Risperidone for anxiety

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I was on it when I was about 14 when I stayed at a mental hospital. At first, they gave it to me during the day, which made me sleepy. It also made me feel hungry all the time.

My psychiatrist recently suggested that I might try risperidone. He did say he thinks that it ought to be a last-resort for me. When he described the extra-pyramidal side-effects (i.e. the Parkinson-like symptoms caused by messing with various dopamine receptors (I made that connection myself at the appointment, the psychiatrist was impressed)) I did not feel enthusiastic. This thread hasn't made me feel any more enthusiastic about the idea. I think like he suggested these will be a last resort for me; unless I feel like I might resort to suicide (very unlikely) or something like that then I will not be taking them. I could also do without increased appetite, I have difficulty telling when I am genuinely hungry anyway so I would surely end up *really* fat if I were to take them.

When people say they take this for anxiety, can they give examples of what type of situations cause the anxiety

I take the anti-depressant Efexor which is an SNRI type of anti-depressant - a Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor

"(SNRIs) are a class of antidepressant drugs used in the treatment of major depression and other mood disorders. They are sometimes also used to treat anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and for the relief of menopausal symptoms.

SNRIs act upon, and increase, the levels of two neurotransmitters in the brain known to play an important part in mood: serotonin, and norepinephrine. These can be contrasted with the more widely-used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which act upon serotonin alone."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotonin% ... _inhibitor

I've taken SSRI's including Prozac in the past but Effexor works better for me - it deals with a lot of the anxiety as well as the depression.

I would also say that I don't think it's right to want to get rid of all anxiety as everyone gets anxious in certain situations - it's a normal, healthy reaction. The anti-depressant tones my anxiety down but doesn't take it away - I just deal with a certain amount as part of life.

Hi there!
My son has had very bad reactions to benzodiapines and risperdal has worked wonderfully for him. He had what is called the paradoxical effect and he is very sensitive to medication, according to his psychiatrist. Risperdal has a build up effect. I try to have my son start new medication when he is with me so that I know if there are any problems and they occur with me. Risperdal is one of the two medications approved for the use of autism. My son is on 1 mg a day. It makes him tired so he does .75 at night and .25 in the morning. This is an increase of .25 for him and seems to be helping. Please private message me and if you have any specific questions, my son can answer them too. He is 15. We are both using this account so that I can monitor it with him, so we do not offend anyone or anything. Hope this helps.

I stopped taking it after 5 days because it was making me feel loads worse. Now I'm refusing all psych meds and trying to face my fears on my own. It's so hard, but I think it's better than trying more meds.

Risperidone is horrible, it's also meant as an antipsych. Generic is Risperdal

It can cause arrthymia and other heart defects, i was on it once and had to stop taking the junk because of it causing that.

I've seen it knock out people cold in some type of "seizure" like some blacked out state. They may be sitting there yet they are not functioning mentally and do not remember the incident (happened to an ex on it)

I find all psychotropic medications to be a collar around one's neck. The best medicine is laughter, so learn to laugh at yourself. Second best is understanding, so try to understand other people's point of view. Third best is to be able to see yourself through another person's eyes. It is the most painful to swallow, but works wonders. Only if these three fail, you should seek some pharmacological help. Working hard at affecting and modifying your own brain tends to bring the best results (and it's some damned hard work). SSRI's are debilitating over a long term of use. You shouldn't change your brain's wiring that way. It has to come from within ("your will". And that can always be achieved with hard work, i.e. develop a passion about steering your responses). Enjoy life.

I disagree that these things can always be done without the help of medication. Without my anti-depressants I'd be dead - that's a fact. People have different tolerance levels to the stress of life and different levels of stress are put on them by others. It is therefore not sensible to advocate what works for you as working for all. Anti-depressants save lives and if people need them they should take them.

He agrees with you, try everything else first then seek pharmacological help. What's the issue with that?

I'm on 1 mg of Risperidone for irritability and self-injury.

I've been on it for about a month.

I'm not sure I care for it. It makes me feel weird.

Because it's never going to work for some people so they are wasting valuable time when they could be getting help with an anti-depressant

Time is of the essence if you get too depressed

Some people seem to think others can 'think' their way out of depression - this is not the case for some people

it's the equivalent of telling a diabetic to think their way out of their diabetes ie dangerous

Mind over matter does not work for some people so to advocate it for all is risky

If it worked so well a person wouldn't still be depressed and they might have got too depressed to help themselves
by the time they decided their non medication route wasn't working

People who haven't suffered clinical depression should not be advising those who have/do

Anyone who says things like 'the best medicine is laughter' has not suffered clinical depression - I'm telling you now!

Actually I've been through clinical depression. I attempted suicide at age 21 and ended up in a psychiatric clinic (I was saved/helped by a homeless Vietnam war veteran curiously enough). I've spent a month in the in-patient program and 4 months in the out-patient program. I've spent additional 6 months as a volunteer at the same place. That's also where I was recognized/diagnosed as an autistic psychopath.

Anti-depressants can only help you change your attitude towards life temporarily. They work like a collar that you put around your neck and the psychiatrist regulates the length of the chain that collar is attached to. But eventually that collar becomes a source of depression itself.

The real deal is to work on your brain with minimal if any chemical interference. I would rather appear bonkers to the outside world and enjoy life as it is, than be bullied or brown nosed by other people's perception of what is right or wrong with me.

I understand the pain associated with depression very well. It's that pressing, suffocating sensation that disables your ability to find a way out of it. It's a self-perpetuating cycle of disdain and anguish without any seeming direction or purpose, yet concentrated on yourself. It's up to you to find that direction and purpose and to perceive the world anew and with hope (heh, they say that hope is the mother of all fools. I would rather be a happy fool than an unhappy one).

Love life and love people (always reserve some hate for bullies though, as balance and moderation are healthy things), for life provides you with the opportunity to love yourself and people (most of them) can support you and help you in times of need. I've had bouts of depression from time to time since my "institutionalization", but the concepts I've described in the first post allowed me to get through those times.

Good luck

P.S.
One of the nurses/therapists that worked with me recommended that I read "Wizard's first rule" by Terry Goodkind. If you want a "bible" for the autistic/dyslexic mindset, then this is it. I've been a fan of Mr. Goodkind's work ever since.

I've been on Risperidone for almost a year and it allows me to calm my brain down so that I can actually sleep. Before taking it I had trouble sleeping my whole life. I have had side effects such as developing muscle tics and having stiff facial muscles which caused my psychiatrist to start lessening my dose. However, I had problems with my brain racing again so I am now taking two .5 capsules a day. It's also helped with my intrusive thoughts which was the primary reason I was put on the medication in the first place.

I've been on it for about 6 months and it really calmed me down but recently it made my blood pressure too low,I got really dizzy,lost my vision,almost fainted,it was really scary.I am going off of it but feeling really depressed all of a sudden,must be the withdrawal.