Risperdal and antipsychotics?

Question

I would like to hear peoples experience with risperdal and how it changed their personality. My mind feels much duller while im on 2mg of the stuff. Makes me very passive and agreeable. I dislike the stuff and want to see if anybody has had similar negative experiences with risperdal or any antipsychotic

Answer 1

Well I'm going to put in my 2 cents worth in an assesment of risperdal (resperidone). Antipsychotic meds have seemed to be a great help for me. But no anti-psychotic is a "magic bullet." It requires concurrent psychotherapy and self discipline to achieve any results; they just help one recover.

I have been on several anti-psychotic meds for over 40 years. I have been on risperidone for over 10 years. I do not drink nor have I ever taken "street drugs". I no longer have hallucinations and they were severe when I first started medication in about 1965. The first anti-psychotic I took (for decades) was Stelazine, which had a bad side effect of tardive diskonesia, which I developed and still have although it was not as severe as some guys I know. I was also on another neuroleptic drug, Trilofon. It too had the side effect of tardive diskonesia.

Risperidone is not a neuroleptic but an atypical anti-psychotic. I have had some weight gain from it but that is easily corrected by just "pushing away from the table." It also decreases ones libido but not to the extent you can't function. As for the passivity and agreeableness you experience if it has had that effect on me (i am not an agressive personality by nature) it is a plus effect for me. As for my mind being duller, it isn't in my opinion as I was able to work full time for about 15 years plus attended two universities. I am now a retired biochemist.

As I said recovery from hallucinations takes self discipline; that is being very aware (as I was from the start) that the hallucinatory experiences were very unwelcome and quite "other" and not paying any serious attention to the "voices" or visual hallucinations.One should study what is known about the psychology and biochemistry of the disorder. One should not slip into the easy trap of believing there is any meaning to such hallucinations which meanings are delusions. Delusions are merely, I think, the uneducated explanations one naturally forms to explain what is happening to one.

The chief cause of recovery, if any, in my disorder was due, I think, to the Tender Loving Care I received from the psychiatric staff, especially nurses, and my family while I was both an inpatient and outpatient. I am still an outpatient on risperidal..

Good luck in your recovery, good health, peace and love!

Answer 2

Antipsychotics limit the amount of dopamine in the brain, which lead to a number of effects. For me, risperdal puts a ceiling on my emotions and I can't get psychotically high. As a bipolar I, this drug has been invaluable in keeping me out of the mental hospital.

As for the effects of emotional blunting, I have noticed it, but it hasn't been all bad. I lose my temper a lot less. But I am able to feel. When something tragic happens, I cry. When I watch a comedy, I laugh. I still have feelings.

I'm still the same person on Risperdal. For me the risks of the drug are worth it. Being manic and feeling all my crazy feelings is completely destructive.

Good luck in making your own decision.

Answer 3

Hello. Risperdal ruined my life. I had: no emotions, no will to do anything, I got 20 kg+ fat, I had bad erection, no sperm, and a lot of other problems. After 2,5 years of Risperdal, They changed my drug to Abilify and I got much more better. After 2 years of Abilify, I got free, and use no more Antipsychotics, even if doctors where saying to me that I need to take it all the rest of my life. 4 month passed and Im slowly recovering, but still have some serious problems. If your interested just read my question on yahoo: recovery after antipsychotics, meditation. I red a lot of stuff on internet about it and found millions of people who got their life ruined with those medicals. Some of them got recovered after about 1-1,5 year, some never recovered. I do good, I laugh a lot , I'm happy but have problems with pleasure, and thinking. cant explain it all in english , sorry, my bad :)

Answer 4

I took Risperdal for a while for racing thoughts due to bipolar depression, but eventually I came off it due to side effects similar to what you're experiencing. It dulled my mind a lot, to the point where I had to have my mom read over my homework and explain it to me because I couldn't understand anything I read, even though I was 20 and had never had trouble in school before. After that I took Geodon and it helped, too, but I couldn't handle the constant nausea and heartburn. Now I'm happily settled on Abilify with no noticable side effects. It's not the only med I'm on, but it's definitely an important part of the combination.

That's how it is with psychiatric meds. You always have to weight the benefits against the side effects and decide which is more important. Hopefully you're lucky enough to find one that works with minimal or no side effects, but that's not always possible. It's worth trying what's out there to see what works best for you, though.

Answer 5

You really must confirm that there is an extreme "NEED" for this med. I was diagnosed and prescribed this med. While I did have the "symptoms" of such a diagnosis... it was drug induced.... once my mind cleared and I was clean for a couple of months...this med seemed to have reverse effects...thus, making me paranoid, bad dreams... and so on.

While taking this med I did definitely experience a major change in sensation mentally and physically.... slept... alot... all the time. Extrememly desensitized my emotions... somewhat like an antidepressant (thats from my personal experience). The major side effects were weight gain and muscle cramps.

it's an extrememly strong med. I do not know of any alternatives... I do know that this med does warn of side effects. It warns of those you are questioning.... that's the thing with mind altering medication.... you usually... at some point... have to choose... do you address the problem, or do you settle for medication which in the long run ... and sometimes immediately... will change you symptoms v. eliminate them. Good luck.

God Bless.

Answer 6

i don't fairly understand what you recommend by utilising 'dropping cognition'. Anti-psychotics can sluggish your innovations down, if that's what you recommend...? In ailments like schizophrenia and mania, the place those drugs are used, a user-friendly symptom is racing innovations. So between the failings anti-psychotics do is to sluggish those innovations right down to with a bit of luck a classic point. If the dose is purely too extreme or a undeniable medicine does not accept as true with somebody it could sluggish them down (and each thing else) to the element the place somebody is sedated. yet then you fairly might substitute the dose or medicine, as that's not the final objective in psychiatry.

Answer 7

i hear you, I had 2mg of risperdal and all it did was dull my personality. now i am off it i am doing heaps better!!!!
these are the horrible sideeffects i had
. weight gain( didnt matter how mush u excersie u can not still loose weight.
. drowziness
. dull ness in personality
. couldnt show expression in my face