Risperidone for Depression User Reviews

• gig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 8, 2013

"After getting used to the medicine, which took a couple of weeks of confusion, I began to realize my problems with 35 years of depression, especially bad in the last five years, went away like magic! My focus also improved. I cannot tell you how good it feels not to go to those deep, dark thoughts, lack of motivation, and an 'I don't care' attitude. Being able to stay present in a pleasant world I had missed for so long is a wonder, and I had no idea it treated depression. The only problem I have with it is, it makes the muscles in my legs, both above and below the knees, hurt quite a bit. If the makers ever go back to tinkering with its chemistry, stopping the pain would be smart, with a super-low start dose recommended."

• She...
• January 17, 2010

Risperidone "This medication kept me calm and gave me a good night's sleep. I woke up early in the morning with energy and looking forward to starting the day. However, none of this means anything to me since it caused me to go from 145 pounds to 210 pounds."

• dra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 9, 2020

"So I was admitted to the psychiatric ward of an Indian hospital; I’m an Indian male; and was given this drug, risperidone, to help me with psychosis. The first few days were a nightmare. I was restless, and I wanted to move all the time. I gained weight on my legs during the second week. I felt lethargic throughout. I was put on 8 mg of liquid and felt absolutely horrible. The feeling was so bad that I can’t even describe it. But my mind was being put under control. The audiovisual hallucinations were disappearing fast. I have to admit that after eight months and after being put on 2 mg, my psychosis has vanished. Yet the hallucinations were not the problem anymore - the inactivity, laziness, and lethargic feeling were. I’ve got three months left, and I’m so used to doing nothing that I wonder whether I’ll be able to move again. I’m always on my bed!"

• Far...
• February 3, 2016

"I have been taking Risperdal for 7 years now. The worst thing about it is the lack of motivation and the carelessness. I don't feel like waking up because I have no interest in life anymore. I wake up when I feel like I have slept too much. I can't work on my projects (I am a web developer). I have no interest in working because I don't feel motivated, and I feel tired after I work instead of satisfied. My sex drive has gone down dramatically. The best thing about this drug is that it doesn't make me feel down or sad all the time, in fact, I don't feel anything anymore, like a zombie, a living dead if you will. Don't take it unless you have to."

• Miu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 16, 2020

"I used to take risperidone when I was in middle school because I was forced. I didn't remember how it made me feel. I took Citalopram with it, so it probably overpowered it. After getting off risperidone when I was 13, I'm now 23, and I am only taking 1 mg of it. After reading more about it, I can see I was misdiagnosed, and the medicine is making me feel extremely numb and anxious. I have a hard time focusing, my memory is foggy, my stomach has had a nervous pit feeling, and I've had slight nausea. I don't recommend this drug if you do not have bipolar or psychotic tendencies. I feel like a shell of my former self. No sex drive, no emotions besides overwhelmed feelings of doom and paranoia. This is a nightmare, and I can feel myself slipping. Be wary of this drug!!"

• Tee...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 18, 2020

"I have never felt mentally ill before taking this medication. It ruined my life for the 3 months I took it, my anxiety was through the roof, my mood was very low every day, crying all the time... just very bad. I am not an anxious person, but this really became some depressed, anxious mess that I did not recognize."

• cra...
• February 12, 2018

"I've been taking risperidone for about a year and a half now. I take 1 mg at night and 0.5 mg as needed in the morning. It has been amazing. I have major depressive disorder and severe generalized anxiety. I've tried tons of different antidepressants over the years with no working results. Trying risperidone was like night and day immediately. For the first time, my head was clear of miserable intrusive thoughts, and my anxiety levels were much lower, albeit still there. It does not make me sleepy, and I have not put on any weight. I sometimes have trouble losing weight, but I think that is more due to my lack of commitment than the medication. My sex drive has been significantly reduced, but I think the trade-off is worth it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 21, 2021

"I have found risperidone not to work for me. I am on it for bipolar and depression, and it is making my depression and episodes of depression much more intense and worse than if I was not taking it altogether. I am unhappy with my diagnosis and current treatment plan but am struggling to find a doctor who will change it or get an appointment with my GP. Please be aware this medication is not for everyone and is an antipsychotic and a pretty heavy one at that! On the other hand, please be aware it would help for certain conditions, just not the one I have or my mood as a person in lockdown with depression. It is much less hard than quetiapine, as I had that before. I had it to treat PMDD, which was the only useful time, which is bipolar, but other than that for everyday life, it is not working or suitable for me. Please fight for your mental health, you do generally know better! Thank you for reading x"

• Anonymous
• March 1, 2010

Risperidone "At one mg, it completely removed all signs of depression and the side effects and feelings of lack of control associated with the depression. Although similar to moving into a new house, it was easy to get used to it and greatly simplified daily routines for the most part. It does not help with PMS-associated lack of concentration but enhances concentration overall at this low dosage and makes it easy to focus on relationship problems also, although no drug can change the other person."

• Anonymous
• November 10, 2011

Risperidone "I take 50 mg of Trazodone and 1 mg of Risperdal for my racing thoughts and 40 mg of Celexa for my depression, all at bedtime, and the Risperdal is good. I get really hungry from it, though. I always snack now before I get to sleep. Besides the hunger, I like this in addition to my other medicines. Before, I would have racing thoughts that kept me from sleeping, and now I don't have as many, which is great!"

• inv...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 21, 2014

"I've taken Risperdal for about 6 years to deal with depression and suicidal/self-injurious thoughts. It works very well for this. The only problem is that it does cause very severe weight gain, to the point where if I consume less than 1,400 calories a day, I STILL gain weight. I have recently started taking Topamax to offset this, so hopefully, this will help. But it does help immensely with problematic thoughts, and I notice a huge difference in my state of mind and overall well-being when I take Risperdal. Additionally, it offers the great benefit of helping me fall asleep, which is great as a long-time insomniac. Overall a great drug, just some problematic side effects."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 9, 2019

"This drug ruined my life. I was depressed before taking it, but when I was on it I had terrible suicidal thoughts that I didn't use to have before this. I couldn't sleep and developed terrible anxiety attacks. Another side effect that I experienced was high prolactin levels, which led to amenorrhea and a full face full of horrible acne (I'm not exaggerating). This, of course, made me more depressed and socially anxious. Coming off of it was as bad as being on the drug. Two weeks off of it, I am still experiencing the side effects of this drug, although I can at least sleep now. I'm absolutely miserable thanks to risperidone. Stay away from this drug!!"

• Anonymous
• November 22, 2009

Risperidone "Started this medicine at 45 yrs and have gained 35 lbs in three years without any change in diet or exercise. Take 4 mg a day, and this is the only medicine I take. Find that this medicine will cause psychotic episodes if taken with more than 6-8 beers or half a bottle of spirits. The next day, I can't remember what I said or was doing, and this is not good. If you like to consume alcohol, beware of this drug, as it will turn you into a zombie who does not remember later what you did or said, very scary. Haloperidol was once prescribed for a couple of days, and I experienced double vision and extreme paranoia, as well as chest pains."

• vio...
• October 9, 2014

"I've been on risperidone for about 2-3 years and now I have a prolactinoma. It could be a coincidence-although I know risperidone is notorious for causing high prolactin. As for any other side effects, I didn't experience any. I'm having a hard time getting off of this medication now that the doctor told me to stop taking it because I can't sleep without it."

• Anx...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 19, 2016

"I have OCD, GAD, panic attacks, depression. I was on risperidone several years ago at 2 mg and then 3 mg, and it worked great. I forget why I was taken off of it, but a little over a month ago, I was put back on it; however, I had to switch to name brand then because the generic of Risperdal was making me not be able to think and almost be in a trance. Now I am on 1 mg of brand name Risperdal, and it works very well for all these problems (I also am on some other meds with it), but especially my OCD."

• Val...
• January 10, 2012

"I use this medicine for self-harming thoughts. I take 1.5 mg, and it does help a lot. My self-harming thoughts have less power and 'stick' less when I'm taking this medication. However, I have gained a lot of weight. I eat pretty healthily, exercise 2 to 3 times per week, and I'm only 17, but I've gone from 130 pounds to 180 pounds after taking this medicine for 3 and a half years. Another side effect is very vivid dreams that occur every night, but this isn't a problem. I also stopped getting my period for about a year and a half; however, that could have been due to self-starvation since it has come back now (the medication is also lower than it has been)."

• sil...
• September 2, 2015

"My experience with Risperdal started when I first started seeing my psychiatrist about a year ago. I first started with 1 mg for two weeks and then started taking 2 mg for a month, and then 3 mg for another month before my doctor prescribed me 4 mg for a month, which I didn't finish because it was intense for me and it made me really somnolent and overall sleepy all the time. My mom asked him to get me back on 3 mg, which I've been on for seven months now. The only flaw that this medication has is that it causes some severe weight gain, and I can't sleep without it. Risperdal has initially helped with my bipolar depression and has successfully put my racing thoughts to rest."

• beb...
• August 20, 2010

Risperidone "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!"

• dre...
• August 15, 2019

"I'm actually on this for psychosis. Risperidone has some terrible side effects. For example, I’m remembering the negatives of my past and cannot control those memories. I don’t like getting up in the mornings, and I’ve got a horrible feeling in my body, in my stomach. On the other hand, I’m doing very well-no more hallucinations, no more silly thoughts against family, no more “racing” thoughts (as someone else put it). I am much better, yet my past is haunting me. Thanks a lot to the psychiatrists for asking me to take this medication. But I cannot wait to get off it! I have three months to go; doctors said “six months to one year.” I hope the doctor says six months in total is OK. I cannot take it for more than six months because it also affects my study and work. I am extremely tired and have been lying down on my bed, staring at the ceiling for three months. I want to get off it even though I am feeling much better. Yes, it makes you gain weight, enlarged breasts for men, and slight blurry vision."

• Jaz...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2019

"This drug made me develop depression, which I didn’t have prior, just really bad anxiety. Also gave me intrusive thoughts, had me very suicidal. My doctor took me off after 1 month and 2 weeks of using it. Tonight is my first night taking something different. I pray it works for me!"

• pre...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 28, 2023

"After trying many SSRIs, my psychiatrist prescribed 0.5mg of this. I've come to the conclusion that psychiatric patients are chemically abused through risperidone. After the first two weeks I took it, I started to feel mildly better, which is to say that I went from feeling constant anguish to nothing at all. I started having hyperrealistic nightmares. I had zero energy during the day and fell asleep at the wheel. I was at the most fit I'd ever been, but within a few months, I gained 80 pounds, mostly in my breasts, and also started lactating. I'm trans, so this gave me crazy bad dysphoria. My psychiatrist refuses to believe this medication is what made me gain so much weight. I've been off it now for two years, and while I've lost much of the weight, my breasts are still enlarged and give me lots of physical and mental pain. Risperidone made my depression worse and wreaked havoc on my body while doing so."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 27, 2018

"This medication is amazing. It helped with my major depressive episode, along with my panic and OCD. I feel like myself again. It did take 2-4 weeks to fully work, but honestly, the wait is worth it. I feel more balanced, and I’m able to control my thoughts."

• Tha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 7, 2019

"Was on Risperdal 0.5 mg for 1 month and 1 mg for 2 months. I was told to stop cold turkey on 11-16-2018 because it didn’t seem to help with the depression. It was prescribed as an add-on therapy to Wellbutrin. 2 days later, I started having severe anxiety and panic attacks. I mean SEVERE. I had not had anxiety before this! Now, January 2019, I am still having these effects and am on benzodiazepines for the anxiety. No help PLUS they make me feel like a zombie. DO NOT TAKE RISPERIDONE!"

• ing...
• January 19, 2020

"I have MDD. I was prescribed 0.25 mg risperidone that evolved to 0.5 mg and 15 mg escitalopram. Risperidone was supposed to augment the effects of escitalopram and help me sleep - light sleep, difficulty falling asleep. I report the effects of risperidone, assuming that the change in mood (improved) is due to escitalopram. It helps me a lot! I didn't know I slept so badly. Finally, my nights recharge my batteries. I didn't gain weight or have an increase in my appetite. I run 40 min/day and care about what I eat. I did it before and kept doing it. I even lost 2 kg that I wanted for some time (controlling the diet). I changed from escitalopram to bupropion (150 mg) due to side effects and considered stopping risperidone. I did it for 2 nights, but it was no good. Now I'm with 150 mg bupropion in the morning and 0.5 mg risperidone in the evening. It's so good to feel like a normal person again! But therapy is as important for me as I managed to understand my dysfunctional behavior that (I believe) led me to MDD."

• Out...
• June 3, 2021

"I have severe MDD, anxiety, and BPD, and I waited weeks to see a psychiatrist because there are only three where I live, and they are majorly understaffed. My psychiatrist gave me a prescription for risperidone 2 mg. I was terrified to try it because of all the side effects. I so desperately wanted to see if it might help me, so after working myself up for a couple of days, I decided to try it. I thought because it was such a low dose, what could I have to lose? I took it at bedtime, and about an hour later, I felt extremely dizzy and very nauseous. I thought it would at least make me fall asleep, and that didn't happen, I tossed and turned and felt restless for about an hour until I finally fell asleep. When I woke up the next day, I could barely move. I felt incredibly dizzy and lightheaded and just awful and just out of it! I laid down hoping that I could sleep it off. I’ve read that it really has worked wonders for some people, but that was not the case at all for me. Risperidone was a nightmare!!"