded and this wears off (or I get used to the feeling and self-adjust) after about 2-3 weeks.

Answer 7

I've taken it before but it masde me gain alot of weight. You can always ask the doctors to try a new drug until she finds one she's comforable with. I found Quetiapine suited me after changing 5-6 times! She sounds like she has a psychosis which means being out of touch with reality. She'll get better, I had it & mine was caused by too much stress.
Please pray for her, bless you.