Risperdal for Bipolar Disorder User Reviews

• Lowell
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 25, 2020

"Yesterday I requested an emergency call from my Psychiatrist and she called this pill in because I was in a severe manic episode. I didn’t think it would work. Nothing has. Then the insurance didn’t pay for it. I was ready to go to a psych hospital at this point. Luckily I had a little bit of money and the pharmacy let me partially fill it because the effects are amazing. Literally stopped my manic episode dead in its tracks and two hours later I was feeling amazing! Like I said I was in such a bad manic episode and I have extreme anxiety too so I was literally ready to admit myself into a hospital and just give up on life altogether. But I’m self employed and own a business and I’m moving next week so I really didn’t want to wind up in a hospital or worse in jail for doing something crazy! This drug may have just saved my life altogether!"

• Sweet...
• September 30, 2017

"Risperidone has really helped me. I used to be either depressed or manic. My thoughts are clear and my mood is stable now. I would like to mention that I have not gained a single pound on this drug. Always, always, always... take this right before you lay down at night to go to sleep. Take this pill, then lay down and go to bed. That way, you will sleep your way through the munchies. I take it as though it is a sleeping pill and it works for me. I just wanted to share, in hopes that this will help someone else struggling with weight gain."

• James
• June 12, 2020

"I have Bipolar type 1 disorder. I take 1200mg of lithium, 1mg of  Risperdal, and 25mg of Quetiapine. When I initially started the Risperdal, it fired me up with the same effects that I’ve experienced on previous occasions with antidepressants.  It also began to mess with my sleeping pattern. For example, I would constantly be waking up two hours before my scheduled time. The good news, however, is that these side effects which I endured were short-lived, and after 3 weeks, they settled down. Any issues that I had previously encountered with regards to psychotic features :  Hearing voices and talking to myself excessively, impulsivity, and anxiety all seemed to vanish from the face of my earth."

• gatinha
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 14, 2020

"I've tried a lot of different meds, my favorite by far is Lamictal but it stopped working after 10 years. I started risperidone a year ago. It makes me calm, I hardly get angry, I have no anxiety, and I have not had an episode since I started it. I feel great on it in general. The down side -- It makes me lazy, I'm so chill now that I'm totally comfortable just sitting on the couch. I feel relaxed and balanced but without the anxiety I have no reason to get up and "run it off". The biggest and worst issue I have with it is the damn weight gain. I've always been super fit and thin but now I have a belly that I just can't get rid of. If the it didn't work so well for my mood I would get off of it immediately to lose my weight. I would still recommend it and I won't be stopping it anytime soon."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2012

"I feel calm all of the time. With the exception of some grave disaster, nothing gets me down. I feel normal for the first time. I haven't gained any weight either. Sometimes I do get the munchies. When this happens, I eat a bunch of grapes, celery or fat free/sugar free pudding made with fat free milk. You don't have to gain weight. I gave it a 9 because I don't like how sedating it is."

• James
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 21, 2019

"Risperdal saved my life. I was hospitalized two times with psychosis and this is what they gave me. It took a few weeks to really kick in. At first I was tired. I have been on the med for almost five years now. I am able to live a normal life although I still have some depression. I take 4mg risperdal which I just increased from 3mg because at times I would have mild hallucinations or delusions when tired or the like. They are almost non existent now, really just coming on if I have caffeine. I did gain weight but not meaningfully so. The trick is to watch your calories and exercise as much as possible. I would recommend trying this for severe psychosis. I also take 600mg lithium which seems to help my mood. I like to think that the lithium helps the brain from the damage risperdal can cause. Without risperdal I wouldn't be here by now. Everyday is a blessing and a gift!"

• somat...
• March 20, 2015

"This has to be the best medication (at least for me) for bipolar disorder, paranoia and anxiety. I have had bipolar episodes since my teens, now in my 30s and every time I have a bipolar episode, this medication almost works instantly, and what I mean by works instantly is snaps me out of my mania and unwanted thoughts quickly. It does take a few weeks to work fully but if you are someone who suffers from bad mania, this is the right medication for you. Luckily, I did not experience bad side effects from this medication. I have had some muscle stiffness in my neck, some twitching and muscle spasms and slight weight gain. Also, my menstrual cycle was thrown off. Also, it helped my somatic symptoms and I was able to live my life again A+++med"

• LSano
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 16, 2019

"Risperdal was the first medication I ever tried for my bipolar type one and it was awful. They started me out on 8mg which is unusually high, it kept me from being manic or depressed but also completely stopped me from being able to feel any emotion. I was a zombie. I honestly felt like if my best friend died I'd feel absolutely nothing, it was that bad. Would not recommend, my current psychiatrist also says she hates Risperdal if that helps any."

• Anonymous
• June 6, 2008

"This medicine is the best thing that ever happened to me. I had tried several medicines over the years and nothing helped what I thought was stress and anxiety. After I had my baby at 27 I thought I was worse than ever and assumed I had Postpartum Depression. I was surprised to be diagnosed as bi-polar. The medicine worked right away and I have never been happier. I am a better person, mother and wife now."

• Skyberg
• June 10, 2013

"I've never had anything that helped my extreme anger and irritability. This has. I've had very minimal side effects. I finally feel "normal" after being on fifteen different medicines over the duration of ten years."

• steve...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 27, 2013

"This medication saved my life. Tried several different medicines over 10 years and none have worked better than Risperdal. I take escitalopram as well and have seen fantastic results. If I miss a dose I can tell very quickly within a few days as I don't sleep and feel really agitated and angry at the least little thing. Really helped control my mood swings and this combination has been great for me."

• Betty...
• August 8, 2010

"This pill has been very good to me. It calms me down and balances out my mood so I no longer have the extreme ups and downs. It keeps me in a happy middle. While many other bipolar medicines I have taken have made me feel an inability to feel angry, Risperdal just keeps me from making a huge deal over small issues. I no longer get mad over petty things, but I do feel angry when something extremely upsetting happens. I do not feel extreme sadness for no reason any longer, but I do feel it when extreme events happen. For instance, my grandfather died last week and I was sad about it but I no longer feel depressed for no reason. The stages of mania I used to experience have almost completely subsided."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 23, 2012

"I have been taking it for about 3 months now, and it works very well. I do not have those strong unrealistic negative scenarios anymore, no voices, no feeling like disappearing, all that is gone, and it minimized my unreasonable fears. I do have long moments of almost total lack of emotions, and I do not feel much in general (I used to be an enthusiastic person) but I do not mind for now, it was terrible not to be able to control inexplicable feelings. I did not gain weight (just a bit, but I also take Wellbutrin). My only concern is how I am going to be when I stop taking this medicine."

• Britt...
• May 6, 2012

"I was on this for about 6 months when I was 15. It's the only thing that has worked for me. I was able to go to school. Had great relationships with everyone. Only had one bad mood swing and I was having them everyday before I got on it. But I also gained 20 pounds and I could never get enough to eat. I've tried about everything and this was the only thing that helped. It doesn't make you feel funny or blank like a lot of them. But if you eat healthy and can ignore the always wanting something to eat feeling, this is an amazing medicine and will change your life."

• Scorp...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 1, 2014

"Made me "flat" and apathetic to everything. Also caused hyperprolactinemia leading to leaking breasts. Also caused me to gain 35 pounds over several months. Only marginally effective at treating the racing thoughts, etc."

• sadhadf
• July 3, 2019

"I've been taking this medication for about 9 months and I completely lost myself. I gain 40lbs I feel unmotivated all the time I feel sedated, it is not me anymore. I am a perfectionist and risperdal is definitely the deadliest medication ever for me. I hate taking it but I have no other choice. If another medication works for you just stay away from risperdal it is awful."

• Jello
• June 8, 2019

"Have been taking Risperodal for almost a year now. I tried Seroquel before for some months but it made me super drowsy throughout the day and I couldn’t function. I take Risperdal for severe depression, mania, and extreme hallucinations. I would see cartoons and things appear before me, hear voices/sounds in my ears, or feel things on me for (someone patting my back or grabbing my legs when I’m alone in the room). I started off taking 0.5 mg once a day then upped it to 1mg. Was on 1mg for a while. It worked well for me. I stopped seeing hallucinations and for the most part my mania and depression and lessened or gone away. I woke up every day feeling refreshed. Even my period cramps were usually less painful than before. Everything would go downhill when I decided to stop the medication, all the symptoms would come back quickly and badly. Didn’t gain significant weight from the meds and I’ve had moderate acne. Seems like it’s going to be really hard to leave this medication."

• BBP
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2016

"Was only on 2mg of Risperdal for two months. While it did handle my moods and anger outbursts almost completely, it did nothing to help with insomnia, which should have been my clue that it was too activating for me. A month after starting this med I started having heart palpitations (I've never had a heart problem) that continued to get worse until I had been to the ER twice, family Dr once, with an appt scheduled with a cardiologist, legitimately thinking something major was wrong. Two dr's suggested that Risperdal could be causing it, so I began tapering. Two weeks later I am completely off the Risperdal, back on Zyprexa and my heart is fine now. Very scary for me."

• MrRCD...
• October 16, 2008

"I have been taking this drug for about 5 or 6 years now and it has changed my life. I was showing all the classic signs of bipolar disorder and after starting this in less than a day I was a changed person. My wife says it saved our marrige. I'm on 4 mg now and if I miss a dose my wife can tell right away. "

• DAMcM...
• June 27, 2013

"I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder about 8 months ago and placed on Risperdal after ending up in the hospital due to a nervous breakdown, 6 weeks after my diagnosis. I was prescribed 0.5 mg in the morning and 1.0 mg in the evenings, but I felt like a zombie. It did curb the severe mood swings, and I also gained about 10 pounds in the first month. I didn't like feeling disconnected from the world and not being able to focus or concentrate, so I independently reduced my evening dose to 0.75 mg. I immediately felt better. I'm still struggling with a low sex drive, depression and have a few moments of hypomania (restlessness, agitation, "geeked up"), so now my doctor wants me to go on Depakote 500 mg twice a day instead."

• anony...
• April 4, 2008

"my husband takes this to control his anger, and as long as he takes it as prescribed, it works great. If he misses a dose, I can tell pretty quickly. Also, he has to watch not to get overheated because then he has a fainting spell and has had a seizure after fainting as well while on this medicine."

• Anonymous
• October 11, 2011

"This medicine was prescribed to me for bipolar disorder, along with irritability problems, serious anger was becoming a problem. I read these reviews after being prescribed and I can honestly say that I was not one who felt its benefits immediately. This medicine takes 3 to 4 weeks to fully affect you. So far the main thing I have noticed is that I feel more balanced, and have not had an over the top anger explosion. This medicine in combination to my others seems to be helping overall. Everyone's own body is a chemistry set, you just have to try things in combination with others and see if it helps. "

• Bio
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 19, 2015

"It worked almost immediately ! I had my dosage moved to two tablet twice a day and then back down to one tablet twice a day for every twelve hrs. The only thing Is I have a difficult time with regulating my body temperatures. When I get hot I get REALLY hot and it takes awhile to cool down. When I get cold I get REALLY colds and it gets hard to get warm again and so on. I've had the twitching of the arm and hands as well and I have been nauseous. But really it works ! I just still deal with being hot and cold at times."

• Scott
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 19, 2019

"This stuff literally made me feel life wasn't for me anymore, there were the horrendous side effects, the worst being an uncontrollable need to MOVE somehow (Akathisia) and the dark dark dark thoughts. I was switched to seroquel and then to abilify, but all these gave me the same side effects."

• lhovey
• May 22, 2009

"While taking this medication I began to experience symptoms similar to Parkinson's Syndrome. After a total neurological workup it was determined that it was Risperdal causing the symptoms, not Parkinson's. Within a week of discontinuing the drug I was symptom free."