Risperidone for Anxiety User Reviews (Page 2)

• spu...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 12, 2018

"This medication is terrible, it made me so slow. I lost all of my friends and became agitated at even the slightest remark and anxious. It took me 7 years to complete a 4-year college course. I also lost all interest in girls, and I felt like I suffered brain damage. Avoid at all costs."

• mon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2014

"I have a seizure disorder, though it is caused only by strobe light things such as sun filtering through trees, ceiling fans, etc. So my moods, though, have been so out of control with anger outbursts and breaking and throwing things that I finally went to a psych doctor. She put me on 0.25 mg Risperdal with the plan to work up to 1 mg. After only a few days, I felt like such a new person! Oh, how I miss that feeling, it breaks my heart not to have that back again. I quit after only 3 weeks because I had read that Risperdal can cause seizures, and already being at risk for them and having a lowered threshold towards them, I just could not get that out of my head and relax with this medicine. If it had not been for that, I would be on it still."

• Phi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 18, 2017

"I had a crisis of anxiety and some paranoid thoughts when I was 15 years old. I then took Risperdal, and it helped me a lot. By 19, I switched to Invega, and I got more anxious. Now, by 20, I returned to Risperdal (only 2 mg), and I'm a lot better. When taken in small doses, it's great for anxiety and racing thoughts :)"

• Car...
• November 16, 2015

"HORRIBLE! Caused numbness and tingling in feet, then below knees. Two years later, numbness started going up higher. Now I can no longer stand or walk. Many, many tests done and no diagnosis. I was on 7 mg at one point in my life. I have tapered slowly down to 2 mg, but still cannot walk. Has this happened to anyone else?"

• wel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2020

"If you don't have bipolar/schizophrenia/any type of psychosis... Avoid antipsychotic drugs at all costs!!! Please!!! I've been in a living nightmare!! I took this for just a week a few years ago and it still affects me to this day. AVOID. There are plenty of other options, plenty of much safer drugs. Don't touch this!!!"

• cox...
• December 19, 2015

"Was on 0.5 mg for a month and not much of an effect except noticed I was sweating more and found it impossible to wake up in the mornings. I actually fell back asleep on my bedroom floor! Thoughts were still racing, still panicking when in social situations, just didn't really help."

• Ben...
• March 26, 2016

"I had been sick first in 2009. Intense anxiety, depression, and paranoid thoughts were my symptoms. The first doctor told me that I am bipolar. I took 1 mg at night for about 9 months with Lustral. I got well. But after I quit, I was sick again. Again, 1 mg at night. But since I was not sleeping more than 4 hours, I started Seroquel too. Every time I got well, I quit. But I got sick again. Now it's 2016 and I am using 1.5 mg for more than 1 year. I am more depressed than ever. I don’t want to do anything but lay in bed. I think it prevents dopamine too much, and I don’t want to do anything. I get lazy and afraid of not doing my daily job. Maybe I will change Risperdal."

• 2...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2016

"My daughter was given risperidone for anxiety and agitation she experiences with medical procedures. I was a little reluctant to give it to her seeing as she is #1 a toddler #2 seizure activity #3 traumatic brain injury in past medical history. I was prescribed this medication by her neurologist! I have never been so scared in my life...my child had severe vision problems, nasal congestion, and increased heart rate with the first dose. She seemed to literally go blind! Please ask for alternative meds, especially if your child is very young. I am beyond livid and confused about why she was ever prescribed this medication in the first place. Please don't put another baby through this (or parent)...Just don't."

• jon...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 9, 2016

"Been on 2 mg once a day for just over 4 months. Mostly wiped out my anxiety and panic attacks, but does nothing for my waves of agitation and irritability. I was reluctant to try it because of the weight gain. Now I regret it, as I have gained 50 pounds!!! I am the heaviest I've ever been and hate it. My pdoc wanted to raise it at last appointment or try me on another antipsychotic (I didn't realize how heavier I was at that point). I'm gonna choose the latter option when I next see her. The weight gain on this is worse than quetiapine (which I also came off for the same reason)."

• Lee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2022

"Horrible medicine, never wanted to take it but was pressured to by multiple sources. Now I’m constantly nervous and anxious even though it’s out of my system. I took it for 4 days at a dose of 0.25. This medicine is poison and is ruining my life even more than anxiety was - I’m not even psychotic or have schizophrenia and should have never been prescribed this horrible medicine."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 2, 2023

"Horrible. Made me think of my past and how I was during my psychosis. Made me feel guilty about everything I used to be while in a psychotic state. Put on a lot of weight as I just couldn’t get up from bed. I’ve been doing nothing for one year. Just lazing around the house with no job."

• Mer...
• May 20, 2023

"I had an out-of-control anxiety attack back in March of this year that sent me to the ER. They gave me THIS as a first choice, and as soon as they injected me with it, my anxiety got WORSE! I started having this extremely uneasy, unsettling feeling under the skin of my legs and the upper part of my arms. I began hyperventilating and overthinking and freaking out over every little thing that went on in my life. Nurses heard me hyperventilating and screaming, so they gave me an injection of Ativan, and I almost immediately calmed down, but it took about half a day for risperidone to completely leave my system."

• Has...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 29, 2022

"At first, my depression got worse but improved the next weeks. It was extremely sedative, so I had to sleep more hours than usual. It increased my appetite and destroyed my libido. After 5 weeks, I had to stop it due to extreme sedation and lack of motivation. My anxiety and OCD definitely improved, but the side effects were extremely intolerable."

• Sad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 27, 2017

"Had it with Azolam (alprazolam), ended up sitting all day on the couch, not being able to do anything. Gained weight, lost interest in life, and had memory loss. The pain I was in prior to therapy was better than the price I paid after taking these medicines."

• Sha...
• July 24, 2017

"I loved my life after taking these drugs. I couldn't sleep well and had severe anxiety. Along with taking these medications, the psychologist helped me relieve my anxiety. Plus, I was given the proper diet plan with it and some other medicines to improve my anxiety."

• Mel...
• January 14, 2021

"Started taking 0.5 mg of risperidone before bedtime. I also take 20 mg of Lexapro for anxiety/depression. I have to say, this drug has helped me a lot so far. Reduced my racing thoughts, intrusive thoughts, and miserable feelings in the morning. I have an appetite and feel like myself again. The only negative is a big appetite and very groggy in the morning. The good night's sleep is nice though."

• Deb...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 22, 2020

"I am tapering off risperidone 1/2 mg per week. I was on 2 mg to start with, now I’m on 1 mg. Tonight, I felt like I was sliding across the bed. But I sleep with my dog, and I wasn’t running into my dog, and my dog isn’t being pushed off the bed, so I know I cannot be moving. But I swear I was. I also have so much saliva that it’s giving me really bad heartburn. Help."

• nic...
• October 15, 2020

"I have been in and out of medication for managing anxiety disorder for the past 5 years. I'd say risperdal was the best. I took .5 mg for the first month, then increased that dosage to 1 mg within the second month. I took risperdal for 3 months in combination with 37.5 mg effexor, which I had been taking previously for 5 months before starting risperdal. The cons: I gained 20 lbs within the 3 months of taking risperdal. This is the reason I stopped. With stopping the pill, regular exercise, and diet, I lost it. The pros: I regained my ability to function normally. The adjustment period was good, I think I only experienced headaches and light sensitivity. The withdrawal period was also good, no symptoms. I found that I could focus on tasks and schoolwork again, my mood significantly improved, and I had regained confidence. Regular panic attacks and self-harm completely subsided. Honestly, it was a life changer."

• Bet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 27, 2020

"I was on risperidone for a month or so for anxiety and OCD. Worst thing to happen to me. Risperidone increased my anxiety, I started having paranoia, agitation, it was horrible. Couldn’t function at work, and it ruined my relationship with my boyfriend. They used it off-label for anxiety disorder, and it ruined my life. I’m in my 40s, and it was horrible!!"

• Spa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2021

"My MD has been asking me to try it for a while. I was scared because of the side effects like weight gain and TD. Finally, I said to myself, just try it, you can’t live the rest of your life like this. I’m 57. Well, this is a lifesaver, zero anxiety coupled with intrusive and obsessional thought. I feel like I can finally breathe instead of being in that cramped, anxious OCD state. It was the best decision I made."

• Nam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2022

"It didn’t really seem to do anything. I’m still an anxious, slightly unstable, and easily paranoid person. Just now, I swallow half a pill at night. At least I don’t seem to have any side effects either. Ahh, although it’s harder to orgasm. Might be situational. I think I’m on like 0.5 mg. My head feels a little empty, but I think that’s more a result of what I went through. Just realized thinking doesn’t do me any good for the inevitable."

• Jua...
• September 26, 2021

"I've been on risperidone for 5 years now. I took it at the beginning for psychosis, and it worked fairly well. Two years ago, I was on 2 mg, I started to get really bad anxiety and panic. I lowered it to 1 mg, and I wanted to come right off of it, but the doctor wouldn't let me. I've recently been put on another medication that raises the levels of risperidone, and I've had a return of this anxiety/panic/low mood. It's a good drug that can have amazing effects on people, but if you start experiencing really bad negative emotions, don't rule out risperidone for being the culprit."

• Anx...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 18, 2022

"Worked well for my mind and my anxiety, but I could not feel my legs. Went to the hospital for akathisia because they would not stop shaking. Took for about two or three days before my legs started shaking and I started throwing up."

• lil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2025

"I started taking risperidone for anxiety recently, after trying 20+ meds for it without success. The first week was rough. I got a cold, experienced insomnia, had restless legs, and felt very unmotivated. I wanted to give up, but I decided to give it a chance. The 1-week mark has now passed, and all of my side effects have gone away. I feel calm, stable, and functional. I currently take 0.5 mg once nightly and plan to go up to 1 mg. This is the best med I've tried for anxiety. It's not for everyone, but it's worth giving it a chance; don't give up if you're struggling at first."

• Kan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 5, 2021

"0.5 mg of risperidone and 5 mg of Lexapro have been neutral so far: within the past week, I have felt a good bit of brain fog along with very slow thinking patterns. I sometimes forget to eat or drink liquids because my brain feels so relaxed sometimes, which is concerning. No weight gain noticed so far, has stayed pretty much the same, my sugar binging has stopped, which is a benefit. The only thing that concerns me is the massive brain fog I have and sudden memory loss or 'blackouts' where I forget where I am or what's going on. I'm not even in my 20s yet, so that's not normal for me even when I'm not on medication. Pros: sudden memory recollections and remembering random things, calm and outgoing now, can talk to people, no weight gain so far. Cons: heavy memory fog and brain fog interfere with my job and life, slow thinking at work and at home, short-term memory loss, lack of appetite, too relaxed, possible serotonin syndrome, mild diarrhea."