I take Risperdal (atypical anti-psychotic) in the evenings for anxiety and to help with going to sleep. I read today online that many doctors are prescribing it to children for ADHD (possibly adults too, but the concern was with children).
I've tried the usual ADD medications with little success, or unacceptable side effects, and wonder if anyone here has experienced improvement on Risperdal. I'm not noticing improvement in executive function while on it, but it could be related to dose and schedule.
my son was on risperdal for 3-4 months, we recently discontinued after weight gain and increased lethargy - he seemed really off to us and had no spark. He is currently med free and we are trying to decide what to do next. I think it is like everything else - you just have to keep an eye out for side effects.My ds was started on Risperdal four weeks ago (day and night), after mostly unsuccessful trials of Adderall xr (manic reaction) and tenex (it just sedated him). Fortunately (and maybe unfortunately) the risperdal helps significantly with the hyperactivity, noncompliance and inattentiveness. I did notice some INCREASED anxiety (a potential side effect) early on, but that has diminished now. I should note that ds is tentatively diagnosed not only with adhd, but also with sensory processing dysfunction and ODD.Increasingly, Risperdal is being prescribed for children with everything from ADHD to autism to bipolar disorder to help with irritability and aggression. My 12-year-old son took Risperdal (0.5 mg BID) for about a month following a manic reaction to Zoloft (original dx 3 years ago of ADHD/anxiety; new dx of bipolar disorder). It made him extremely restless and edgy. It also caused a dystonic reaction (uncontrollable movements of his mouth and tongue). Needless to say, we stopped Risperdal.
From my own research, I think there are far better meds out there for anxiety than Risperdal.
my son was on risperdal for about 4 or 5 months.. while it did calm him down it made him gain soooooo much weight and it caused him to drool REALLY bad..so we had to stop it..Thanks for the feedback.
John
Just started my ds on it today. will let you know how it goes.Risperdal has been well studied in conduct disorder, and autism.