Risperdal and Brain Fog: What Users Say

• orc...
• October 26, 2019

For Autism "I was given this horrific drug, Risperdal, at 14 years old because my anger was out of control. I had an eating disorder and gained over 20 pounds in 2 or 3 weeks despite starving myself. The weight kept piling on. I was very uncomfortable and couldn't get used to it. It makes me angry that mentally ill people are expected to just live with the uncontrollable weight gain for the sake of mental health. I felt like I was constantly in a fog. I could barely understand or react to anything anyone was saying, I had uncontrollable jerky tics. My night terrors got way worse. I fought my parents tooth and nail to get off this drug. They tried to hide it in my food and drinks, but I saw pieces and grinds of it every time. After a few weeks, I stopped taking it. I found out later the tics and movement problems can be permanent if you stay on these types of drugs for long. I'm not sure how long though. Doctors kept trying to push anti-psychotics on me, and I flat-out refused."

• LSa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 16, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Risperdal was the first medication I ever tried for my bipolar type one, and it was awful. They started me out on 8 mg, which is unusually high, it kept me from being manic or depressed, but also completely stopped me from being able to feel any emotion. I was a zombie. I honestly felt like if my best friend died, I'd feel absolutely nothing, it was that bad. Would not recommend. My current psychiatrist also says she hates Risperdal, if that helps any."

• Poo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This drug is very bad and not helpful. Still hallucinated on it. Blurry vision, restlessness, does not make you tired, brain pain, motor control malfunctioning, difficulty thinking on it, lack of emotion on it. Please don't take this 'medicine.' Very bad. Does not work."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Ano...
• October 20, 2016

For Schizophrenia "I started risperidone after my last hospitalization for PTSD with psychosis. Before risperidone, I suffered from insomnia, nightmares, and paranoia that led me to a full-blown psychotic state. I now live a more normal life with few symptoms. I take risperidone with sertraline and clonazepam at night, then pass out for about 10 hours. I suffer from mental fog and lack of emotion on the drug. I don't fully wake up until about 4 pm after my afternoon nap. It has also caused my periods to stop and enlarged breasts that leak once I upped to 2 mg. Going to try ziprasidone next to see if I can have a better quality of life."

• Sna...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 7, 2020

For Asperger Syndrome "Risperdal made me gain 40 pounds in less than 3 months. It also somehow caused a psychotic episode when I first started it. I was prescribed for irritability in autism, not psychosis/schizophrenia. It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I suffered through depersonalization, paranoia, and unshakeable beliefs for a couple of weeks. I also had movement issues and brain fog. I switched to another antipsychotic and lost the weight, but the effects following the psychotic episode lingered for 6-8 weeks."

• rus...
• February 10, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "Terrible choice by my PA to put me on this stuff. I was only on 0.25 mg, 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."

• Ell...
• January 17, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I was hospitalized for major depressive disorder and placed on risperidone 1 mg and Celexa to combat depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. My feelings are that risperidone 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 risperidone is worth the terrible side effects that it brings. I am now on Zoloft and coming off risperidone completely."

• Ell...
• January 17, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "I was hospitalized for major depressive disorder and placed on risperidone 1 mg and Celexa to combat depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. My feelings are that risperidone 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 risperidone is worth the terrible side effects that it brings. I am now on Zoloft and coming off risperidone completely."