Risperidone for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 4)

• Tryin
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 1, 2020

"My husband used this medication for paranoid delusional symptoms in his bipolar 1 disorder. He used this and other medications for his symptoms of bipolar. This medication by far has been the only thing that works for his paranoia and it helps with mood swings and mania. He's been on this medication for more than 15 years. It is sedating, there are some sexual side effects and weight gain. But, It has helped us stay married for more than 20 years."

• glad
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 1, 2014

"I was hospitalized and put on this medicine approximately 2 years ago. I did great on this medicine. I did start the teeth grinding but not severe. I tried to give it up because of that side effect although I only did it while laying down getting ready for sleep and a few times during the day. I didn't get that exercise high anymore since it made me sort of sedated during exercise. I did get hungrier more often and gained about ten pounds but overall this medicine has decreased my anxiety and I hardly ever get panic attacks anymore. I tried other medicines but want to stay on this medicine because even though the side effects of weight gain etc. I love the way it relaxes me at night and helps me to sleep."

• Norma...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 30, 2017

Risperdal (risperidone) "I have been on Risnia/Risperdal for a few years now. Currently on a dosage of 2mg of the generic Risnia. As an answer to Bipolar Disorder with psychotic features this drug works wonders and I have been without relapse for 3 years now. My biggest frustration however is the weight gain. I have put on 8 kg during this time and I eat like a bird. I have tried a number of diets and exercise 3-4 times per week. My psychiatrist mentioned slightly decreasing the dosage every second day and see if that helps. I will try this as soon as I get a new script with 1mg pills. Can anyone recommend a good alternative?"

• relie...
• February 28, 2011

Risperdal (risperidone) "My 11 year old started taking this about a month ago and what a difference it has made. He is finally able to control his anger and think more rationally. However he is constantly "hungry". All I can do is educate him on good nutrition while on this medicine."

• terry...
• February 10, 2010

Risperdal (risperidone) "I was taking Seroquel XR for 5 months and was doing fine. Then my insurance switched me to Risperdal and I don't like it one bit. It doesn't do anything for me. I'm going back to the way I was before the Seroquel."

• rusty...
• February 10, 2021

Risperdal (risperidone) "Terrible choice by my PA to put me on this stuff. I was only on .25mg and the first day I was on it I had to leave work early because I was so confused, felt drained, exhausted. Sleep was absolutely horrible. Couldn’t stay asleep. It only got worse as the first full week I was on it I had zero focus, energy, felt confused at work. I missed the better part of two days of going to work. Went that same Friday and my PA took me off of it and put me back on a lower dose of Latuda and I’ve never felt better."

• Anony...
• January 26, 2013

"I like Risperdol for the most part because it completely calmed me down in the thick of two manic episodes. It is the first medication I tried for bipolar I (besides Lamictal for depression symptoms), and the first try was a charm! It stops both the mania and paranoia I was having during my episodes. I am on 4 mg at night. It is a miracle, but I gave it a 9 and not a 10 because it knocks me out."

• person
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 25, 2016

"I'd like to issue a warning to anyone using this medicine. Be aware that it can cause akathisia, a movement disorder characterized by extreme restlessness, the constant need to move, anxiety and severe dysphoria. I had no name for my problem, and it was difficult to describe. I consulted my doctor and described the basic symptoms but he told me that it was my bipolar disorder causing this problem, not the medicine. He proceeded to tell me that the medicine was simply becoming ineffective. A week or two after I stopped this drug I felt better. If you are prescribed this medication and experience ANY signs of akathisia (google it if you have to), be adamant with your doctor that the symptoms appeared after you started taking the medicine."

• Eersian
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 2, 2022

Risperdal (risperidone) "The kids at the mental hospital called this drug whisper doll and that's how I've called it all my life. Worst drug ever I woke up with a vivid nightmare, sleep paralysis and lockjaw. Very scary stuff."

• t gib...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 29, 2015

"My son was on this drug for years.. he now has tardive diskenesia after being taken off this horrible drug. DO NOT let young children take this drug. My son was given this drug because he was ADHD and was defiant at age 7. this drug fuelled 6 years of aggression, hospitalization, and learning disability. When the medication was stopped, he was in the hospital for a week with seizures . He will always be on meds for tics..and has permanent pupil dialation . Good news is , he has no behavioral issues and is an honor roll student"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 2, 2022

Risperdal (risperidone) "I’ve been taking Risperdal for 10+ years. I got diagnosed bipolar after 9 years. Before that, doctors were unable to give me a diagnosis because my symptoms are atypical. I suffered from psychosis and emotional instability. I was given a dose of 6mg in the beginning and it stopped the paranoia. I had a lot of side effects like sleepiness, flat affects, lactation, anorgasmia, weight gain, blurry vision, greasy skin, greasy hair. My dose went down to 2mg and it stopped the side effects, but I was still emotionally unstable, however no delusions. After 9 years I received lamictal and I felt a lot better, the depressions stopped, however I started having psychoses again and the Risperdal went to 3mg, then 4mg. I’m trying another antipsychotic now because of the weight gain. Over the years I gained 40lbs, especially when my dose went up."

• Patient...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 15, 2023

"This medication stopped me from seeing things that were not here in this world. Now, it's like you aren't taking any medication at all. I sometimes miss the positive symptoms that Risperdal took away. I was on Quetiapine for 9 years but it stopped working. I started out on 0.5 mg and didn't notice much other than it caused insomnia. I now take it in the morning with no problems as it did not cause any sleepiness as I read that some people had. I also take 600 mg of Lithium. My prescription was increased to 1.5 mg and that was an improvement. I would rate this medication high because I don't feel any negative effects, only positive. Give it a try, it may really work for your bipolar depression and visual hallucinations. It did for me."

• David
• June 18, 2017

Risperdal (risperidone) "I have been taking this medication for about a year. I started off with 0.5 mg. I was still having some evening anxiety so I asked to be moved to 1 mg dosage. I still had occasional anxiety in the evenings, so I asked to be moved to 1-2 mg dosage. I find that moving up to a 2 mg dosage causes me some drowsy issues and I am currently tweaking it to where I need it. My anxiety is like nothing I have ever seen or heard anyone experience. I know there are other people out there that have the same issues. I think it helps stabilize my highs and lows. I am more a bipolar type 2 person, which means my depressions are slight and my hypo-mania is somewhat great because I feel I can take on the world."

• Chrys...
• January 5, 2016

"Been taking risperidone for about a month now. Haven't had any real bad side afects like a rash or nausea. I do get light headaches and irritability from time to time but the gain is greater with the medication. Been eating right and working out since I've read all the comments about gaining weight on this medicine. So far my weight is steady. I figured control it in the beginning is easier then trying to get it back down."

• Minnie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 31, 2019

"Within 5 days of taking this medication I was already gaining so much weight. You'll always feel fatigued, tired, and sleepy, slow thinking /processing thoughts. Your body is suppressed depending on dosage, it slows levels of activity and energy."

• TheBMan
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 22, 2013

"I find Risperidone(2mg at night) very agreeable and experience no side effects at all. I hve been on many meds for Bipolar and experienced drowsiness and fogginess on most of them but with Risperidone its almost as if I am taking nothing at all. There might be some slight weight gain but I started gaining weight when I was previously on Chlorpromazine so I cant be sure. I am also on 500mg Lithium, half in the morning and half at night. Have been taking resperidone for the past 6 months and I hope it prevents relapse which I have been having almost every two years in the past."

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2019

"Risperidone made me feel tired all day. I had a hard time waking up in the morning. Although it helped me control my agitation and mania, risperidone really made me lazy and slow and demotivated. I decided to decrease this med despite the fact it really helped me my anger/agitation/mania."

• bp2Mom
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 31, 2013

"This medication turned out to be awful for my 16 year old daughter who has bipolar 2 with paranoia. She took 1 mg at bedtime for about 5 months and although it helped with extreme agitation, she had to increase dosage to 1.5 mg to keep outbursts under control. After increasing she slowly began gaining weight due to crazy carbohydrate cravings. She didn't want to change any medicines up, so we left it alone. She gained 10 lbs. in about two months and began lactating! She did not tell me about this until she had packed on an additional 10 lbs. in only one month (water?)! She began looking very swollen and puffy. Psych doctor changed her to Latuda and she has lost 9 lbs. in a week."

• Tano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 5, 2020

"I have bipolar disorder and tried this medication. Not only did it turn off the anger, frustration, intrusive thoughts, etc it did too for love, loyalty, connection to others. All emotions gone. I didn’t even care about my boyfriend or my cat, friends, mother, father, you get the picture. I was nauseated, had trouble eating solid food, constipated, motion sick, very uncoordinated. I was having trouble doing my job, and my personal safety was becoming an issue. If I would have continued this medication I would have fallen, tripped, etc. I was weak physically. I have a constant babbling of thoughts, it stopped. My mind was just blank unless there was an external stimuli. So did my urge to connect with others, I would only speak when spoken to. It was awful. I couldn’t feel anything at all"

• Andrea
• July 6, 2019

"I thank God for this medication. I sleep good whenever I take this. There's no racing thoughts and I can think clearly and do normal things. Whenever I forget to take this med, I always wake up in the wee hours of morning."

• kayyy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 5, 2017

Risperdal (risperidone) "This medication gave me severe anxiety and disassociation-like feelings. I felt as if I was being dragged from reality. It was used as an antipsychotic for my bipolar disorder. I highly recommend you try Abilify instead if you have similar symptoms like I did."

• Feli
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 25, 2020

"I was admitted to an outpatient facility for psychotic episode that was induced by a high dose of magic mushrooms. I had what is known as hallucinogenic persistence disorder, however, the psychiatrist diagnosed me schizoaffective disorder without even talking to me. During my week stay I was put on risperidone pills and also forced to get a risperidone injection which gave me terrible RADIATING anxiety and abnormal menses. They had me on Benztropine to counteract the side effects of the risperidone but it didn’t work, I had every side effect possible from tremors to dyskinesia. This antipsychotic also made my breasts produce milk and put a temporary halt on my fertility and ability to ovulate and menstruate. Everything has returned back to normal now that my period has returned and prolactin levels lowered, but still, if I could fight the person who created this drug, I would."

• si1209
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 16, 2016

Risperdal Consta (risperidone) "I've been on this 8 months it seems okay took the pyschotic syptoms away but gettting palputations, body temprature issues too hot and too cold, eating a lot more, slowed my metabolism down, insomnia and flu type symptoms. I do feel 80% better than what I did just constant worry about possble side effects"

• Postm...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 19, 2016

Risperdal (risperidone) "This was the WORST drug I have been on since I was diagnosed in 1998. I was on the injection for about six months, gained a lot of weight (50 pounds) and had a horrible gallstones flare up in which I was diagnosed with the condition (after fainting in public). I was put back on abilify and prefer the oral pill every day to the injection! One nurse didn't inject me correctly and I developed sciatica for longer than I was on the medication!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 26, 2018

Risperdal (risperidone) "At the beginning of taking this medication I was on 0.5mg twice a day. Now my doctor upped it to 1.0mg twice a day...and boy do I feel drowsy all day long! I even took a pregnancy test because I was so tired. But no its the increase in the dosage. If I didn't have 2 young children dependent on me I would have never got out of bed since yesterday. I feel that exhausted. I will go back to the doctor ASAP, I can't walk around like a zombie. I don't know what feeling is worse."