Risperdal

risperidone

Uses of Risperdal

Risperdal is often used in the treatment of some mental/ mood disorders such as bipolar disorder in its manic stage, schizophrenia and irritability due to autistic disorder. Risperdal helps clear thinking and focus.

Risperdal is used as a psychiatric medication and it works by aiding in the restoration of the balance of particular neurotransmitters in the brain.

Alternative uses

The uses below are not included in the approved professional label of the drug but some physicians sometimes prescribe Risperdal for their treatment. You may only use the drug for these purposes if your physician or doctor recommends it.

Risperdal is used in treating behavioral problems associated with dementia such as aggression and agitation where the normal treatment such as cholinesterase inhibitors and behavioral therapy have been unsuccessful. Use the drug only for treating conditions that it was prescribed to treat.

How Risperdal is used

Risperdal should be consumed orally as prescribed. You may take it with food or without. Your health care provider will increase the dosage gradually over the first few days in order to give your body time to adjust to the drug.

If Risperdal is being consumed in liquid form do not use a teaspoon to measure the drug as it may not be accurate. Instead use specialized spoons or devices.

The quantity taken depends on your response to therapy and medical condition. You should continue consuming the drug as directed even when you feel better.

Increasing the dosage of Risperdal without consulting your physician is discouraged as it only increases the risk of the side effects of the drug without improving your condition at a higher rate. In addition, only stop taking Risperdal upon the instruction of your physician.

In order to get maximum benefit from Risperdal, use it regularly at the same time every single day.

If your condition seems to persist or get worse, you should inform your physician.

Side effects of Risperdal

They include fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea, running nose, constipation, weight gain, increased appetite, acne, nervousness, dry skin, reduced sexual desire/ ability, difficulties in sleeping and in concentrating. If they get worse or persist, inform your physician.

You should rise slowly from lying or seated positions in order to reduce lightheadedness and dizziness. Many of the people that use Risperdal do not usually have severe side effects. However, you should inform your doctor the instant these severe side effects show up; fainting, severe dizziness, irregular heartbeat, mood/ mental changes, muscle spasms/stiffness/twitching, uncontrollable muscle movements, difficulties swallowing, drooling, frequent falls and seizures.

There are also some rare but very serious side effects that should immediately be reported such as numb arms/ leg/ face, sudden changes in vision, slurred speech, breast lumps, confusion, urinary changes and weakness of a single side of the body.

Risperdal may on some rare occasions raise the level of a specific hormone (proclatin) in the blood of the users. Among males, increased proclatin levels cause enlarged breasts, loss of the ability to produce sperms as well as reduced sexual ability. Among the women, it may result in difficulties in getting pregnant, end of menstruation and unwanted breast milk.

At times, Risperdal may raise you level of blood sugar and thereby cause or worsen diabetes. This may lead to diabetic coma. The symptoms related to high blood sugar, such as unusual increased urination and thirst, you should immediately tell your physician.

Risperdal can result in considerable gain of weight and increased blood cholesterol levels. Together with diabetes, the side effects raise the risk to heart disease and thus it is important to confer with your doctor on the benefits and risks of the treatment.

Males may have a prolonged and painful erection in some rare cases, which lasts more than 4 hours. When this happens, the consumption of Risperdal should stop immediately and immediate medication sought.

The risk of serious reactions to Risperdal due to allergy is not likely but if it does occur, seek help. Serious reactions due to allergy are characterized by; swelling and itching of the tongue, throat and face, trouble breathing, severe dizziness and rash.

The list of side effects given above is not exhaustive and any additional effects should be reported to your doctor.

Precautions for Risperdal

Tell your doctor about any allergies to Risperdal or other medication that you have before you begin to use the drug.

Inform your pharmacist or doctor about your medical history before you take this medication, especially if you have had kidney disease, seizures, low blood pressure, liver disease, memory problems, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, difficulties in swallowing, breast cancer or dehydration.

In addition, inform your doctor about any of the members of your family that have a history of; heart diseases, diabetes, high triglyceride/ cholesterol levels in the blood, obesity or high blood pressure.

You should take caution when taking the drug if you plan to do stuff that call for alertness and concentration since the drug causes drowsiness and dizziness. Alcoholic drinks should be avoided.

Because the medication reduces sweating, it can lead to heatstroke upon overheating during hot weather physical activities. To lower the chances of heatstroke, drink a lot of fluids.

Elderly people are likely to have greater sensitivity to the effects of the drug and therefore a lot of caution should be taken when giving them this drug.

For expectant mothers, the drug should only be used when expressly needed and only under the direction of a qualified health care provider with whom the risks should be discussed.

While taking Risperdal, breast feeding is discouraged since the drug can pass into breast milk.

Warnings for Risperdal

For elderly patients who have dementia. There is a greater risk of more serious side effects that may prove fatal such as heart failure and stroke. The benefits and risks of this treatment for elderly people should be discussed with our physician.

Interactions of Risperdal

Most probably, your physician is aware of the interactions of Risperdal with other drugs and may be monitoring you for the same. Hence do not change the dosage, start or stop consuming the drug without first consulting your physician.

Risperdal should not be taken with sibutramine due to serious interactions. Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking this medication before you start on Risperdal.

Prior to taking Risperdal, you should tell your physician about any herbal products, prescription and non- prescription medication that you are taking, especially; medicine for high blood pressure such as beta- blockers like propranolol, hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide and alpha blockers such as doxazosin and prazosin; anti depressants such as paroxetine and fluoxetine; Parkinson’s disease medication such as levadopa.

Also inform your physician of medications that may affect the rhythm of the heart such as dofetilide, quinidine, pimozide, sotalol, thiorizadine, sperfloxazin and procainamide among other drugs.QTc prolongation can sometimes cause irregular heartbeats that are rarely ever fatal. Consult with your physician on the same as well as the continued use or stoppage of other drugs that prolong QTc, so that the negative effects are minimized.

If you take medication that makes you drowsy e.g. sedatives, antiaxiety drugs like diazepam, tranquilizers, narcotic pain relievers such as codeine, anti seizure drugs such as carbamazepine, antihistamines that induce drowsy feelings such as diphenhydramine, muscle relaxants and psychiatric medications such as phenothiazines (e.g. chlorpromazine) and trycyclics e.g. amitriptyline, then you should tell your physician about them.

The labels of all of your medicines should indicate whether they have any ingredients that cause drowsiness and you can ask your doctor about how you can safely use them.

Not all of the possible interactions of the drug are contained here and it is therefore advisable to keep an updated list of the medications you take and confer with your physician or pharmacist on the same.

Overdose of Risperdal

In case you suspect an overdose of Risperdal, you should immediately contact an emergency room or the nearest poison control center. The symptoms that signify you have overdosed on the drug are increased heart rate, unusual drowsiness, loss of consciousness, stiffness of the neck, muscles, limbs or face, unusual movement of the muscles, seizures, tremors and fainting.

Notes

This medication should not be shared with other people.

Consult with you physician about periodical medical and laboratory tests such as FBS (Fasting blood sugar),blood triglyceride/ cholesterol levels, blood pressure and weight in order to evaluate for presence of side effects and to monitor your progress.

Missed doses

All medication should be taken as scheduled in the prescription and any dose missed should be taken immediately you remember except in the event that it is almost time for the next dose, in which case, simply skip the missed one. Avoid doubling up on doses to cover up.

Storage

Risperdal should be kept away from both moisture and light and not in the bathroom. It should be kept beyond the reach of children and pets.

When the medication has expired or is no longer needed, discard it as directed by your local company in charge of waste disposal or by your physician. Dumping the medication into a drain or flushing it down a toilet is discouraged unless you are directed to do the same.