Risperidone for Autism User Reviews (Page 2)

• Green...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 26, 2020

"My son Is 9, he is suspected ASD high functioning/aspergers. Possible adhd. Is off school due to anxiety. He started on .5mg dose of risperidone twice a day. Has had little effect, today increased to 1mg twice a day. First thing he said after first larger dose, is he noticed he couldn’t make himself think(like he’d normally do before bed, effectively force himself to think to prevent sleep). Hope it works out well, we are desperate for him to be able to return to school without anxiety."

• Anonymous
• November 11, 2009

Risperdal (risperidone) "My high functioning autistic son was placed on this medication to help control his anger and aggression. Instead it has made him worse. The only positive effect of this medication is that it helps him sleep past 5am. His anger and aggression and impulsiveness are just out of control. He was then put on Vyvanse to help with ADHD and there are no changes worth noting."

• 1tire...
• April 4, 2011

Risperdal (risperidone) "This medication was given to my son by a ARNP who swears by it. My son cries for no reason, does not help him sleep but makes him eat like a bear, and he is argumentative about everything whenever he takes this. He needs help sleeping but there has got to be something else more effective for him with less side effects."

• Adaddy
• January 6, 2010

Risperdal (risperidone) "My son took this drug for a few years and I was told he would have "mild" weight gain. 40 pounds later we had to take him off of it because the weight gain was compromising his overall health. I can't really say I noticed a big difference while on it anyway."

• Deb
• July 19, 2014

"My son was put on this mediicne when he was ten, he is autistic and was showing signs of schizophrenia. He was on 1.5mg but now has 1 mg daily. It worked wonders within two weeks. He is now not withdrawn and anxious and back to his happy self. He also doesn't imagine things that didn't happen. He did put on a few kilos when he started the medication but now is tall and slim."

• Anonymous
• May 2, 2010

Risperdal M-Tab (risperidone) "My son is who is 8 has been on this for over 2 years now. After he started taking it his SEVERE behaviors decreased significantly. He was able to sleep through the night and stopped having CONSTANT tantrums. He still occasionally bangs his head, bite, pinch, kick and scratch himself and others but not nearly as often. The only negative things I can think of is the danger of the medication itself. But for me the benefits definitely outweigh the risks... For now anyway"

• Anonymous
• June 21, 2010

Risperdal (risperidone) "My son was put on 0.25mg when he was just 4 years old. It has helped him but he is weighing 72lbs (now 7 years old) and his sugar is up. Now we are on the hunt for a replacement. At least it helped us for 3 years. My son has PDD."

• Anonymous
• September 27, 2012

Risperdal (risperidone) "My son was put on Risperidone when he was three and half years old. It has helped him some, but he was is still extremely aggressive and would take off running out into road and parking lots. So, his psychiatrist said he had to put in psych. ward to try new medicine. They upped his risperidone to 0.50mg twice a day and added Depakene 205mg. twice a day. He's still very aggressive and out of control and moody. He's only 5 and in 12 more inches he's going to be as tall as me."

• Anonymous
• October 23, 2009

Risperdal (risperidone) "I found out a yr ago, that my high functioning autism son had Asperger. He was put on Ripserdal. After about 10 months I found out the doctor should have been doing blood work to test his porlactin level. His levels should have been between 2.8 and 5.8. His was 55.9. His doctor told me this was okay and not to worry till it got up to 1000 or higher. We tried other medications but nothing seem to help like the Risperdal. So he is back on the Risperdal. It does not have the same effect in girls that it does boys. "

• MumOf
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2016

"Son is 7 and has Aspergers and ADHD and from 2.5 years of age suffered from terrible tantrums. Also can be highly volatile and aggressive. Has been taking concerta for just over a year. Initially the Ritalin helped to calm him but the aggression remained and the rebound effects were awful as the Ritalin wore off. I refused to give more Ritalin as my boy became underweight and had trouble falling asleep. We have been taking risperadone for only three weeks and a lot of the aggression has gone. He is having better, calmer days at school and appetite is increasing. He still takes a minimum dosage of concerta."

• Ginge...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 14, 2016

"Our Son is 23 and put on 0.25 micrograms of Risperdal twice a day in September 2005, due to not being able to get a prescription for 0.25. we were splitting the 0.5 tablet in half. this was ok as the prescribed medication had a line in the middle. Our son did seem to be calmer at first. Our son was in a residential home during the week and returned home weekends. After going to collect him a few weeks ago, we were so shocked as he seemed all over the place, getting stuck saying one word, jerky movements of upper limbs. it was heart-breaking. We then noticed the brand of Risperdal had changed and they were a dark red tablet. We then realised this tablet should have never been divided. The GP advised us to stop the medication."

• Ragrat
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 26, 2020

Risperdal (risperidone) "Awful. Took it for 4 months. Doctor justified giving me this drug after I had a mere hx of “instructive thoughts”. It made me throw up when it hit my system. It made me shake. It took away my motivation for several years. It made me gain 50 lbs that I struggle to lose. Made me have mood swings and my first ever psychotic episode. When it “ran out” it unlocked a whole new level of anxiety I never experienced before. Drove me to insomnia and I struggle to sleep without an anti-psychotic since. Had to drink several red bulls and smoke cigarettes just to function. Since I’ve been off the meds, I don’t need cigs or Red Bulls. Have been nicotine 3 for three years! Screw this horrible drug. Made me hyperventilate when walking. Caused me to have circulatory problems, breast-like growths and gout. All improved when I got off this medicine."

• Nola...
• November 10, 2014

"My son is almost 7 and is moderately autistic, bipolar with aggression daily. He has been on Risperdal 0.5mg once daily for two weeks and I'm still having a great deal of problems at home. He hits and throw things! Very destructive! Is his dose not high enough or do I just need to be more patient with the medicine."

• letty...
• March 26, 2012

"This has been the only medication that decreased my daughters aggression. She is a changed person, better able to focus and learn. She is also able to sleep at night. I do have to monitor her blood every few months. Her prolactin level is so high now she lactates. Always thirsty and hungry. Over heats easily and has dystonic reaction of eyes rolling back. The benefits still outweigh the risks at this point."

• JDano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 2, 2020

"My son is 3 yrs old and had high functioning autism, He just started Risperdal 0.25 x 2 daily and it’s only been about two weeks. No major changes other than he has started to calm down much more than he use to be, and just today the weirdest thing happened... he was his normal self all morning playing and running around interacting and then he went down for a nap... when he woke up from his nap he was extremely drowsy and went back to sleep on my chest like almost instantly. It’s been like another hour and he hasn’t budged. I’m starting to worry not gonna lie. I feel like this is definitely a side effect happening to him. I’ll post more as more time passes on this medication."

• Ana...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 18, 2016

"My son is autistic, diagnosed when he was 3. Until then he looked a "normal child". He started taking Risperdal at 5 (1mg/day)and was the most efficient drug he experimented to calm down and avoid aggressive fits. Now, at 20 Years old, he takes 4-6 mg Risperidone a day, but he is tall and strong, weights 82 kg. The only problem is that he has epilepsy and Risperidone reduces the effect of Tegretol. We found out that we hav)e to give him the dose of Tegretol first and only after 20minutes give risperidone, He started a complement which is Diazepine (only if needed) and Olanzapina (3mg)- which is more effective and can even be a susbstitute for resperidone but seems to have more side effects (he speaks less and feels morning drowsiness)"

• Has...
• January 31, 2011

"My son is four years old and was put on risperidone. His behavior is so much better. We're not having anymore violence, screaming, biting, hitting, kicking, and throwing things. In general, he is more compliant when asked to do something, like get dressed. I might add that he has started doing this weird thing, and it has to be associated with the medication because it started at exactly the same time. He takes an excessive amount of baths. He can go about 15 minutes in between each one. He is up to about 40 baths a day. He doesn't wash, he just likes the feeling of being wet. We can definitely handle it though. It's a lot better than the violence that we were experiencing. It's just a weird side effect."

• Adhd
• November 9, 2019

"I had extreme aggression problems with dark behaviour. Since being on risperidone I have taken my life back. It really made a difference I would say if your aggression is as bad as mine was give it a go for sure."

• Autis...
• May 6, 2019

"I am an adult with high functioning autism and ADHD. My sensory overload, anxiety, and meltdowns have been well controlled with benzodiazepines and my ADHD with dextroamphetamine. However, my nephew's psychiatrist does not believe in benzodiazepines and chose to medicate his autism-related anxiety, agoraphobia, and tearfulness with this medication, which is an antipsychotic NOT a medication for anxiety or depression. As a result, my nephew became agitated and self-injurious for the first time ever, claiming he wanted to claw his skin off. Please watch for these reactions, these meds are not a benign panacea. My nephew is very short and of average weight, which is irrelevant. He is also less sad and anxious, and thriving academically since his new doctor took him off Risperdal and onto low dose Ativan as needed, Ritalin and Guanfacine."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 17, 2012

"My son has high functioning autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, aggression disorder, and sensory issues. He was diagnosed at age 3. He started Risperidone soon after his diagnosis. It worked wonders for 6 months or so. His behaviors and meltdowns were better but it did not help with the OCD. After 3 months we had to increase the dose and his symptoms started to get worse gradually. Then at 6 months he started to tell us he had ants crawling on him and his heart was beeping. He went through heart tests and they were fine. The doctor said that the medicine was causing him to see things and maybe have anxiety to have rapid heart rate. He was taken off and put on Prozac which didn't help and now he's on Zoloft and Abilify which aren't doing anything."

• frmus
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 28, 2020

"My sister was on risperidone once for about a year. It was horrible. It made her gain a lot of weight. It made her develop excess leg hair. It didn't stop her depression and aggression. It also once made her period last 3 whole weeks. Luckily she lost all the weight when she came off of it. My mom really regrets putting her on risperidone. This drug should be discontinued."

• sue
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 28, 2019

"My autistic son has signs of disorganised schizophrenia and has been on it for over a year. There have been no real improvement in his behaviour. The medication is supposed to be a tranquilliser, but after taking it we noticed no signs of calming down."

• Anonymous
• March 25, 2009

"My 9 year old son was put on a low dosage (0.25mg twice daily) to try and help aggression. He has been diagnosed with Aspergers. Unfortunatly he was sensitive to the drug and had a bad dystonic reaction. Hands went into spasms with Parkinsons type symptoms."

• caled...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 9, 2019

"I we recently diagnosed with ADHD (Inattentive type) and Autism (Aspergers Type). For years I'd had no luck with SSRI'S having literally tried just about every one. 2mg Risperidone has given me a new sense of calmness and stops me from becoming agitated. I use this along with Concerta XL (27mg) Methylphenidate (5mg) -For ADHD, and Trazodone (150mg) for Insomnia. This medication combination is not without side effects, but the benefits outweigh them. I found I was overeating at first, and put on weight. But thankfully Concerta XL has removed this side-effect. I couldn't live without Risperidone."

• CKano
• December 26, 2018

"My son has autism, severe learning disability and challenging behaviour. He started taking Respiridone when he was 15 and 11 years down the line it looks like he's suffering from Tardive Dyskinesia. He is only 26 and his mobility and co-ordination have deteriorated greatly over the past 18 months and it is heart breaking to see. His neurologist recommended that this medication was stopped 6 months ago but because he is now an adult his psychiatrist has to agree to stop it and as yet has not. Stopping it may not improve his quality of life but will hopefully help. Just a warning for anyone considering taking in on a long term basis..."