Risperidone for Depression User Reviews

• gigimac
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 8, 2013

"After getting used to the medicine, which took a couple of weeks of confusion, I began to realize my problems with 35 years of depression, especially bad in the last five years, went away like magic! My focus also improved. I cannot tell you how good it feels not to go to those deep, dark thoughts, lack of motivation, and an "I don't care" attitude. Being able to stay present in a pleasant world I had missed for so long is a wonder, and I had no idea it treated depression. The only problem I have with it is, it makes the muscles in my legs, both above and below the knees, to hurt quite a bit. If the makers ever go back to tinkering with its chemistry, stopping the pain would be smart, with a super-low start dose recommended."

• drake
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 9, 2020

"So I was admitted to the psychiatric ward of an Indian hospital; I’m an Indian male; and was given this drug risperidone to help me with psychosis. The first few days were a nightmare. I was restless and I wanted to move all the time. I gained weight on my legs during the second week. I felt lethargic throughout. I was put on 8mg of liquid and felt absolutely horrible. The feeling was so bad that I can’t even describe it. But my mind was being put under control. The audiovisual hallucinations were disappearing fast. I have to admit that after eight months and after being put on 2mg, my psychosis has vanished. Yet the hallucinations were not the problem anymore- the inactivity, laziness, lethargic feeling were. I’ve got three months left and I’m so used to doing nothing that I wonder whether I’ll be able to move again. I’m always on my bed!"

• Sheel...
• January 17, 2010

Risperdal (risperidone) "This medication kept me calm and gave me a good night sleep. I woke up early in the morning with energy and looking forward to starting the day. However, none of this means anything to me since it cause me to go from 145 pounds to 210 pounds. "

• Teetee
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 18, 2020

"I have never felt mentally ill before taking this medication. It ruined my life for the 3 months I took it, my anxiety was through the roof, mood was very low every day, crying all the time... just very bad. I am not an anxious person but this really become some depressed anxious mess that I did not recognise"

• Farris...
• February 3, 2016

"I have been taking risperdal for 7 years now. The worst thing about it is the lack of motivation and the carelessness. I don't feel like waking up because I have no interest in life any more. I wake up when I feel like I have slept too much. I can't work on my projects (I am a web developer) I have no interest in working because I don't feel motivated and I feel tired after I work instead of satisfied. My sex drive has gone down dramatically. The best thing about this drug is that it doesn't make me feel down or sad all the time, in fact, I don't feel anything any more like a zombie, a living dead if you well. Don't take it unless you have to"

• MiuKaai
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2020

"I used to take risperidone when I was in middle school because I was forced. I didn't remember how it made me feel. I took Citalopram with it so it probably over powered it. After getting off Risperidone when I was 13, I'm now 23 and I am only taking 1mg of it . After reading more about it I can see I was misdiagnosed and the medicine is making me feel extremely numb and anxious. I have a hard time focusing, my memory is foggy, my stomach has had a nervous pit feeling and I've had slight nausea. I don't recommend this drug if you DO NOT have Bipolar or Psychotic tendencies. I feel like a shell of my former self. No sex drive, no emotions besides overwhelmed feelings of doom and paranoia. This is nightmare and I can feel myself slipping. Be wary of this drug!!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2021

"I have found risperidone not to work for me. I am on it for bipolar and depression and it is making my depression and episodes of depression much more intense and worse than if I was not taking it altogether. I am unhappy with my diagnosis and current treatment plan but am struggling to find a dr who will change it or get an appointment with my GP. Please be aware this medication is not for everyone and is an anti-psychotic and a pretty heavy one at that! On the other hand please be aware it would help for certain conditions just not the one I have or my mood as a person in lockdown with depression. It is much less hard that quetiapine as I had that before. I had it to treat PMDD which was the only useful time which is bipolar but other than that for everyday life it is not working or suitable for me. Please fight for your mental health, you do generally know better! Thank you for reading x"

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2010

Risperdal M-Tab (risperidone) "At one mg, it completely removed all signs of depression and the side effects and feelings of lack of control associated with the depression. Although similar to moving into a new house, it was easy to get used to it and greatly simplified daily routine for the most part. Does not help with PMS associated lack of concentration but enhances concentration overall at this low dosage and makes it easy to focus on relationship problems also, although no drug can change the other person. "

• crash...
• February 12, 2018

"I've been taking risperidone for about a year and a half now. I take 1 mg at night and 0.5 mg as needed in the morning. It has been amazing. I have major depressive disorder and severe generalized anxiety. I've tried tons of different antidepressants over the years with no working results. Trying risperidone was like night and day immediately. For the first time, my head was clear of miserable intrusive thoughts and my anxiety levels were much lower, albeit still there. It does not make me sleepy and I have not put on any weight. I sometimes have trouble losing weight but I think that is more due to my lack of commitment than the medication. My sex drive has been significantly reduced but I think the trade-off is worth it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2019

"This drug ruined my life. I was depressed before taking it, but when I was on it I had terrible suicidal thoughts that I didn't used to have before this. I couldn't sleep and developed terrible anxiety attacks. Another side effect that I experienced was high prolactin levels which led to amenorrhea and a full face full of horrible acne (I'm not exaggerating). This of course made me more depressed and socially anxious. Coming off of it was as bad as being on the drug. Two weeks off of it, I am still experiencing the side effects of this drug, although i can at least sleep now. I'm absolutely miserable thanks to risperidone. Stay away from this drug!!!!!!!!!"

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2011

Risperdal (risperidone) "I take 50 mg of Trazodone and 1 mg of Risperdal for my racing thoughts and 40 mg of Celexa for my depression all at bedtime and the Risperdal is good. I get really hungry from it though. I always snack now before I get to sleep. Besides the hunger I like this in addition to my other medicines. Before I would have racing thoughts that kept me from sleeping and now I don't have as many which is great!"

• Anonymous
• November 22, 2009

Risperdal (risperidone) "Started this medicine at 45 yrs and have gained 35lbs in three years without any change in diet or exercise. Take 4mg day and this is the only medicine I take. Find that this medicine will cause psychotic episodes if taken with more than a 6-8 beers or half bottle of spirits. Next day I can't remember what I said or was doing and this is not good. If you like to consume alcohol beware of this drug as it will turn you into a zombie who does not remember later what you did or said, very scary. Haloperidol was once prescribed for a couple of days and I experienced double vision and extreme paranoia as well as chest pains."

• invis...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 21, 2014

"I've taken Risperdal for about 6 years to deal with depression and suicidal/self-injurous thoughts. It works very well for this. The only problem is that it does cause very severe weight gain, to the point where if I consume less than 1,400 calories a day I STILL gain weight. I have recently started taking Topamax to offset this, so hopefully this will help. But it does help immensely with problematic thoughts and I notice a huge difference in my state of mind and overall well being when I take Risperdal. Additionally it offers the great benefit of helping me fall asleep, which is great as a long-time insomniac. Overall a great drug, just some problematic side effects."

• violet
• October 9, 2014

"I've been of risperidone for about 2-3 years and now I have a prolactinoma. It could be a coincidence -- although I know risperidone is notorious for causing high prolactin. As for any other side effects, I didn't experience any. I'm having a hard time getting off of this medication now that the doctor told me to stop taking it, because I can't sleep without it."

• Anxie...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 19, 2016

"I have OCD, GAD, panic attacks, depression. I was on respirdone several years ago at 2 mg and then 3 mg, and it worked great. I forget why I was taken off of it, but a little over a month ago, I was put back on it; however, I had to switch to name brand then because the generic of Risperdal was making me not be able to think and almost be in a trance. Now I am on 1 mg of brand name risperdal and it works very well for alll these problems (I also am on some other meds with it) but especially my OCD."

• Valen...
• January 10, 2012

"I use this medicine for self-harming thoughts. I take 1.5 mg and it does help a lot. My self-harming thoughts have less power and "stick" less when I'm taking this medication. However, I have gained a lot of weight. I eat pretty healthily, exercise 2 to 3 times per week, and I'm only 17, but I've gone from 130 pounds to 180 pounds after taking this medicine for 3 and a half years. Another side effect is very vivid dreams that occur every night, but this isn't a problem. I also stopped getting my period for about a year and a half; however, that could have been due to self-starvation, since it has come back now (the medication is also lower than it has been)."

• Jaz
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2019

"This drug made me develop depression which I didn’t have prior just really bad anxiety also gave me intrusive thoughts had me very suicidal. My doctor took me off after 1 month & 2 weeks of using it tonight is my first night taking something different.. I pray it works for !"

• drew
• August 15, 2019

"I'm actually on this for pschosis. Risperidone has some terrible side effects. For example, I’m remembering the negatives of my past and cannot control those memories. I don’t like getting up mornings and I’ve got a horrible feeling in my body, in my stomach. On the other hand, I’m doing very well- no more hallucinations, no more silly thoughts against family, no more “racing” thoughts (as someone else put it). I am much better yet my past is haunting me. Thanks a lot to the psychiatrists for asking me to take this medication. But I cannot wait to get off it! I have three months to go; doctors said “six months to one year”. I hope the doctor says six months in total is OK. I cannot take it for more than six months because it also affects my study and work. I am extremely tired and have been lying down on my bed staring at the ceiling for three months. I want to get off it even though I am feeling much better. Yes, it makes you gain weight, enlarged breasts for men, and slight blurry vision."

• silen...
• September 2, 2015

"my experience with risperdal started when I first started seeing my psychiatrist for about a year now. I first started with 1 mg for two weeks and then started taking 2 mg for a month, and then three for another month before my doctor prescribed me 4 mg for a month which I didn't finish because it was intense for me and it made me really somnolent and overall sleepy all the time. my mom asked him to get me back on 3 mg which I've been on for seven months now. the only flaw that this medication has is that it causes some severe weight gain, and I can't sleep without it. risperdal has initially helped with my bipolar depression, and has successfully put my racing thoughts to rest."

• bebsxo
• August 20, 2010

Risperdal (risperidone) "I was on 1mg of risperdone at night for psychotic symptoms from my depression. It didn't help with the voices, although it did make me feel calmer about things. It's apparently meant to be sedating although I didn't find this. Side effects I experienced were increased prolactin (normal is anything below 500 and mine was 16,000!) so I've had to discontinue it due to high levels of prolactin, and it also upset my stomach!"

• ingridn
• January 19, 2020

"I have MDD. I was prescribed 0.25mg risperidone that evolved to 0.5mg and 15mg escitalopram. Risperidone was supposed to augment the effects of escitalopram and help me sleep - light sleep, difficulty to fall asleep. I report the effects of rispiridone assuming that the change in the mood (improved) is due to escitalopram. It helps me lots! I didn't know I slept so badly. Finally my nights recharge my batteries. I didn't gain weight or had an increase in my appetite. I run 40min/day + care about what I eat. I did it before, and kept doing it. I even lost 2kg that I wanted for some time (controlling the diet). I changed from escitalopram to bupropion (150mg) due to side effects, and considered stopping risperidone. I did it for 2 nights, but no good. Now I'm with 150mg bupropion-morning and 0.5mg risperidone-evening. It's so good to feel like a normal person again! But therapy is as important for me as I managed to understand my dysfunctional behaviour that (I believe) led me to MDD."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2018

"This medication is amazing. It helped with my major depressive episode along with my panic and ocd. I feel like myself again. It did take 2-4 weeks to fully work but honestly the wait is worth it. I feel more balanced and I’m able to control my thoughts."

• Thanks...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 7, 2019

"Was on risperdal 0.5 mg for 1 month, and 1 mg for 2 months. I was told to stop cold turkey on 11-16-2018 because it didn’t seem to help with the depression. It was prescribed as an add on therapy to Wellbutrin. 2 days later I started having severe anxiety and panic attacks. I mean SEVERE. I had not had anxiety before this! Now, Jan 2019 I am still having these affects and am on benzodiazepine’s for the anxiety. No help PLUS they make me feel like a zombie. DO NOT TAKE RISPERIDONE!"

• Outof...
• June 3, 2021

"I have severe MDD, anxiety and BPD and I waited weeks to see a psychiatrist because there are only three where I live and they are majorly understaffed.My psychiatrist gave me a prescription for respiridone 2mg I was terrified to try it because of all the side effects. I so desperately wanted to see if might help me so after working myself up for a couple days I decided to try it I thought because it was such a low dose what could I have to lose. I took it at bedtime and about and hour later I felt extremely dizzy and very nauseous. I thought it would at least make me fall asleep and that didn't happen, I tossed and turned and felt restless for about an hour until I finally fell asleep. When I woke up the next day I could barely move, I felt incredibly dizzy and lightheaded and just awful and just out of it! I laid down hoping that I could sleep it off. I’ve read that it really has worked wonders for some people but that was not the case at all for me. Risperidone was a nightmare!!"

• prett...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 28, 2023

"After trying many SSRIs, my psychiatrist prescribed 0.5mg of this. I've come to the conclusion that psychiatric patients are chemically abused through risperidone. After the first two weeks I took it, I started to feel mildly better, which is to say that I went from feeling constant anguish to nothing at all. I started having hyperrealistic nightmares. I had zero energy during the day and fell asleep at the wheel. I was at the most fit I'd ever been, but within a few months, I gained 80 pounds, mostly in my breasts, and also started lactating. I'm trans, so this gave me crazy bad dysphoria. My psychiatrist refuses to believe this medication is what made me gain so much weight. I've been off it now for two years, and while I've lost much of the weight, my breasts are still enlarged and give me lots of physical and mental pain. Risperidone made my depression worse and wreaked havoc on my body while doing so."