Risperdal for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Gor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 27, 2024

"After trying 3 or 4 SSRIs and last using Zoloft for 6 weeks, my mania was horrific. As a last-ditch effort, I decided to go on Risperdal due to my sister having been on it for years. I started with a 0.5 dosage, and it changed my life the 1st day and immediately calmed me down. It has been causing me insomnia somewhat, so I'm starting to take it during the day instead of before bed. I have noticed that it increased my appetite for food, so I have to keep that in mind and don't deviate from my usual eating routines. It miraculously is taking away almost all of my OCD, which was my biggest problem in life. Don't be scared of all the bad side effects you may read on different sites, because all meds have those and they may not affect you like that."

• For...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 2, 2019

"I took Risperdal for three years for my bipolar, and it seemed to work really well, and that is why I stayed on it for so long. But I eventually started to gain weight very rapidly. I was 190 lbs (I am a 5'4" female), and I was completely lethargic all the time. I wasn't necessarily depressed, but just apathetic and cold. My psychiatrist helped wean me off it (it is not addictive, it just causes withdrawal symptoms), and even before I was completely off it, I had lost 15 lbs. I am now 40 pounds lighter, and it's been about two months. My friends and family say my emotions are much more 'colorful,' and I seem more emotionally engaged. I know that it has worked for many people, though, and it helped me a lot when the symptoms started appearing."

• Inv...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 19, 2015

"It's helped my paranoia, delusions, irrational thoughts, and impulses to self-injure and commit suicide more than anything else. Also helps control the hypomania because I'm not on a mood stabilizer. It just also makes me extremely tired and sedated, and I'm constantly hungry and have gained a lot of weight on it. I've fluctuated in my dosage from 3 milligrams to as low as 0.5. Currently taking 2 to 2.5 right now."

• Gas...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 20, 2017

"I'm not actually bipolar, I take it as an add-on to an SSRI for OCD, General Anxiety Disorder, and depression, but that wasn't in the categories offered. It works wonderfully for this for me. My OCD is very much under control taking this in conjunction with Prozac-there are so many things I just could not do and was so afraid of because of the OCD before getting on Prozac, and I could do even more after adding Risperdal to it. I take 2 mg, but I usually take it a few hours before bedtime because it does make me drowsy. I haven't gained weight from it and really haven't had any side effects."

• lrj...
• April 18, 2012

"I was given this medicine while I was in a mental hospital for my bipolar disorder. In fact, that's when I was diagnosed and then they started me on it. The first 2 weeks I felt like a zombie. I had no feelings or desires... nothing. Just blank. Then, after about 3 or 4 months after I started, I began lactating, and now, because of it, I have no sex drive. I have been off of it for about 4 1/2 months, and my sex drive still has not returned."

• Anonymous
• September 7, 2009

"The positive effects of this drug were negated by the adverse side effects I experienced, which included about five episodes of urinary incontinence and slowed motor coordination (my speech and movement were noticeably delayed to the point that I was taken off Risperdal because of this). I would recommend using this medicine to treat acute episodes as needed and not on a long-term basis."

• And...
• April 10, 2011

"I developed chronic insomnia in 2002 in Orlando, FL. As a result, I developed bipolar. After many exhausting doctor visits with physicians and psychiatrists, I got lucky and was referred to a great doctor who now prescribes me Risperdal. Risperdal relaxes me and puts me to sleep at night. The only side effect that I get is that it makes me a little sluggish in the morning, but overall I sleep 8-9 hrs every day. I have a new lease on life thanks to Risperdal."

• Tir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2016

"After going through my third manic episode, I was prescribed 6 mg of Risperdal, which immediately made me feel like an absolute zombie. I couldn't think clearly, was extremely tired all of the time, and was unhappy. Through the course of about 4 months, my dosage is now 1 mg, and I don't feel the severe side effects. Good medicine in controlling the mania, but in high dosages, will make you feel like a zombie."

• She...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 26, 2019

"After some months on Risperdal, I developed swallowing problems, which led to anxiety. Lowering the dose improved but did not eliminate the problem. Later, I noticed that I was very tense all the time. I would notice it and make myself relax, and then in a few seconds, I realized I was all tensed up again. I developed frozen muscles in my forehead. It felt like they had very little feeling. I don't know what you call it, but I saw it was listed as a side effect once I looked it up. It went away when I stopped the med. When I stopped this medication, I discovered I had a problem with my tongue. It is like it's too thick or something and doesn't form words as well, so I have a very mild speech impediment now. It is more difficult to speak, and I have to be very deliberate in speaking in order to speak clearly and without a lisp."

• Obj...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 6, 2016

"I took Risperdal (Risperidone) for about five years. It effectively managed my mania/hypomania and gave me no obvious side effects towards the beginning. Pros - Effectively worked - Helped with hypomania - Helped with mania Cons - Developed hyperprolactinemia - From ^^^ I developed amenorrhea and weight gain - Mental slowness (things were harder to learn and harder to remember). It's a good medication that worked for me, but I had unfortunate side effects. Everyone is different, so don't automatically discount the drug if you are just starting it based on everyone else's experience. It DID work for me the way it was supposed to, but I also had side effects, so I had to switch it. I'm giving it 8 out of 10 because it DID manage my BPD well."

• Mom...
• October 28, 2009

"My daughter took this medication for about one year. It helped with her mood swings, but the side effects are not worth it. She has a bladder infection, bladder incontinence, weight gain (which upsets her and causes more mood swings!), plus it has slowed her mental processing speed (lower grades in school)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 6, 2012

"I have been dealing with my son, who is only 6 years old and is on it a second time around. Since the doctor has doubled his doses in the morning and at night, now he hardly hears the voices anymore, and he can start to function again, but he is not able to do school yet since he has other issues and gotta still get him the help so he can be able to be in society and be able to do school so he can get his education."

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2009

"I am currently taking this new medicine, and it has really helped me control my mood swings better than any other medicine that I have taken in the past. One thing that I do not like is that I have gained weight from this. It makes me eat a lot."

• Ste...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 16, 2016

"It definitely helped with my mania. I just feel slightly off on it, but it has helped a lot. I take this and Celexa to help with my obsessing, but the Risperdal made me gain weight. I went from 120-125 to 140. I'm so unhappy about the weight gain. I'm going to try to switch medications and will come back to this if I have to, trying to find something better, but this definitely helped my mania and doesn't make me really tired like Seroquel and Abilify or almost pass out like Geodon."

• SoP...
• November 19, 2015

"I have been taking Risperidone for over four years now. I felt great the first year but had to constantly have my dosage increased. I don't like some of the side effects (anxiety, difficulty concentrating, weight gain, faster heart rate, flu-like symptoms) but have learned to deal with them. Once you start to gain weight, it is virtually impossible to lose the weight, as I have tried everything. It seems you peak at a certain level."

• Nub...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2019

"I take Risperdal 4 mg with 20 mg Celexa. I was on Invega Sustenna before. Since I changed, I find that I sing a lot and my mood is sometimes loony, sometimes doesn't want to deal with people. I gained so much weight on both Celexa and Risperdal, around 40 lbs. I will talk to my doctor about decreasing the dose and get on a diet. I hope that will lessen the symptoms."

• AJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2019

"I took the lowest dose. Once. It caused parkinsonism and extremely slowed movement. I fell down a flight of stairs because of movement problems it caused. Needless to say, I never took it again after that."

• Bsf...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2018

"I suffer from major depressive disorder and ended up in the psychiatric hospital with thoughts of suicide and extremely bad depression. They prescribed me Risperdal 2 mg. I started off at 140 lbs, since being on the medication, I am 230 lbs, almost double my weight, and have gained puffy, tender breasts. As for the pill working, it works 100% at what it's supposed to do. If you're extremely in need of help and don't care for the side effects, go for it."

• Tir...
• August 24, 2011

"This medication was not good for me. My doctor added this to the Depakote I was already taking to help with irritability and aggressiveness. This turned me into a zombie. Walked around in a fog the whole time I was on it. Still irritable and more so because I couldn't focus. Experienced nightmares, anorgasmia. When I could keep an erection and had an orgasm, had no ejaculate. Really scary. Took it for 2 weeks and then stopped taking it. Bad for me. May help someone else."

• reb...
• April 13, 2012

"I've taken the medicine for a month, and I do notice my mood is a lot better. I have gained 16 pounds almost. It makes me very hungry when I take it. My doctor moved me from 0.05 mg per day to 1 mg per day because of my horrible anxiety. It does help, but not all day. I plan to still give it more time. The weight gain is not exactly good though."

• Car...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 4, 2019

"Overall, I really like Risperdal. It's easy to take with minimal side effects. I take the generic version for bipolar II and have been trying over 30 meds for 5 years. I used to take Seroquel and divalproex, but they stopped working for me, and I was too tired. My mood is the most stable I've ever been, and I am level-headed and clear. I take 0.5 mg every night and find this is a good dose because I used to take more and was very out of it. This helps me sleep but not be drowsy. Honestly, it's not perfect as I'm dealing with depression currently. I tried Prozac, but it made me suicidal, dissociate, and feel zombie-like and less like myself. Because of this, I just recently stopped Prozac, but I plan to try other antidepressants with this to help my depression. Overall, I love that I mostly feel like myself again. I just want to care about life more now and be less apathetic. DBT therapy helps. Also, acne on my body/face from this, but no weight gain, so I can't complain too much."

• Ros...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 3, 2020

"My daughter is bipolar and has tried so many medications. She gets manic attacks. She hears voices and sees things when having her manic attacks. Five days ago, they began giving her this medicine. I’m reading everything people have said here and I’m wondering if this medicine is all she may need to live a happy, healthy life. She has tried Zyprexa many years ago, and that helped for a time. I’m keeping hope alive!"

• rub...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 18, 2012

"I'm a social drinker, and after 3 months of taking Risperdal, I can't get a buzz or even drunk. Viagra doesn't work either. It's like it took the pleasure out of my system, but now my libido is coming back after a couple of months. I had the doctor change my medicines. Hopefully, the new ones do a better job with my pleasure. In month 2, I was zombie-like, but now I'm almost back to normal."

• Kat...
• July 1, 2011

"Risperdal has helped control my moods and anger so much. I can tell right away if I have missed a dose because I immediately feel agitated. Unfortunately, I began lactating and have not gotten my period since I moved up to a higher dose 2 months ago. I also feel rather sluggish during the day, but to me, the pros exceed the cons. Hopefully, I will be allowed to stay on this."

• ris...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 12, 2017

"This is the best medicine for sleep and having no manic problems. But I was 98 pounds (super tiny), now 203 lb from Risperdal. What is the point of being on something if it works for bipolar but makes you obese?"