Risperidone for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

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

Risperdal Consta (risperidone) "Worst experience on this drug!! Developed sciatica, gained fifty pounds on it and had my first gallstones flare up on it. Was on it for about six months. Beware!! Make sure whomever injects knows how to do it. Was in pain from the sciatica for about a year after discontinuing the drug."

• T-d
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 6, 2022

"I took Risperidone for Bipolar Disorder for maybe two weeks, after stopping Latuda (it got to be too expensive). I had to stop taking it due to it causing severe depression/mixed episodes and suicidal ideation. It gave me terrible anxiety and insomnia. It made me so dizzy and lightheaded that I would stumble and fall a couple times and just constantly felt like I was going to pass out. I definitely did not have a good experience, unfortunately. It took several days for these side effects to wear off after stopping the medication."

• Loz
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 2, 2019

"Made me spaced out and a bit existential. Very tired and hungry but overall did calm me down a lot. I eventually stopped and i realised i wasnt falling asleep in classes or in random places anymore. Still trying to get over the weight gain."

• Melanie
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 15, 2017

Risperdal (risperidone) "I left a review once before, but have to add to it. I took this medicine for awhile & it helped stabilize my mood. Everything was great, until one day I noticed I was secreting breast milk. The doctor checked my prolactin level & it was very high. It was in the 100's. I had to stop taking this medicine, which is unfortunate."

• Mano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 16, 2018

Risperdal (risperidone) "I have bipolar disorder, been hospitalised and prescribed risperidone 4mg. It made me very ill and extremely paranoid. Experienced more panic attacks. My legs and arms would go numb. I had such a bad experience on this, I currently am lithium now and finding this much better"

• Blue...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 29, 2017

"There seems to have a lot of mitigated reviews about that med. I have rapid cycling bipolar 2. Tried Seroquel for 2 months a couple years ago which led me to crazy nightmares, persecution thoughts and the worse suicidal ideation. So I was very reluctant to try another medication in that class, but surprisingly risperidone works like a charm in stabilizing my moods. Racing anxious thoughts are reduced to a bare minimum, I can focus on enjoying the present moment but not elated hypomania, just confident and Zen. Crying spells have not happened since starting 1 month ago. Great nights sleep at 1mg at night combined with 10mg Lexapro in morning. Risperidone is a sunrise in my life."

• bipol...
• November 17, 2009

Risperdal (risperidone) "Better than some drugs, but Lamictal has been better. I still had manic episodes on this medicine, but sometimes I would forget to take it. Yet I knew there were times when I was taking it that I still got manic. But my spouse could tell the difference when I wasn't taking it, so it must have done something for me."

• green...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2017

Risperdal (risperidone) "Saved my life. Was put on this in the hospital and my depression was out of the suicidal level in three days. About 5 days on it now and have had some recurring moderate depression, however my pdoc says it should take full effect in 2-4 weeks."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2019

"So a couple of years back, I was admitted into the hospital UNIT, for extreme depression and anxiety. I was admitted for 3 days and was prescribed risperidone, this medication made me go absolutely crazy. I thought I was hearing/seeing things that weren't there, hallucinations etc, so on I gave it a chance and there was no changes, so I had to go off the medication. My body did not need the medication and I was only in the hospital for the extreme depression/anxiety, and did not know this medication was an antipsychotic, the psychiatrist made a mistake. Not all medications are for everyone but I would not go back on this medication if you paid me to. Scary what some meds can do!"

• Anonymous
• May 23, 2008

"I've been taking Risperidone for ten years now and have never had any side effects apart from a bit of drowsiness when the dose is too high. I take lithium as well and keep that the same at 1000 mg, and use the Risperidone in varying doses from 1.5 to 4 mg - in telephone consultation with my doctor - to control slight highs. I have not been hospitalised at all while on the drug and have led an active life."

• Aleks...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 29, 2021

"I wanna confirm risperidone was decreased my hallucinations for over 80% and maniacal psychosis for over 90%. Best for psychotic mania and maniacal psychosis caused by clomipramine. Risperidone is great for bipolar."

• Multi...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 5, 2021

"I started taking this in 2012 at 1mg. The road had been rocky since 2006. I legitimately think risperdal saved my life. It enabled me to live a normal life. Of course there are some side effects like heat sensitivity and leg twitching, but looking back a decade later. It gave me normal life."

• EllaCB
• January 17, 2018

Risperdal (risperidone) "I was hospitalized for major depressive disorder and placed on resperidone 1 mg and Celexa to combat depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. My feelings are that resperidone made me feel like a zombie, caused my thinking to be slower and less clear. I put on 50 pounds in the course of 20 months on this medication and that is even with regular exercise. So I do not think resperidone is worth the terrible side effects that it brings. I am now on Zoloft and coming off resperidone completely."

• Jynxe...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 9, 2019

Risperdal (risperidone) "I started taking this few years after I had my son and after some months I started to notice it made me start too lactate again with chest tenderness and swelling. Needless to say I had to stop taking this medication."

• rusty...
• January 30, 2021

"I just started this risperidone medication this week so it might be a tad early to give a review, but nonetheless here goes. I was on 80mg of Latuda and the side effects were driving me crazy, couldn’t get comfortable in the evenings, moving a lot, sweating nonstop in warm environments while others are barely breaking a sweat. So my PA decided that since I have obsession compulsive disorder he asked if I’ve ever tried risperdal. I said no but had heard of it. He started me off at .05 mg which didn’t sound like much medicine at all but after reading some of the reviews on here this seems common. So far I haven’t had any bad side effects on this medication, one night I didn’t sleep at all though but the next night I slept nice and hard. I plan on giving another review in about a month. Wishing everyone well on Risperdal."

• Jenna
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 13, 2012

"I have been on risperidone for about a week. I started getting chest pain on the second day but didn't think it was the medication until I was able to see a pattern between taking it and when they would occur. As of day 6 and 7 I am horribly hungry night and day. It also makes me sleepy during the day which is a pain since I have a young child. My inner anger, which was the main reason I was put on this has subsided though, so I'm going to withstand these symptoms a bit longer and see what happens."

• Staying...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 23, 2022

"Every time I have felt out of control mentally risperdal at as low a dose of .5mg calms my racing thoughts, crying spells, anxiety, and bad feelings. I have had to take higher doses when I was younger and my mania was more severe. At 41 years old .5mg to 1mg works very well. It does make me a little tired so I usually take it in the evening. For me it has always been helpful overall. When my thoughts are very distorted it is almost somewhat miraculous how much it can help me. Although it works best with less stress, healthy eating, exercise, therapy, and solid supports around you."

• gotguts
• August 26, 2015

"I have been on this medication 2 mg a day - 1 at day and night. I'm hoping in the next few weeks it will change but I've been tired a lot lately I've only been on this med for 3 days but its making me tired but the anxiety, mania and racing thoughts are gone completely"

• mneed...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2016

"I have just started taking this medication and it numbs me to everything. Slight drooling from the mouth and a stiff tongue leading me to slurred speech. No manic thoughts, but it is hindering any effective behavior and motivation. Very difficult to do simple chores like pulling weeds and is very difficult for me to focus."

• Moxieg
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2016

"I have been diagnosed with bipolar mania in the past 2 weeks and I have been prescribed lithium and Risperdal. My symptoms are so much better! I am feeling much more balanced and am sleeping much better. I would recommend the care of a caring psychiatrist to aid in symptom stabilization and medication management."

• Manuel
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 15, 2016

"Took this for mania in Bipolar Disorder. I can say that it helped with mania, but it did so in a way that was disabling in other parts of my brain. I could not be still with my feet, I always had an urge to move and shuffle my feet. I was always tired and exhausted despite getting 8+ hours of sleep. One side benefit, my nervous habits of picking my fingers, bouncing foot or biting at fingers was totally gone. This drug also caused some insomnia which required me to take another drug to help with sleeping. This is probably the worst drug I have tried in relation to Bipolar."

• Molly
• July 6, 2018

"At first I absolutely loved this medication it was the first time I felt truly normal in my life. I was on 1 mg twice a day. After a few days I started getting terrible leg pains mostly behind my knees and bottom of my heels. So stopped taking it for a few days my paranoia came back I took half a tablet and it was fine in a couple hours. So my dose was decreased to .5mg once a day. I felt fabulous for the next month then suddenly bang I had the most severe nerve pain in my legs and arms all the way down to my toes it was like walking on fire. My whole body would suddenly jolt also like I was electrocuted. It took me 9 days to seek medical attention because I couldn’t move or think. I thought the pain was subsiding it felt pins and needles then suddenly the pain changed and I was freezing cold instead of burning hot. I got some Valium and the nerve pain slowly went away I took a sleeping pill and was finally able to sleep. Most horrible experience I ever had."

• Anonymous
• April 1, 2023

"I have bipolar 1 and this drug has been a life saver. I have had incredibly hard manic and psychotic episodes and it has stopped me from having them. I regret that I didn’t take it for ten years because of weight gain. I made a lot of stupid choices when manic. I didn’t take it because I was scared of weight gain and made a lot of stupid mistakes in life. I am now taking this and lamictal and have been stable for 4 years. Also I have been at a good weight and was able to keep weight down through exercise and diet. Lamictal and rispirdol have been my miracle drugs. You have no idea"

• Djo
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 8, 2019

"Have been on risperidone for years to help treat my Bipolar 1, but it had more negative side effects than good. Significant weight gain, lethargy, increased anxiety at times, waking up a lot during sleep. The good is that it does slow down my mania pretty well, I’d say I’m 80% manic and 20% depressive. Mania had been causing me problems for years. I had been taking 1mg twice a day and it was too much, and I’m a 6’4” 240 lb man. Risperidone 1mg daily does the trick with less side effects, but definitely talk with your doctor before getting on this med, there are probably better options out there for treatment of bipolar disorder."

• Kvolk...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 8, 2022

Risperdal (risperidone) "Risperdal helped my Bipolar 1 psychotic symptoms go away after two years in psychosis. I take 7mg at night daily and it is easy to take. I had deep depression and take Lexapro with two mood stabilizers (risperdal and lithium carbonate ER). Right now I have some depression I’m working on. I can drive and grocery shop and weed the garden, but I’m still a bit critical of myself (depression) and ruminate (from the depression). I realize there might not be a perfect fix for me risperdal makes me think more clearly and manages my mania. I’m able to function and talk with others, make light of life and be a part of society….something I am working more and more towards. I gained 30 lbs or so on risperdal but it is worth it….I am a size large in clothing and I take care of myself by eating healthy and gluten free."