It's great that the risperdal is working for your ds, although I understand the reluctance with giving your child this medication. My ds's neurologist recommended it because he is so thin (too thin to afford to lose weight, which is what she thought would happen on stims) and had a manic reaction to adderall xr. I fought the idea for months, and finally decided to give it a chance with my ds, who is tentatively diagnosed with ADHD/combined type and ODD. His symptoms (aggression, difficulty with transition, outbursts -- but not rages -- and extreme inattention and hyperactivity) have significantly improved. At first he did have some anxiety issues -- risperdal can actually cause anxiety as a side effect -- but they went away in the first week. And when I was not sure if it was working, doc had me take him off for a couple of days and WOW was he impossible to control or reason with! So for now, whether I like it or not, it does help. Good luck to you.
Has anyone's child become more emotional after being on it for two weeks - we stopped the low dose of Risperdal and he still is quite emotional. We haven't seen this type of behavior since last year. I would think it wouldn't still effecting him - he does see a little less emotional.
I am glad it helps some kids - you don't know until you try different meds.
Diane
This is my 1st post so please bear with me:
My son was diagnosed with ADHD at age three and put on Adderall. over the years we tweaked the Adderall dose to fit the needs. When he turned 6,we tried concerta b/c he was not growing. Making the long story short, he started to hide his pills b/c they made him "feel funny."
Transitions and school have always been rough, but we were lucky enough to have teachers very willing to work with us. Then we hit 1st grade. His teachers was HORRID! She was rude, insulting and overstepped her bounds by suggesting to our PCP (small town) that his dose should be increased!!! One day when I forgot it his meds she informed me that the pharmacy would 'spot" me somem until I could pay for the whole script (my son is on the high $$$ stuff for their sake!) She booted him out of the class at least 2 times a day.
Through it all, I tried really hard to make the best of it. My teacher friend suggested he switch teachers, but I wasn't too keen on teaching that lesson.
Bottom line, I finally snapped and went off on the principal, kaleb was tested for gifted (quickest way to get services) and school psychologist thought he showed anxiety/depression and after three months (and Depakote) we got into a psychiatrist and are doing the neuro/psych testing and are on a waiting list for PRAXIS sensory intergration testing.
When we had a meeting to go over the school npsychs findings, the principal and psych were STUNNED to hear how disparaging the teacher was of my son!!! She wanted no part in working in his best interest. The following day I got a call from the principal and HE took the initiative to change my son's class.
By no means did switching teachers solve all of his problems, but day to day school issues improved so much!! Sometimes there are just bad matches and the kids need a different environment. Try a change for a week and see if it doesn't make a difference!!!
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We are working with known ADHD (Combined type) and are trying to work through DXs of depression/anxiety vs ODD vs cyclothymic and may have to go down the Respidal road (I have heard good and bad). My son also has additional DX of reactive arthritis so there are a lot of layers to go through!
Momtobug, I'm sorry your son had a bad reaction to Risperdal. My son did, too -- extreme agitation and restlessness plus a dystonic reaction (uncontrollable mouth opening, lip licking and tongue thrusting). It was horrible, and I'd never let my son touch the stuff again.
I hope things settle down from your son.
Hi Momtobug,
Your update you posted is somethng I could have wrote. My son was on Risperdal for a couple of weeks. He got very emotional on it and he stayed that way after we took him off it. The emotional part has gotten better. We go see his doc today to see what else we can try.
Are you trying anything else?
Good luck!
Diane
Smallmom--Thanks for your support, its appreciated. I actually thought of your son when this started going crazy. I remembered from your posts that your son had a bad reaction too. Things have settled down, way down. Thanks again.
kck11599--I know what you mean about bad matching with teachers. This is the case with my son this year. My son attends a very small private school that has been very good to us. They have bent over backwards to help us with his needs. The only problem with a small school is that there is only one teacher per grade level so there has been no option of switching teachers. If I could have I would, but that would have meant a school change and we were not willing to put him through that in the middle of a school year. Although the teacher has been a disaster, the school principle and others have been very helpful to us. Still, we are just counting the days till 4 grade is over.
sdmaa--Sorry to hear that your son had the same reaction, its just so scary. My son is not on anything new. His pyschiatrist wants to wait and see how his first week back from break is like. Honestly, I don't want to put him on anything new this year. I'm done. Even if we decide to try something new for his school anxiety, it wouldn't even really kick in until school is out. He only has 6 weeks left, he's out on June 2nd. We also have an appt this week. Hope your doctors appt goes well for you today. Keep us updated!
Just thought I'd give you all an update of our experience with the Risperdal. As I stated in earlier post we decided to try it and the first two weeks it seemed to be working wonders. When week three came along, I started to see small changes in behavior that didn't quite sit well with me. It didn't seem to be working as it did the first two weeks and his personality seemed to be changing, just wasn't his self. By week four, all h*** broke loose. He was very emotional, anxiety was at a high, and he was soooo unhappy and actually depressed. I immediatley took him off. His behavior actually scared me. He would talk to me and he would have no emotion in his voice or eyes. His psychiatrist was on vacation at the time and I just went with my gut and took him off. Within two days, my son was back. I have to say, our experiece with this medication was a scary one. He has been off now for two weeks and he's been doing great. He has been on spring break for a week and he has been so relaxed and happy. I have come to the conclusion that his school situation this year in a big factor in his behavior and we are counting down the days for summer break. Thank you all for your support and comments along the way. Just thought I'd let you know what our outcome was.
Well, I'm here late. I'm sorry.
My son went totally insane on Risperdal. We have tried it THREE times, through three different pdocs.
The last time he was on it (Dec. 2005) he went insane. He was caught in the classroom at school on all fours barking like a dog. He was also caught in the corner, again at school, talking to the wall, asking the wall "Are you drunk?". This, from a 9 year old.
He would talk, to himself to anyone around, about nothing that made any type of sense. He was extremely agitated and out of control of any of his emotions on this medicine.
Our experiences with this one has been disasterous. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. At least you tried, that's all you can really do.
Janna
Well we have taken my son off the Risperdal and now he is having so many problems. He can't focus, he is so argumentative even with teachers. He took the last pill on Friday and yesterday and today I have had calls from the school. They are really great and are working with him but he isn't making it easy. My husband is having a hard time with him too, they just clash on everything!
He is still taking the Straterra, but I am ready to take him off of that too.
I put a call in to his Dr, we will see what she says.
Flamom02,
What is Tenex?
My son has Tourettes also and his tics are getting really bad.
Wonderpatty, I'm not Flamom02, but I can tell you about Tenex. Both Tenex and Clonidine are blood pressure meds that can "turn the motor" off for ADHD kids, help them sleep, and settle their tics down. My 13-year-old son, who has tic disorder, uses Clonidine at night for sleep and for tics. His tics are much better on it.
Did your son's tics get worse while on Risperdal? If that's the case, it may actually be a dystonic reaction. It happened to my son. See my post above.
wonderpatty,
Stattera can make some kids moody, and grumpy...I took my son off of this med also
Smallmom,
The only side effect my son had on Risperdal was he developed breast tissue, bad news for a boy. His tics have been worse since coming off of Risperdal
Joemom,
My son was put on Risperdal to stop the mood swings associated with Straterra, now off the Risperdal he is back to mood swings. I left a message for his Dr and intend to get him off Straterra also. Thanks for your concern, even though I already thought that, I appreciate others thinking for me too. Two heads better then one most days, thanks.
Our 17 yr old son is diagnosed with Cyclothymic Disorder and ODD. He has taken Risperdal for about 11/2 years. We feel that it is a Godsend. Without it, he becomes very argumentive and violent. It at least takes the edge off some of his symptoms. It cuts down on the violent outbursts, and makes him more bearable to be around. His doctor took him off it last summer, and he assaulted one of his peers in less than a months time, so we say that he stays on it until the age of 18, when he will be moving out!mom to bug, you mentioned that his problems started this year with the new teacher...can you see about switching teacher? I dont know if it is an option but I would give it a try. Sometimes a fresh start helps wonders.Did you ask about a SSRI? I personally would chose a SSRI over Risperdal if it was more anxiety symptoms I saw. But---unless he is bipolar---you don't want to do a SSRI.MY 10yo son takes Risperdal and the only thing we have noticed is excessive breast tissue, his friends started saying he has (man-boobs). After talking to the Dr we discovered it is a side effect we were not informed of and we are taking him off of it.
My son was on risperdal for about 3 1/2 months. Overall it did not help his raging/aggression and actually made his anxiety worse. He didn't have any signs of it causing weight gain(his weight remained completely unchanged) and didn't make him sleepy at all. He went off it after his raging/aggression/agitation progressed and we tried another anti-psychotic med which made things 10 times worse so now he is off all anti-psychotic meds after his hospital stay. Risperdal is an atypical antipsychotic. It is used for schizophrenia and bipolar and sometimes off label for raging and out of control behavior. My son was on it for a while and had some bad side effects, including extreme weight gain and tics. It works best short term or PRN.We, too, had a bad experience with Risperdal. My son was dxed 3 years ago with ADHD and anxiety. He was prescribed Zoloft for his anxiety and had a manic reaction. Risperdal was prescribed to calm his agression, irritability and raging. Unfortunately, he had a paradoxical reaction that caused dystonic reactions (mouth opening, lip licking and tongue thrusting) plus excessive restlessness and agitation. He is now on the mood stabilizer Depakote for a working dx of bipolar disorder and improving slowly.
my son will was on it and he gained so much weight...and it made him drool REALLY bad... risperdal isn't for ADHD its for Bipolar..Hi Momtobug, my son started at 0.25 mg twice a day and then went to 0.5 mg twice a day. If it works (and it didn't with my son), Risperdal can help with outbursts, anger and irritability. But it doesn't get at the underlying issue of anxiety. As I said earlier, Buspar or an SSRI help more with anxiety.
My son was on the max dose for him at 2 mg---all given at night. He was 5y when started and about 53 lbs. I don't think risperdal should be given for anxiety issues. It's a med that can have very serious side effects.
When my son was 4y he was put on prozac---it was quite wonderful with his OCD stuff. He started talking more (we didn't realize he was in hypomania)---and then he started stimming more and went manic. But for the OCD, anxiety issues---it really worked well. I just couldn't get past the no sleep thing and bouncing off the walls 24/7!!
Since we've been off meds---my son is really having a hard time with transitions. He HAS to get what he's doing finished!! He has become extremely obsessive about things.
My son also has the social and severe language delays.
I think alot of the autistic symptoms in kids is due to anxiety. The obsessive behaviors, unable to transition, repetitive behaviors, stimming, etc. Those are all anxiety issues. But then when you add the social and language in there----you may have ASD.
I think you should talk to the Dr about SSRI's before risperdal.
Oldermom--He's always had small problems with transitions, even as a small child. (He's almost 10 now). But they were never an issue. After he started his adhd meds, it was a non-issue. The anxiety is fairly new, at least to this extent. He's always been a little fearful, just a little on the edge, but controllable. He actually has a NeuroPsych appt very soon and I'm sitting on the edge of my seat as to what we will find out. Socially, he's always gotten along with other children, wants to be with his friends all the time, but maybe just a little more immature than most. All of this mess began at the beginning of the school year. He does not at all get along with his teacher this year because his teacher is very reactive to his behavior. We have done everything, changed his meds, behavior mod, meeting after meeting with school, psychologist, psychiatrist, I could go on and on. He is displaying a completly different child in school and everyone believes he's acting out because of all the anxiety, and being on the stims makes it worse. His psychiatrist believes the Risperdal will take the edge off and help him control his outbursts, anger, and mood swings at school. I just don't know if this is the right choice.
Smallmom, Holly WA,...What dosage were your kids on?
I guess I want to believe its all just anxiety, but sometimes I question it. The moods are so much more severe, and I really don't know if its because of the anxiety or if its something else. His doc is suggesting .25 mg to be given at night. She said its the lowest dose. I'm so scared of all the side effects. They are pretty scary. But is this drug any worse than taking an SSRI? I know that Risperdal is a very powerful drug, but I also think all of these drugs are powerful to a little boy. I'm so confused and really don't know what to do about this decision. Thank you all for your input.momtobug,
What stim i s your son taking? Mine was taking concerta, focalin and ritalin (not at the same time of cousrs) and the side effects were crabby irratable, sassy PIT*....we switched to adderal and things are much better he is able to focus on school work and actually completes lots of work which is new for him and other than some calling out behavior at school, all is good...what I am saying is that for us the the "cure" was worse than the original problem.
It seems to me that kids respond so differently to the various meds.
If your son has trouble with transitions and anxiety, I highly recommend taking him to a NeuroPsych to rule out high functioning autism. THose are two big symptoms. If he has social problems, had any delays, and sensory issues those are all red flags. He may not have it, but it's best to leave no stone unturned. Good luck! OlderMom38778.3737268519 Thanks for the info. I'm actually on my way to talk to the psychiatrist at this moment. I'm very concerned about this drug choice. My son has not been dx with bipolar at this time, just having tons of problems at school this year. Severe school anxiety, having a hard time with transitions in his school day, out of control behavoir with the teacher, disrepectful, zoning out, just a complete mess. But when he comes home from school he's completely fine. All the irratation, mood swings, everything, is gone. He's not perfect, but nothing like what thier seeing at school. He comes home, gets right down to work on his homework. He just doesn't want to deal with school this year. He would rather have tons of homework to do at home, than do it at school. He doesn't want to be there. He does not rage at school or home. He doesn't have any problems sleeping. He has just been very moody, lots of up and down. Is this the right drug for this? I'm beginning to wonder. Thank you for your input.Sounds like he needs something more targeted to anxiety like Buspar or an SSRI. I'm not sure Risperdal is really the right med for that. Please let us know what the pdoc says.Momtobug, it is my understanding that Risperdal and the other atypical antipsychotics are being increasingly prescribed to treat the irritability, impulsiveness and aggression found in many conditions from ADHD to autism spectrum disorders (in addition to bipolar). It sounds as if the pdoc targeted symptoms rather than a specific diagnosis. That's done a lot with kids and psychiatric meds. If it's working, that's wonderful news.
My son has ADHD & was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome in Dec. 2005. He is on Risperdol 0.25 mg. He takes 1 pill in the a.m. & a 1/2 in the p.m. He also takes Tenex for ADHD. He has done great with both meds. He has gained a little weight, but he was very underweight before. He was on Strattera for a short time & lost 7lbs in 1 week. There have been no other side effects on the Risperdol. GOOD LUCK!!:)momtobug - putting our son on risperdal was a really tough choice for us as well, i did not like the idea of an anti-psychotic, it just scared me but at the time I wasnt sure my son was not bipolar so we tried risperdal and much like you had success at first, it took a while for my son to gain the weight (mostly breast tissue) and for us we decided taking him off was our best recourse - he is anxious and self-conscious and I felt weight gain would be a hard thing for him to handle - he also lost much of his "spark" and spontaniety as well. He has been off of it now for nearly 3 months and we are doing pretty good - school still has its bumps and bruises, and home is sometimes rocky too. Sometimes we go with what works while it works this has just been our experience. I wish you the best of luck.
Smallmom--What you said about targeting the symptoms rather than a specific diagnosis, that's what bothers me with this whole situation. My son is 100% ADHD, that I know. But this other stuff, I just don't know. His pdoc said that she has had success with severe ADHD kids (like Mine) in using the Risperdal just to take the edge off all the frustration they deal with everyday. That seems to be my little guys problem. As you can see I'm having a really hard time with this. I guess I would feel better with a concrete dx. Although it seems to be working now, who knows if it will continue, or if I will let him stay on it beyond this school year. His pdoc actually wants him to stop taking it in June and we'll decide if it needs to be used in the next school year. Thanks for your comments, it helps alot.momtobug:
We also saw an immediate difference in my son's thinking. Even the school commented on how clearly he was thinking & he was asking questions rather than getting frustrated. He seemed to cope better also. As you said, he too, was thinking before acting. He's been on the medication since December & it's worked wonders for him. We were very concerned about the side effects of this medication as well. My son was diagnosed with ADHD & ODD at first. We tried many different meds, herbals & we even tried no meds. Sometimes, it takes a while before a proper diagnosis is truly given. He was diagnosed with Tourette's in December 2005 & it finally made sense. He still has ADHD, but when I started thinking back, he may have had TS all along. It's just so hard to pinpoint these disorders since they are neurological. When I went to a TS support group, I was told it can take 10 years to get the right diagnosis. For us, it only took 3, but it was the longest 3 years of our lives. Best of luck to you & your son.
Hi Everyone, sorry it took me so long to get back, crazy busy week. Anyway, thank you all for all your experiences and input. After much debate and tears (Mine) my husband and I decided to at least let our son try the Risperdal. He started a week ago Friday and I hate to admit it, but we've really seen a difference. He is less reactive at school, has almost stopped all the mouthing off to the teacher, disrupting the class, just much more calm. On our end, I find that he is really thinking about what he says before he says it. More focused. I really don't know what to make of it all. Its only been a week and I still am having a very hard time accepting that he's even taking this drug. I guess that's just my stuff but last night when I was putting him to bed he said "Mom, this new medicine is really helping me, I can tell." It about tore my heart out. Not because its helping but that he even has to deal with all this. What bothers me now is that if it is working is it really anxiety? Three different doc's have told us that he is by no means bipolar. So why would this drug help him? We have an appt with his psychiatrist this week. I have a long list of questions for her. We have been lucky so far with no side effects. First couple of days he had headaches, but after that, its been ok. Anyway, you've all been so helpful, anymore advice would be great.I was on Risperdal also myself. Don't put your son on that stuff at all. It made me hearing things and i went crazy on Risperdal.. I would disaprove of using Risperdal big time.
~*~Gigi~*~
Hi There: As a Newbie, I hesitate to jump in, but couldn't help but reply to the post by Momtobug concerning Resperdall. In some medical/psychiatric practices this drug is currently being used for comorbid situations, not just Bi-Polar, or aggression etc. In our situation, it is currently being administered for severe tics to help during the day while at school. These tics were present prior to diagnosis of ADHD, and are consistent with many of the criteria for Tourettes. Resperdall has a side effect of subsiding tics in some instances. Yes, it is a drug that should require ongoing monitoring. It does cause sleepiness. It does combat insomnia in an ADHD, but really, in my unprofessional opinion should not be prescribed just for insomnia that so many ADHDs deal with. It also counters the loss of appetite that many of the ADHD drugs create. So far, we have not had the excessive weight gain. However, it can cause ravenous hunger as one of its side effects. By the way, insomnia is not just a symptom of ADHD. I read that it is also a lesser known symptom of sleep disorders including sleep apnea. Many times ADHD individuals have sleep disorders that will also make them grumpy. As with any medication for these situations, a complete physical workup should be requested by the doctor, be it medical, or psychiatrist. This should include heart monitoring with EEG/EKG etc.,blood pressure, blood work, checking the thyroid, and determining if the kidneys and liver are functioning properly. The psychiatrist that we are using for these medications called for these medical tests right up front. If yours has not, it would be good to ask for them yourselves. I truly wish you well with your trying to find the right drug combination. It is indeed an ongoing situation.
My son was put on it over 1 year ago. He is dx bipolar. It is used for rages/meltdowns. It works great for us. The main side effect is wieght gain. He only gained 6 lbs in the beginning.(56 lbs) 5 months after we started it--he got his tonsils/adnoids out. He lost 10 lbs in 1 week. He gained a few lbs back and has slowly gotten back up to 56 lbs.----1 year later. Weight gain wasn't an issue for us. I've heard of kids gaining 10-20 lbs/month on it though. The other side effect we had was drowsy. He could never have it in the morning---he would get slurred speech and pretty much out of it. He got his dose at night---helped him sleep too!!
My son is off of meds right now---long story. But I do have the option of giving the risperdal for as needed situations. He gets into extremely irritable and aggressive moods and I can use it as needed. It is a 24 hour med---so it's out of the system quickly.
I was interested in anyones experience with Risperdal. It has been put out on the table as a possible drug for my son and I just wanted to hear from any parent that has a child on it and what has the outcome been. Did they have any side effects and what were they? My son has been dx with ADHD for over two years and now is dealing with extreme anxiety. Any information would be helpful to me at this time. Thanks everyone.