Risperdal

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have found the down side to Risperdal. This is beside the fact that DH

still insists that Matt looks " drugged " . (DH is always " Dear Husband " for

me. Sometimes I say it through clenched teeth, but it is always dear

husband. I have found that if you keep saying dear husband, you think of

him that way. IF you use other words for that, you think of him as that,

too. Plus, I know I would rather my DH think of me as DW, even when I

know I have not been a " dear wife! " )

ANyway, the down side is that Matt no longer self entertains on a car

trip, but insists on engageing all occupants in the car in his

discussions! We went to LA for a basketball tournament this past weekend.

('s team came in 3rd place out of about 15-20 teams in her age

division. Could have done better, but that is ok. We all had fun) It is a

4 hour drive from Las Vegas. We took our small car for gas mileage

purposes. (10 MPG in our full size van-at least 150. for gas alone in it,

vs about 60 in the small car) . Matt sat right behind me and literally

tapped my shoulder at least every 15-30 seconds asking for: Mcs,

Eat, Home, Basketball game, home, eat, home, eat, Mcs, OutBack

(Steakhouse), eat, home, hotel, eat at hotel, etc........... IT was a

light tap, but my sholder is sore from it!

We are going up to .50 mg of the Risperdal tonight. IT has been almost a

month. Others say he is much more 'with it " and " tuned in " but DH insists

he looks drugged. We'll see.

S

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[Guest guest]

In a message dated 6/23/00 5:00:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

egroups writes:

<< I'm for the Risperdal check list. was very Hyperactive before we

put

him on it and it calmed him down quite a bit. It was also for alot of the

anxieties he had and it helped the down on the floor on his stomach rubbing,

rocking (symbolic masturbation) thing going on until he wore himself out.

Thank God!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 That was an all day thing if he didn't stay occupied

or in a routine activity. He's on 1mg at bedtime.

>>

:

You are soooooooo lucky the Risperdal helped with the behaviors......this is

what I was hoping for too, with ....so far, just sleeping better, but

still grinding teeth, tapping on TV and furniture and growling still in heavy

action!!

[Guest guest]

,

Just like , is still doing all his little stimming behaviors too,

like paper flipping, growling sounds. Risperdal hasn't done anything for

that, but I'm truly happy for the things it has done noticeably. He will

still be real aggressive at school if he's pushed too hard or is made to do

something he doesn't want to do, but the most part of the anxieties have been

eliminated. He's sure sleeping alot in school though. I've been told when

asked, that he has always slept in class, but since I only found out about it

at this new school who is communicating, we've been checking into sleep

disorders.

I'm not sure if he sleeps more since I know there's a problem or since he has

started Risperdal. Lots of caffeine (cokes in a.m.) help, but only if it's

regular not diet. We've been doing alot of experiments. I sure don't want

to have to put him on more medication just to keep him awake, and I refuse

to take him off Risperdal.

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicki My 10 yr old son was on Risperdal for about 8 weeks, along with

anafranil. His experience was bad on it. He was real emotional-crying easily

and he had horrible stomach aches, every day on it, and his seperation

anxiety was worsened-he did'nt want to be away rom me.He was on a low dose

at bedtime, but we did'nt see anything positive while on it. Mind you, all

kids are different , so what may work for one, maynot work for another. Its

scary as a parenting having to put our kids on meds we know nothing about.

Josh has been on luvox, paxil, clonidine, risperdal, and now anafranil-its a

hit and miss when it comes down to it, take care and God Bless Nellie

>From: & Vicki <zawn@...>

>Reply-egroups

>egroups

>Subject: Risperdal

>Date: Sun, 02 Jul 2000 01:04:51 -0600

>

>Hi - I have noticed that quite a number of OCD kids are taking Risperdal.

>My daughter's p-dr just prescribed .5mg/day for her, but I looked up info

>on the internet & it scares me to have her take it. What do you all think?

>

>Her main complaints, along with mild-moderate OCD, are depression and that

>she can't sleep properly - she never has in her life (she's 17 now). She is

>also constantly tense & knotted in her back muscles & complains frequently

>of headaches. Our youngest, age 10, has a dx of Asperger's syndrome and I

>think my daughter may have a milder form of it too. She also has a

>Tourette's-like tic that is a moderate nuisance for her. Because the p-dr

>is 420 miles away, she also sees a local gp every few weeks. The gp had her

>taking Paxil & Luvox, which the psychiatrist says is nonsense - those two

>are too similar to be used together. Drat. I need better communication

>among all the providers we see!!

>

>Anyway - I am thinking I just don't want to risk putting her on Risperdal.

>Any advice out there? Thanks - Vicki

>

________________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

I am 15 and take Risperdal. I was a little scared to take it at first because

of what I read on a website! It is used for schizophrenia, so I thought my

doctor was trying to tell me I was schizophrenic or psychotic. I flipped out

and wasn't going to take it until I asked a nurse about it (I had been in

partial treatment at the hospital). She told me that it is also used for

anxiety, impulsive and irrational thoughts. OCD is made up of a bunch of

irrational thoughts, so I thought it would be good to try it. Now I have been

taking it for a month, and it has calmed me down some, and my obsessive

thoughts don't last nearly as long as they used to. I can go to bed at night

and wake up thinking my obsession was really irrational and silly. My new

pdoc has said that Risperdal is an " excellent medication for OCD " . I hope

I've helped.

-Liz

***Don't forget to check out my website, and bookmark it! Keep checking back

for updates! ***

http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/mental_health_teens

[Guest guest]

Hi Vicki, the pharm sheet that comes with the Risperdol my daughter (6)

takes says it's an antipsychotic. The first time I filled this

prescription, I was really bothered by this, and the long list of possible

side-effects. She was prescribed a low dose--1/2mg, her p-doc calls it

" just this side of homeopathy " :-) She's taken it about six months now

and I have to say it's been very helpful for my daughter for the problems

you mention--sleep disturbance (in my child's case, restlessness and huge

myoclonic jerks and tensing that would wake her repeatedly each night) and

tics (my daughter only had a few but they were very bothersome, especially

eye-blinking.) It also can boost SSRI effect and we were able to decrease

Kel's Zoloft by 25mg several months ago. She has much fewer episodes of

tics than before, and when she does, they peter out quickly.

I wonder if your daughter's tensed muscles are tic-related? This symptom

was in my child and this too was very much reduced on Risperdol. She used

to be nearly in tears, her whole body ached, after all day of tensing her

muscles compulsively, or ticcing, whichever this was.

Good luck whatever you decide. For my daughter Risperdol has been helpful

with few if any side-effects other than sleepiness.

Kathy R. in Indiana

Risperdal

> Hi - I have noticed that quite a number of OCD kids are taking Risperdal.

> My daughter's p-dr just prescribed .5mg/day for her, but I looked up info

> on the internet & it scares me to have her take it. What do you all think?

>

> Her main complaints, along with mild-moderate OCD, are depression and that

> she can't sleep properly - she never has in her life (she's 17 now). She

is

> also constantly tense & knotted in her back muscles & complains frequently

> of headaches. Our youngest, age 10, has a dx of Asperger's syndrome and I

> think my daughter may have a milder form of it too. She also has a

> Tourette's-like tic that is a moderate nuisance for her. Because the p-dr

> is 420 miles away, she also sees a local gp every few weeks. The gp had

her

> taking Paxil & Luvox, which the psychiatrist says is nonsense - those two

> are too similar to be used together. Drat. I need better communication

> among all the providers we see!!

>

> Anyway - I am thinking I just don't want to risk putting her on Risperdal.

> Any advice out there? Thanks - Vicki

[Guest guest]

My daughter was on prozac and risperdal for about three months.

Honestly, the only thing it helped with was sleep. The drug is being

used more frequently, but many psychiatrists, including 's new

psychiatrist are concerned about the safety of it. The biggest

problems for me is that it causes weight gain, A LOT of weight gain

in most who take it. Secondly, it raises prolactin levels,

especially in teenage/adult women. Sometimes it causes breasts to

leak milk. The same elevation in prolactin levels increases the risk

of breast cancer. But these are not the safety concerns most

psychiatrist even have. There are a whole list of possible permanent

side effects such as tardive dyskinesia--essentially a permanent, non-

reversible parkinson's like movements somewhat like tics, but some

rarely can effect breathing. The chance of this happening on

risperdal is small compared to other antipsychotics. was so

bad, however, that I was willing to try it. It really helped for

about two weeks, and then nothing--maybe even worse behavior. The

American Psychiatric Assocation (I think that's what it's called--I

think you guys know what I'm talking about), and the OCD foundation

still don't endorse the use of risperdal for OCD unless accompanied

by severe mood swings or hallucinations. Probably in time the

medical community will be in more consensus about this. For now, it

seems divided. Hope this info. helps.

[Guest guest]

My 11yo son has been on Risperdal for a year now. He absolutely cannot function

without it. It reduces his anxiety and augments the Celexa that he takes for

both OCD and depression. Like all of us here, I worry about the safety of these

meds. OTOH, Aiden would have no quality of life without them. They have

literally saved his life.

The list of possible side effects is, of course, worrisome. What you need to

know, however, that the severe side effects like tardive dyskinesia, are much

less than in the older antipsychotics. The biggest side effect is weight gain,

and most people do put on significant amounts of weight on Risperdal. Again,

you have to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision. As in all

things, YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Jule in Cleveland

[Guest guest]

My 11yo son has been on Risperdal for a year now. He absolutely cannot function

without it. It reduces his anxiety and augments the Celexa that he takes for

both OCD and depression. Like all of us here, I worry about the safety of these

meds. OTOH, Aiden would have no quality of life without them. They have

literally saved his life.

The list of possible side effects is, of course, worrisome. What you need to

know, however, that the severe side effects like tardive dyskinesia, are much

less than in the older antipsychotics. The biggest side effect is weight gain,

and most people do put on significant amounts of weight on Risperdal. Again,

you have to weigh the pros and cons and make your own decision. As in all

things, YMMV (your mileage may vary).

Jule in Cleveland

[Guest guest]

The best person to ask is my good friend Williss Langford! Please email him

willissl@...

[ ] Risperdal

I am considering putting my daughter on Risperdal for behavior, and would love to hear about any experiences any of you have had with it for your children.

Thanks,

Terri_

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kathy. I am waiting to hear from him.

Terri

[Guest guest]

He is a wonder, wrote self help books on epilepsy and autism and all other types of diseases. He

will help, he is God's gift to desperate moms not getting answers from their docs (which is usually the case LOL)

Kathy

Re: [ ] Risperdal

Thanks Kathy. I am waiting to hear from him.

Terri_

[Guest guest]

I don't personally have a child on risperdal, but I can relay some stories about the affects of risperdal on two of my clients. In both cases, it increased the intensity of mood swings, increased physical aggression, and made them very restless. Here's my opinion about drugs for " behavior " , of course anyone may feel free to disagree ).............I feel behavior is communicative. It is indicative of some underlying problem or diagnosis. Often I have seen people treated for " behavior " and it is just masking the symptoms of a bi-polar disorder or even an underlying medical problem. I would say procede with caution.

Jeanne

[ ] Risperdal

I am considering putting my daughter on Risperdal for behavior, and would love to hear about any experiences any of you have had with it for your children.

Thanks,

Terri_

[Guest guest]

Jeanne,

All medicines affect people in different ways. I'm sure that meds for behavior may have the opposite effect on some people, but certainly not all. My daughter has been on Zoloft for behavior and it did help some, but seems to be losing it's effectiveness. Now to your point, yes behavior may be related to an underlying cause, including communication, which I mentioned in my post. But living day in and day out with a child who is totally defiant, spits at you, slaps at you, refuses to take her meds, refuses to let you brush her teeth or hair, the list goes on and on-----------Who cares if these behaviors are due to the epilepsy? If a medicine can help , I am willing to try.

Terri

[Guest guest]

dont expect too much from risperdal though. there are

probably, in my opinion, better medications out there.

i took risperdal, inpatient, for five months, to try

to combat " aggression " . i bit people, i hit out at

people...i didn't mean to..but anyway...risperdal made

me pace, and made me cry, and made me completely

unable to calm down. it didnt do anything for what

they were trying to treat, because it made me so

agitated that it actually exacerbated the problems

they wanted it to eliminate.

im not personally very fond of it.

it does work for some people, but i wouldn't pin too

much on it.

--- terrif@... wrote:

> Jeanne,

> All medicines affect people in different ways. I'm

> sure that meds for behavior may have the opposite

> effect on some people, but certainly not all. My

> daughter has been on Zoloft for behavior and it did

> help some, but seems to be losing it's

> effectiveness. Now to your point, yes behavior

> may be related to an underlying cause, including

> communication, which I mentioned in my post. But

> living day in and day out with a child who is

> totally defiant, spits at you, slaps at you, refuses

> to take her meds, refuses to let you brush her teeth

> or hair, the list goes on and on-----------Who cares

> if these behaviors are due to the epilepsy? If a

> medicine can help , I am willing to try.

>

> Terri

>

=====

" Let me die on my own terms, let me live and let me learn.

Now I'll follow my own way and I'll live on to another damn day.

Freedom carries sacrifice. Remember when this was my life? "

Three Doors Down

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Oh believe me, I know it's unbearable to deal with the constant aggression. I was just using that case as an example. I have seen many cases where folks have been taken off " behavior control " drugs and actually treated for the underlying health condition (i.e. mood stabilizers for bipolar, etc.) and have done much better for longer periods of time.

Jeanne

Re: [ ] Risperdal

Jeanne,

All medicines affect people in different ways. I'm sure that meds for behavior may have the opposite effect on some people, but certainly not all. My daughter has been on Zoloft for behavior and it did help some, but seems to be losing it's effectiveness. Now to your point, yes behavior may be related to an underlying cause, including communication, which I mentioned in my post. But living day in and day out with a child who is totally defiant, spits at you, slaps at you, refuses to take her meds, refuses to let you brush her teeth or hair, the list goes on and on-----------Who cares if these behaviors are due to the epilepsy? If a medicine can help , I am willing to try.

Terri_

[Guest guest]

Your reaction is very similar to what I have seen in quite a few others

Jeanne

Re: [ ] Risperdal

>

>dont expect too much from risperdal though. there are

>probably, in my opinion, better medications out there.

>i took risperdal, inpatient, for five months, to try

>to combat " aggression " . i bit people, i hit out at

>people...i didn't mean to..but anyway...risperdal made

>me pace, and made me cry, and made me completely

>unable to calm down. it didnt do anything for what

>they were trying to treat, because it made me so

>agitated that it actually exacerbated the problems

>they wanted it to eliminate.

>im not personally very fond of it.

>it does work for some people, but i wouldn't pin too

>much on it.

>--- terrif@... wrote:

>> Jeanne,

>> All medicines affect people in different ways. I'm

>> sure that meds for behavior may have the opposite

>> effect on some people, but certainly not all. My

>> daughter has been on Zoloft for behavior and it did

>> help some, but seems to be losing it's

>> effectiveness. Now to your point, yes behavior

>> may be related to an underlying cause, including

>> communication, which I mentioned in my post. But

>> living day in and day out with a child who is

>> totally defiant, spits at you, slaps at you, refuses

>> to take her meds, refuses to let you brush her teeth

>> or hair, the list goes on and on-----------Who cares

>> if these behaviors are due to the epilepsy? If a

>> medicine can help , I am willing to try.

>>

>> Terri

>>

>

>

>=====

>

>

> " Let me die on my own terms, let me live and let me learn.

>Now I'll follow my own way and I'll live on to another damn day.

>Freedom carries sacrifice. Remember when this was my life? "

> Three Doors Down

>

>__________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

,

I never 'expect' any certain result from new medicines. I have been

disappointed too many times. I am only hoping to see improved behavior. If

not, we will keep trying until we find something that does help.

Sincerely,

Terri

[Guest guest]

yeah. good luck, i hope it works out for you.

you asked for input, i gave you mine.....

terrif@... wrote:

-------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~>Need a credit card?Instant Approval and 0% intro APR with Aria!>,I'>1/7101/11/_/442641/_/968964691/-------------------------------------------------------------------->,I never 'expect' any certain result from new medicines. I have beendisappointed too many times. I am only hoping to see improved behavior. Ifnot, we will keep trying until we find something that does help.Sincerely,Terri_

[Guest guest]

jeanne,

My son was on respiradol at 14 for 1 year. We've had both good and bad

experiences.

It made him more placid since he was raging: this was a good thing! He was

so anxious that the smallest touch could cause a very aggressive reaction.

He was beating us and this had to be stopped since the police couldnt come

here every time and there was no facility for him.

Unfortunatly, the respiradol knocked the spirit out of him - at least for

a year anyway. He complained that he was always tired, couldnt think and put

on weight.

let us know how it works.... wendy, in canada

=========================================================

>I am writing tonight to get some " courage " . We go back

>to the psychiatris on Wed. and I think (hope) that he

>is going to subscibe Risperdal. Jeanne

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[Guest guest]

At 08:23 PM 10/29/00 -0800, you wrote:

So.... could any of you that have had experience with Risperdal please

share your

>stories (good or bad). I am afraid of making the wrong choice because at

this stage I am feeling kind of desperate.

Jeanne

I know how you feel. I was scared to have my 17 yr old daughter take

Risperdal when her pdoc prescribed it, but after asking listmates their

opinions I went ahead & tried it. I am glad we did so far. She said that

from the very first day, the negative self-talk that was always raging in

her mind was lessened considerably and she was surprised to experience

calmness for the first time she could remember. At first it made her

sleepy, too. She has always had a real problem with insomnia, so that was

good - but that effect has worn off some recently. :-( She is taking .5 mg

per day, and is also taking 75 mg Luvox each day, too.

She thinks the Risperdal makes her weepy - she cries easily, but last year

she complained that she couldn't cry - she was so depressed then. She still

struggles with that but does seem so much better. Has lots of good days -

or at least good times during most days - whereas a year ago & more she was

suicidal. Also, I think the Risperdal is responsible for her weight gain in

the last couple months. She has always struggled with weight and that's the

worst thing for her about the different meds we've tried. Prozac did

nothing for her except cause weight gain - 25# in less than 2 months. If we

could make some of those pounds disappear, I think we could make a lot of

the depression disappear too.

Let us know how your situation turns out!My prayers are with you & your son.

-- Vicki in (eastern) MT

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeanne, you can go to the ocd and parenting archives and search

" risperdal " , this will bring up all the posts people have written about this

drug since the list started!

My 6-year-old has taken Risperdal, 1/2mg or just recently 1/4mg/day for

almost a year now. It augments her Zoloft and was meant to diminish tics

which had abruptly become worse and were bothering her. The only

side-effect we've noticed is that it makes her sleepy--which is a good

side-effect if your child has problems sleeping. In addition to controlling

tics, Risperdol also solved Kellen's problem of huge myoclonic jerks which

awakened her throughout the night.

A common side-effect of Risperdal is weight gain, though my child has not

experienced this. There is also some concern that it could cause tardive

dyskinesia (involuntary movements around the face) though Kel's doctor says

this risk is vanishingly small.

For 14 days Risperdal was a miracle for my child and her tics completely

disappeared. Unfortunately it didn't continue to work quite this well after

that, but still well enough to warrant using it.

We noticed no behavioral side-effects from Risperdal. Kel was hungrier than

usual the first few days. Starting this drug is not like starting an SSRI,

ie it takes several weeks/months to assess how it's working. I believe I'm

correct to say that you and your son will know if this is a good choice for

him in a couple of weeks.

Good luck at the doctor's Jeanne.

Kathy R. in Indiana

Risperdal

> I posted several weeks ago concerning the " rages " my

> 14 year old son experiences. I want to thank all of

> you who sent me replies. I definitely needed to hear

> your stories.

>

> I am writing tonight to get some " courage " . We go back

> to the psychiatris on Wed. and I think (hope) that he

> is going to subscibe Risperdal. I know we need some

> additional medication or else my son is going to hurt

> himself or someone else. His doctor has told us that

> risperdal will be next but he is VERY hesitant to

> prescribe it because of the side effects. I have been

> in contact with other parents who are very pleased

> with the results of the Risperdal and have had little

> or no side effects. So.... could any of you that have

> had experience with Risperdal please share your

> stories (good or bad). I am afraid of making the wrong

> choice because at this stage I am feeling kind of

> desperate.

>

> I thank you ahead of time for your input and apologize

> for having you repeat things I know have already been

> posted.

>

> This site has been a " god send " ..

> Jeanne

[Guest guest]

Hi:

I am not personally familiar with Risperdal. However I do understand that

some of the negative side effects can be weight gain and depression. Each

person's response is so individual to psychotropic meds that until they try

one they do not know how it is going to work. It is hard to think of our

kids as an experiment, but that is the state of the art of medication

management for mental illness in the world so far. Hopefully with more

research it will be possible to fine tune medication management in the not

too distant future.

Take care, aloha, Kathy

At 09:14 PM 10/29/2000 -0700, you wrote:

>At 08:23 PM 10/29/00 -0800, you wrote:

> So.... could any of you that have had experience with Risperdal please

>share your

>>stories (good or bad). I am afraid of making the wrong choice because at

>this stage I am feeling kind of desperate.

>

>Jeanne

>

>I know how you feel. I was scared to have my 17 yr old daughter take

>Risperdal when her pdoc prescribed it, but after asking listmates their

>opinions I went ahead & tried it. I am glad we did so far. She said that

>from the very first day, the negative self-talk that was always raging in

>her mind was lessened considerably and she was surprised to experience

>calmness for the first time she could remember. At first it made her

>sleepy, too. She has always had a real problem with insomnia, so that was

>good - but that effect has worn off some recently. :-( She is taking .5 mg

>per day, and is also taking 75 mg Luvox each day, too.

>

>She thinks the Risperdal makes her weepy - she cries easily, but last year

>she complained that she couldn't cry - she was so depressed then. She still

>struggles with that but does seem so much better. Has lots of good days -

>or at least good times during most days - whereas a year ago & more she was

>suicidal. Also, I think the Risperdal is responsible for her weight gain in

>the last couple months. She has always struggled with weight and that's the

>worst thing for her about the different meds we've tried. Prozac did

>nothing for her except cause weight gain - 25# in less than 2 months. If we

>could make some of those pounds disappear, I think we could make a lot of

>the depression disappear too.

>

>Let us know how your situation turns out!My prayers are with you & your

son.

>-- Vicki in (eastern) MT

[Guest guest]

Hi, my daughter was on rispderdal for about 6 months. She gained a

whole lot of weight, was very constipated (one bowel movement a

week), was very tired and cranky, and had a hard time concentrating.

We were on the lowest dose too... just the tiniest dot. It also had

a very small window of time for which it helped...only a month and

then back to the rages. Clonidine is working out much much better.

Everyone is different, but I wasn't too happy with what risperdal

offered us. Good luck to you.

Stephany

[Guest guest]

Hi Jeanne,

Sorry to hear things haven't improved the last few weeks at your house. We

are in the process of switching doctors yet again, so I cannot imagine how

frustrating it must be to have such a limited choice. Not that our vast

selection has made things any better for us.

Risperdal seems to be a wonder drug for many, it pooped out for and

others, and the weight gain and lethargy it caused was too hard to deal with.

is on Seroquel, which supposedly is Risperdal without the weight

gain, but its not doing anything worthwhile as far I can tell either. The

side effects I heard of scared the heck out of me, but the alternative is

worse, and of all the parents on this list, and the Tourettes list which I

follow as well, I have heard of no major side effects (besides that weight

gain, which is obviously major to our kids).

Anxiously awaiting hearing how things worked out for you. Worrying

constantly about him hurting himself or others must be devastating. We''re

pretty much in the same place, trying to figure out what is causing 's

rages, and considering some kind of psych hospital setting for 30 days to get

the meds and the therapy right.

Ellen