My wife has just told me she is hearing voices and she has been issued with risperidone?

Question

by a psychiatrist. She is alcoholic and I am concerned about the side effects does anyone have experience of this drug

Thanks for all your answers. She didnt tell me she was going to the psychiatrist and I bet she didnt tell him about the drinking.

Answer 1

My son takes Risperdal for psychosis associated with the manic phase of bipolar disorder as well as aggressive behaviors associated with his autism. We only use it as needed now because he takes another, longer acting antipsychotic medication called Abilify (aripiprazole) that works better for him with no side effects.

Hearing voices is a symptom of psychosis and I'm sure this is why she's been prescribed the medication. My concern is that she absolutely should not drink alcohol while taking the medication. I'm hoping her psychiatrist is aware of her alcoholism. It's also possible that she induced her psychosis by drinking to begin with.

Side effects of Risperdal might be increased appetite, sleepiness, odd movements of the arms, legs or mouth and a feeling that your skin is sort of crawling. These are not common and generally disappear with adjustment to the proper dose and a bit of time to get used to the medication.

Please speak with her physician about her use of alcohol, encourage her not to drink while on any prescription medication, and if she has too many side effects on this medication, inquire about alternative choices, especially Abilify as it is the only antipsychotic currently marketed with virtually no side effects.

Answer 2

Razor:

Was the risperidone prescribed because of the voices, or did the voices appear when she started taking it?

What was the condition for which it was prescribed?

When she started taking it, did she take a lower dose, going to the full dose later?

Is she still drinking?

All these conditions will determine the drug's effect on her.

Since it is precribed for bipolar as well as for schizophrenia, the range for conditions for which it is indicated is fairly broad. Now and then it has even been tried on Borderline patients, along with other antipsychotics, so exactly what to expect from the drug based on the information you have given will be a bit sketchy.

You might want to discuss this with her doctor. It takes a bit for the drug to take full effect--that's why I asked if she was started on a reduced dosage. Usually it is administered that way until it has reached full strength in the body, than it is taken at full strength.

Risperidone is a dopamine blocker, and since dopamine is a very important neurotransmitter, drugs like that will often have serious side effects.

Talk to her doctor about it and get his opinion. He may want to wait this out--it may pass easily--or he may want to change her medication. Especially if she's still drinking.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Well first she has to tell him about the drinking, alcohol abuse has probably lead her to her current problems and it has to be assessed before any other issue is dealt with.

I have experience of the drug she has been given, if she has been put on a high dosage then she will have to have regular blood tests as this drug can cause an increased production in platelets and plasma.

But this drug also has a tendency to make the patient drowsy, for example i feel asleep in the bath when taking this.

The best way to avoid her being sleepy in the day is to ensure she takes her meds at the same time each day, sometimes it is suggested after an evening meal.

As her husband you can talk to her GP, explain your concerns etc, they wont be able to tell you about your wife's condition but by informing them of problems she may be hiding you can ensure she gets better treatment.

ALSO if she is being prescribed meds and is showing signs of voices etc she should have a CPN (nurse) who comes to see her at LEAST once every two weeks.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I don't think there is a general guideline. Just that there are voices... well, you know what I mean. My uncle is a clinical schizophrenic as well, but he hears voices down water pipes and voices simply in his head tell him that he is the next messiah; he is also utterly convinced his entire marriage had been a scam and that there was no marriage at all (I was there when he got married, mind you) and that his "so-called" wife had slipped him drugs throughout it to keep him thinking he was mostly disabled so that she could cash in on the disability checks... So I think that the way schizophrenia comes up in those people diagnosed, depends on how they deal with paranoid ideas. It is most likely entirely different from one person to another. Obviously I have no idea myself because I'm not schizophrenic. I also don't believe there has been much proof that you could develop schizophrenia in later life due to stress, trauma or anger. There have been studies towards schizophrenia and drug abuse and there is proof that cocaine and schizophrenia are connected. Also that cannabis and schizophrenia are connected. But even here, psychiatrists ask the question whether the drug causes the illness, or people with a latent tendency for this illness are attracted by the drug to surface their illness. Experiments with mice does show that drug abuse (cocaine or cannabis) at a very young age (before 15 in our case) can cause permanent damage and does actually cause mental diseases like for example schizophrenia. Anyone who uses these drugs after the age of 15 is shown to have no effect from the drug. Hence the question; does the drug cause the illness or does the illness cause the drug?

Answer 5

My husband takes this and she shouldn't really drink with it, which will be hard for her. It also increases the appetite and can increase weight gain. It can also cause bad withdrawl symptoms if she suddenly stops taking the medication.

However, it is a good drug as if taken properly it will stop the voices quite quickly and help keep her calm and aid sleep although she may seem a bit dopey and child like for the first few weeks as it slows the brain down a lot.

I suggest you speak to her psychiatrist and ask him about the side affects as they differ from person to person.

I understand it's a hard time for you so try to get as much support as you can from her doctors.

Answer 6

Well, any type of drug issued by a psychiatrist or any doctor for that matter should not be taken with alcohol. Did you let the doctor know she was an alcoholic when this drug was prescibed to her? Does she tell you when she hears these voices, and does she tell you that these voices are telling her anything specific? I think first of all you need to get her back to her psychiatrist immediately, and let him/her know what is going on. Let the doctor decide what to do, and that decision may be that she needs to be hospitalized in order to ween her from her dependence on alcohol, and to start her on medication to take care of the voices. I know from personal experience that without certain medications I hear voices and see things that aren't there, and my doctor adjusts my meds accordingly, but please please please get your wife help immmediately.

Answer 7

When people hear voices they can be diagnosed as having psychosis, which the general public have misconceptions about. Having psychosis does not make you dangerous, etc, it simply means hearing voices (I did hear about a little 8 yr old who wouldn't hurt a fly who heard voices and was diagnosed as being psychotic).

Have a look on wipkipedia.org, it gives you lots of info about risperidone. It says that common side effects include nausea, anxiety, dizziness, insomnia, low blood pressure, muscle stiffness, muscle pain, sedation, tremors, increased salivation and weight gain.

If she's been prescribed it I assume that these the benefits might outweight the side effects

Answer 8

You know, I don't have experience with this drug, but psychiatry has always been fascinating to me. If she was recently given risperidone, many drugs like that take a matter of weeks to months to help. This drug is an antipsychotic; it's suppose to take AWAY her dillusions. The side affects do not include her condition getting worse, so I would just assume that the medicine hasn't been given enough time yet to fully work.

Answer 9

Risperidone treats voices, I took it for a long time and it works well but it doesn't mix with alcohol. I haven't heard of it causing voices but it is probably best to ask a doctor. Have you thought about having a chat with the GP?

Answer 10

Did she tell you what he diagnosed her with? Auditory hallucinations are usually caused by schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or severe mood disorders. There's also alcohol hallucinosis. This causes hearing voices and visual and tactile hallucinations but almost always occurs in the withdrawal period when a heavily dependent person attempts to quit or reduce their drinking. She really needs to be honest with her doctor about her drinking. Maybe you might have to talk to him/her. Drinking on these meds is not a good idea.