Respirdal

Post edited by: RJ2003, at: 12/20/2007 08:34

Post edited by: RJ2003, at: 12/20/2007 08:36

Tablets

Capsules

Liquid

Injection

Risperidone Risperdal

Risperdal Quicklets

Risperdal Consta (injection) (including quick- dissolving tablets)

(long-acting injection)

What sort of side-effects might occur ?

Side effect What happens What to do about it

COMMON

Hypotension A low blood pressure - this can make you feel dizzy. Try not to stand up too quickly.

If you feel dizzy, don't drive.

This dizziness is not dangerous.

Headache When your head is painful and pounding. You can take aspirin or paracetamol for this.

Restlessness Being more on edge. You may sweat a lot more. Try and relax by taking deep breaths. Wear loose fitting clothes.

UNCOMMON

Movement disorders

(extra-pyramidal side effects)

Having shaky hands and feeling shaky. Your neck may twist back. Your eyes and tongue may move on their own. You may feel very restless. It is not usually dangerous but is a well known side effect, particularly at higher doses e.g. above 6mg a day of risperidone. If it is distressing or worries you, tell your doctor. He or she may be able to give you something for it e.g. an anticholinergic drug.

Raised prolactin (hyper-prolactinaemia) It can affect breasts and periods in women or cause impotence and chest changes in men, and possibly even osteoporosis if prolactin is raised for a long time. It is not usually serious but can be very distressing. Discuss with your doctor when you next see him or her. See also a separate question in this section.

Drowsiness Feeling sleepy or sluggish. It can last for a few hours after taking your dose. Don't drive or use machinery. Ask your doctor if you can take your risperidone at a different time.

Weight gain Eating more and putting on weight. A diet full of vegetables and fibre may help prevent weight gain. See also a separate question in this section.

Constipation Feeling "bunged up" inside. You can't pass a motion. Make sure you eat enough fibre or bran or fruit. Make sure you are drinking enough fluid.

Make sure you keep active and get some exercise e.g. walking. If this does not help, ask your doctor or chemist for a mild laxative.

RARE

Blurred vision Things look fuzzy and you can't focus properly. Don't drive. See your doctor if you are worried. You won't need glasses.

Sexual dysfunction Finding it hard to have an orgasm. No desire for sex. Discuss with your doctor. See also a separate question in this section.

Skin rashes Blotches seen anywhere. Stop taking - see your doctor now.

Palpitations A fast heart beat. It is not dangerous. It can easily be treated if it lasts for a long time.

Table adapted from UK Psychiatric Pharmacy Group leaflets, with kind permission (www.ukppg.org.uk )

Do not be worried by this list of side effects. You may get none at all. There are other rare side-effects. If you develop any unusual symptoms ask your doctor about them next time you meet.

Weight gain with risperidone is quite possible. Of the people who gain weight, most is gain during the first 6 to 12 months of treatment. It then tends to level out. It is not possible to say what the effect on your own weight may be because each person will be affected differently. If you do start to put on weight or have problems with your weight, you should tell your doctor. He or she may be able to adjust your drug or the dose of your drug to reduce this effect. Your doctor can also arrange for you to see a dietician for advice. If you do gain weight it is possible to lose it while you are still taking this medication, with expert advice about diet. In some people this can be a serious problem. If it causes you distress make sure your doctor knows about this.

Lindsey

Thank you for your sharing your experience with Respirdal, we actually weened him off the Respirdal and put him on Abilify. Now we are weening him off the Abilify and trying Tenex which is a blood pressure medication. It is suppose to help his aggression but not gain any weight. Rorey has gained about 30 lbs in almost a year, we were horrified because he doesn't even look like our son. The reason why we tried all of these medications is that he was getting aggressive and harming himself along with his parents and teachers. Well now he is getting worse he is hitting his siblings, peers and anyone that is around him when he gets mad. He punches himself in the head about 100 times a day, he hits his head on anything hard as well as chinning. We are actually really scared for him because he is either going to hurt himself or someone else. He is only 8 years old and weighs 100 lbs.

Take Care

Janet

I am sorry to hear that your son is becoming so aggressive. My son has some of those tendencies too, at least not to that extent, though...yet. Trae weighs over 70 lbs and just turned 8 on Thursday. He already outweighs my 10 year old daughter, even though he is still shorter. Let me know how this new stuff works. We are in the process of fundraising for a service dog for Trae so that hopefully it will intervene in some of his behaviors. Thanks for your experience, and let me know.

Lindsey

Thanks, Sharon

Janet

Janet

Take care and keep in touch here.

Sharon

I may be wrong, but I think we all feel that way sometimes. Sometimes I will spend weeks on the phone, and at appointments, fighting constantly for what I feel needs to be done to accomodate my son, especially with the school. Then I will take a break for a couple of weeks and even let Trae take a break too. I will cancel and reschedule all appointments so that we can both have a break. I hate to have him saturated with therapy all of the time. Kind of a bit off of the Risperdahl string, but I am single with three kids. The two girls are older and "normal". Trae runs off all of the time, and honestly, I can't always chase him. WE are getting a service dog for Trae and I hope that can help. Feel free to email me if you are interested at all. Lots of places will work with children with aggressive behaviors with the dogs. Research the results, they are pretty astounding.

Keep your head up, and something will bring you hope soon, and that will re motivate you to keep going and fighting this battle.

Lindsey