Risperidone and Tiredness: What Users Say (Page 2)

• rus...
• February 10, 2021

Risperidone 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."

• Not...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 14, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Risperidone made me feel tired all day. I had a hard time waking up in the morning. Although it helped me control my agitation and mania, risperidone really made me lazy, slow, and demotivated. I decided to decrease this med, despite the fact it really helped me with my anger, agitation, and mania."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 26, 2018

Risperidone for Bipolar Disorder "At the beginning of taking this medication, I was on 0.5 mg twice a day. Now my doctor upped it to 1.0 mg twice a day...and boy, do I feel drowsy all day long! I even took a pregnancy test because I was so tired. But no, it's the increase in the dosage. If I didn't have 2 young children dependent on me, I would have never gotten out of bed since yesterday. I feel that exhausted. I will go back to the doctor ASAP, I can't walk around like a zombie. I don't know what feeling is worse."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 26, 2018

Risperidone for Bipolar Disorder "At the beginning of taking this medication, I was on 0.5 mg twice a day. Now my doctor upped it to 1.0 mg twice a day...and boy, do I feel drowsy all day long! I even took a pregnancy test because I was so tired. But no, it's the increase in the dosage. If I didn't have 2 young children dependent on me, I would have never gotten out of bed since yesterday. I feel that exhausted. I will go back to the doctor ASAP, I can't walk around like a zombie. I don't know what feeling is worse."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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 realized I wasn't falling asleep in classes or in random places anymore. Still trying to get over the weight gain."

• pet...
• January 4, 2020

For Schizophrenia "The problem with this medicine is that while it is supposed to treat depression and works wonders to remove hallucinations and unwanted thoughts (some, at least), it makes one so tired and lazy that one becomes depressed in the process of being so tired! This is truly a conundrum. It made me extremely demotivated as I lost all interest in movies, exercise, and study. Yes, the benefits of Risperidone are immense, but I would not go so far as to say that they outweigh the side effects. The side effects are lethal. They hit right at the body and mind, and that is a big problem. Not to mention the weight gain that occurs because of inactivity and excess sleep. I find it really hard to shave in the morning! My mornings are the worst. I just can't get out of bed. Yes, it makes one sleep VERY well. There is no doubt about that, yet it is the TIREDNESS which is a big problem. I don't know why drug companies can't figure out a way to make a medicine that does not have such side effects."

• pet...
• January 4, 2020

For Schizophrenia "The problem with this medicine is that while it is supposed to treat depression and works wonders to remove hallucinations and unwanted thoughts (some, at least), it makes one so tired and lazy that one becomes depressed in the process of being so tired! This is truly a conundrum. It made me extremely demotivated as I lost all interest in movies, exercise, and study. Yes, the benefits of Risperidone are immense, but I would not go so far as to say that they outweigh the side effects. The side effects are lethal. They hit right at the body and mind, and that is a big problem. Not to mention the weight gain that occurs because of inactivity and excess sleep. I find it really hard to shave in the morning! My mornings are the worst. I just can't get out of bed. Yes, it makes one sleep VERY well. There is no doubt about that, yet it is the TIREDNESS which is a big problem. I don't know why drug companies can't figure out a way to make a medicine that does not have such side effects."

• Min...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 31, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "Within 5 days of taking this medication, I was already gaining so much weight. You'll always feel fatigued, tired, and sleepy, slow thinking/processing thoughts. Your body is suppressed depending on dosage, it slows levels of activity and energy."

• got...
• August 26, 2015

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been on this medication, 2 mg a day - 1 in the 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 medication for 3 days, but it's making me tired, but the anxiety, mania, and racing thoughts are gone completely."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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 my foot, or biting my fingers were 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."

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

For Bipolar Disorder "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 my foot, or biting my fingers were 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."

• Siw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 16, 2020

For Schizophrenia "I was on Risperidone/Risperdal for a little over a month, and it made me very lethargic, made my eyes roll, increased my appetite, and I gained a LOT of weight (close to 15 kg). It did make my auditory hallucinations go away and made me indifferent to the voices in my head, but it was not the best fit for me."

• Anonymous
• August 13, 2021

For Paranoid Disorder "I've been on this medicine for almost 3 years, and it's okay. It helps with my delusions, but I usually have to take another medicine together with it. I don't like the weight gain. I have gained 25 pounds on it, plus, it usually makes me more tired, where I can sleep 10 hours instead of 8. Overall, I say it's okay, but everybody is different."

• Dru...
• February 15, 2020

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This was the first antipsychotic I tried for schizophrenia. It did absolutely nothing for me but cause severe anxiety (worse than I already had), made me gain weight, and I was tired all the time. Antipsychotics have ruined my health. I used to weigh 160 pounds and was a very thin male, now I'm over 220 pounds. All thanks to antipsychotics. And that weight gain occurred within the first year and a half of starting antipsychotics. I was on risperidone for about a month before being switched to Zyprexa, which made me gain 20+ pounds in one month!"

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

For Bipolar Disorder "Have been on risperidone for years to help treat my bipolar I, 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 1 mg twice a day, and it was too much, and I’m a 6’4” 240 lb man. Risperidone 1 mg 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."

• Fee...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 29, 2022

For Schizophrenia "I’m on risperidone, and I don’t have emotions, and also I don’t have good night's sleep. My brain, sometimes I think, will stop working, and I feel foggy thoughts and tired. I feel like I can’t do much with my day as I feel brain dead. Horrible feeling."

• Tex...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 28, 2018

For Bipolar Disorder "This medication is not for me. It makes me tired all the time. Basically, I sleep for 10 hours, wake up tired, force myself to shower, go to work tired, come home from work and lay around, repeat. Even on my off days, I’m tired and spend it laying around sleeping. I don’t want to cook, I don’t want to exercise, and I don’t have a sex drive. I was prescribed it for bipolar, but there was a time I thought I was hearing voices and ended up in the hospital. I told my doc about what was happening, and the dosage was lowered. Things got better, but they're still nothing like my normal. I will ask to stop taking this medication, it’s terrible."

• tyh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2021

Risperidone for Schizophrenia "Took this for psychotic depression. It made me unnaturally tired, like I was fighting the effects of a sleep medication all the time! I also started overeating and was constantly hungry (like with Zyprexa). I did feel less anxious, but it wasn't worth it. Wouldn't recommend based on my experience. One note if you're autistic like me - some people report being more sensitive to side effects. It was complete news to me, but it makes sense with my history."

• tuc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 7, 2020

For Schizophrenia "DO NOT TAKE RISPERDAL. I was prescribed 3 mg of Risperdal after displaying psychotic symptoms induced by a weed addiction. I stayed on the medication for 4 months, my dose got as high as 5 mg for one month. It made me feel lethargic, emotionally unavailable, and in a fog. It did not help me with any of the symptoms it was prescribed for except sleep. I kept on a strict diet and didn't gain a single pound (I actually lost some weight). But despite not gaining a pound, this drug caused my face and cheeks to swell up with fat, and now I look like a squirrel. The fat just won't go away. I don't recognize myself in the mirror anymore. This drug does awful unnatural things to the body. My psychiatrist told me the weight gain isn't permanent, guess he's wrong. I'm living proof that some of the fat is inescapable and permanent. Wish it wasn't in my face."

• Kkl...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 2, 2021

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Had my first psychotic episode about 2 years ago and had to go to a mental hospital. They gave me a risperidone injection and I passed out for the night. I was in a bit of a brain fog for a week or so but eventually recovered while taking risperidone daily. My positive symptoms all subsided besides a faint voice every once in a while like someone's talking on the radio when it's really quiet. Makes me really tired during the day and working is hard, though. Glad I found something to keep me out of psychosis. I take 4 mg daily with no negative side effects."

• kev...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 5, 2021

For Asperger Syndrome "I have both inattentive ADHD and autism. When I was diagnosed in late 2018, I was happy to try a medication to counteract my irritability. My psychiatrist recommended risperidone (2 mg) every night before bed. It calmed me down a lot at first, but also made me numb and emotionless. When I started this medication, I was a 32' waist, average build, and healthy. After being on it nearly 4 years, I am now a 44' waist, weigh 22.5 stones, and have absolutely no motivation to do anything. The simplest task feels exhausting. I struggled with procrastination before I started this godawful medicine. I sleep for 11 hours per night on average and wake up feeling tired. My appetite didn't increase, but I kept piling on the weight no matter how little I ate. I wish I'd never started it. Working with my doctor to taper off it completely and find another medication. I will also need to work with a health coach fast because I'm concerned about stroke and heart attacks (I'm in my mid-40s!). My advice is DON'T."

• add...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 5, 2023

For Depression "Risperidone is the second antipsychotic I've taken after Rexulti, and I think it works in lessening the noise in your brain, making you more productive and stable, etc. However, taking this drug makes me unable to stay well awake for more than 12 hours, and I get immensely tired right at sundown even though I take it at 9 P.M. and have an 8h-9h sleep schedule. It also raised my prolactin levels to 7 times bigger than the highest normal quantity and caused a benign tumor in my pituitary gland, of which I have no sense of if it will last forever or not. I also feel slower, but that might be because of the anticonvulsant I take. Overall, I'm scared for the long-term risks and think about letting go of this drug as soon as I can. But it helps, it really does! And that's the hard part."

• cha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2021

For Schizophrenia "I have been on the drug for two years. In the beginning, I felt tired, but after one and a half years, I began to feel much better. The problem with this medication is that it makes you tired and lazy, especially in the morning. The good part is that it gives good sleep and controls the mind. The beginning was very hard as I was dealing with all the hallucinations I had been experiencing since I had consumed marijuana and smelled glue from plastic packets during my teenage years. Please stay with this drug as long as the doctor tells you. And take it at the same time every day. It is very important to take it at the same time every day. Please do this."

• Tan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 14, 2021

For Bipolar Disorder "I have been using this Perseris injection for a couple of months now, and I have noticed a change in my mood swings. I still have them, but they’re not as high/low. I am also hungry all the time. One thing I do not like about this medicine is that I’m CONSTANTLY tired. As soon as 6 pm hits, I’m ready to pass out. I can’t do that because I have a toddler, so it’s definitely a battle. But other than that, I think this medicine helps greatly for the mood swings."

• gus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 21, 2021

For Borderline Personality Disorder "It just makes me very tired. I got it from the mental hospital that I have come back from. It kind of changes my persona and makes me more upbeat and less energetic. It helps me focus on the experience that I'm writing. It goes hand in hand with nighttime when I want to sleep."