Risperdal User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2009

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• sho...
• September 15, 2015

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I gained 100 pounds or more. I developed diabetes and chronic kidney disease. I also could not keep my hands from moving, and at night my feet would twirl. I chose to stop using Risperdal, and withdrawal was horrible. The medicine did wonders for my mental health, but the side effects were worse than my schizophrenia."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 22, 2018

For Schizophrenia "This medication saved my life. Been taking it for two years following two very difficult psychosis episodes, and my brain is a mess without this medication. Without it, I have very weird and intrusive thoughts about the nature of reality. Paranoid thoughts are all but gone as well. The only side effect I noticed is weight gain, which I honestly don't mind."

• Avo...
• November 23, 2017

For Schizophrenia "Three years of constipation on the meds just broke some mechanism related to bowel movements three years ago when I was on them, now on or off them now I don't go. I've read hundreds of other cases of this happening with this. I also have severe IBS from the meds and can't eat anything but fruit and vegetables without problems. Brain damage: I attempted to come off this med (Risperdal) and tapered and still ended up with bad brain damage. I no longer have much in the way of thoughts or can think complex things or higher processing, I can remember very little (I was incredibly smart before). This is the number one thing making me suicidal. I also can no longer feel what things evoke or derive enjoyment from many things. Severe sleep problems too."

• nes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 19, 2018

"My daughter was prescribed this drug for depression at age 25 by her primary physician. The result was almost catatonic, detached, had to quit her job in education, is still blackballed by the local district for quitting (they did not offer her family leave) and truly has lost at least 9 years of her life. She was/is not bipolar or any of the other diseases listed for use. We should have sued. Beware of this drug and its uses. We almost lost our daughter to enhanced symptoms."

• Anonymous
• July 1, 2010

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "I have PTSD with psychosis, and for me, this medicine was a blessing! I tried many different antipsychotics and a whole host of other medicines, but Risperdal worked wonders for me. I have been symptom-free (psychotic symptoms, that is) for over three years now, and the only time they returned was when I tried to switch to another drug. I went back to this one, and no problems since. I take the twice-a-month intramuscular injection now only because it stops me from forgetting to take my medicine, and this drug has truly saved my life. I also never experienced any side effects from it, except for a slightly elevated prolactin level, but it never gave me any problems."

• dee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 18, 2012

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I was experiencing awful symptoms, including visual and auditory hallucinations. I also had problems with 'feeling' something crawling all over me. I felt like someone had taken advantage/control over my physical being. I was scared for my life, wondering if my hallucinations were real. Luckily, this medication has cleared these thoughts and made the hallucinations better, but one moment clearly pointed out to me that the medication hadn't done any harm. I was laying in bed, and I started to laugh uncontrollably because I could actually lay there and listen to the quiet sounds all around me. I wasn't distracted by voices."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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

For Bipolar Disorder "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

For Bipolar Disorder "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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 3, 2018

For Schizophrenia "Was put on Risperdal when first hospitalized and diagnosed with schizophrenia. Gained about 100 lbs in a year. Felt dull cognitively. Slept the majority of the day. No psychotic symptoms. Delusions and hallucinations gone. No agitation. No anxiety tremors."

• Anonymous
• September 9, 2011

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I started taking risperidone when I was 15. It does take away the delusions and mood swings, but it leaves me with anxiety and dulls me out to the point where I don't feel like really socializing at all. I've tried other medicines like Zyprexa and Geodon, and they either do the same thing or have another bad effect on me. I'm 20 now and still haven't really found a medicine that works. I think whatever they put in antipsychotics just doesn't agree with me."

• Eli...
• May 15, 2018

For Schizophrenia "I was forced into a Canadian mental hospital in the late '90s when I was 13 years old (I'm male, by the way). They woke me up in bed and gave me a cup with pills and told me it was to help me with sleep. It was later on that they told me that the pills were Risperdal. When I was on Risperdal, I gained a lot of weight and was drowsy. I even developed minor gynecomastia that still remained 3 years later. I'm in my 30s now, and the gynecomastia surgery isn't covered by any insurance companies. What was covered was the ultrasound and mammogram. I don't have the money to pay for the glandular breast tissue removal surgery. People notice my male breast growth and tell me that I have breasts. My doctor says my gynecomastia is noticeable when I take my shirt off. People who know me notice breast growth through my T-shirt. Can the Canadian Government cover the cost of breast removal surgery if I am required to take antipsychotics that have side effects that grow breasts?"

• Dar...
• September 14, 2016

For Schizophrenia "I was on this 'medicine' for 4 years (ages 14 to 18). It is honestly one of the worst medicines I have ever taken. It not only sapped me of all of my strength and willpower, but it increased my agitation to unseen levels (I had a pretty bad temper before this, but I had learned to control it). It made me gain over 150 lbs in that 4-year period (I was at 120 lbs when I started it and 375 lbs when I stopped taking it). It also got me to the point I felt nothing but anger, and when I wasn't riled up, I was a blank mask of indifference. Not only that, but I have been off of it for 4 years now, and I still have trouble controlling my anger and weight. Plus, I have this problem where I can't stop moving (mostly my legs and the right side of my neck)."

• Bri...
• June 16, 2015

For Schizophrenia "I was prescribed Risperdal for schizophrenia ages 12-16 around 10 years ago now, and it's a huge reason as to how I was able to stay in public school. Other people still noticed I was 'different,' but it did wonders for both visual and auditory hallucinations, racing thoughts, and paranoia. It never could fully help my delusions, though. I gained a bit of weight, but what ultimately led me to no longer take the medication was the zombifying effect it had and how I felt it changed my personality. Might be okay for others though."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Anonymous
• September 27, 2012

For Autism "My son was put on Risperidone when he was three and a half years old. It has helped him some, but he is still extremely aggressive and would take off running out into the road and parking lots. So, his psychiatrist said he had to put him in the psych ward to try new medicine. They upped his Risperidone to 0.50 mg twice a day and added Depakene 205 mg twice a day. He's still very aggressive and out of control and moody. He's only 5, and in 12 more inches, he's going to be as tall as me."

• Tir...
• August 24, 2011

For Bipolar Disorder "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...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2019

For Asperger Syndrome "This drug for me was horrific. I was on it a couple of years ago, and after only being on it a couple of weeks, I ended up in the hospital with a high fever and severe confusion. The doctors thought at first I had meningitis, but it turns out I was having a bad reaction to the drug. I couldn't remember a lot of things and had kidney problems. The medical staff were very rude and secretive about my reaction to the drug. PLEASE BE CAREFUL TAKING THIS DRUG, ask plenty of questions and get started on a small dose. If anything seems off, please tell your doctor immediately."

• beb...
• August 20, 2010

For Depression "I was on 1 mg 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!"

• reb...
• April 13, 2012

For Bipolar Disorder "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

For Bipolar Disorder "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."

• Oom...
• October 17, 2009

For Head Injury "Had very strange experiences after a car accident, my mind couldn't do math anymore (I used to get 99% for this subject) and found extreme difficulty in ordering, processing, structuring things, information, etc. After taking Risperdal, my mind seems almost back to new again. Side effects I've experienced include thirst, reduced ejaculation... but worth the side effects... life would be very difficult without risperidone."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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!"