We had good results with Risperdal.  Do be on the look out for EPS with it.  I have noticed that people who develop EPS or TD on one AP seem to be prone to developing it on other AP's.  But I believe Abilify is about the worst for causing akathesia.

When she tried the Seroquel, did you ever get the dose up to over 200mg?  Seroquel is extremely sedating at low doses, which is why it is used that way for sleep.  But at higher doses it is not very sedating.  My ds15 used to be on 500mg/day and was never sleepy during the day.  Currently he takes 75mg at bed time.

--

Brenda,51, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 & H, 11
Married 18 years to DH, 50

FROM CABF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.

 Risperdal has been a miracle drug for my son even in a low dose (.25mg x 2).  Also he's been on .50 x 2 prior to adding Abilify.  The only down side is with both of these drugs he's about 25 lbs overweight at 14 y.o.  Everytime we try to lower the Risperdal, the symptoms we see are a reminder how much he needs this med.  Best of luck with it!

--

Wendy
47-adoptive mom
46-DH-adoptive Dad

DS age 14, (adopted 4 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 50mg, Abilify 17.5mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon-weaning off slowly the last few months) Vtiamin D and Melatonin

DD- age 19
DS- age 14- other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD

My son seems to do pretty well on risperdal. He was on it once in the past and it got switched only because we changed doctors and the new doctor put him on seroquel instead (which was a disaster for us- he seemed to have had a paradoxical reaction to it and was probably manic.) Now we're transitioning from abilify to risperdal since we seem to have reached the limit of what abilify would do for him (raising the dosage made him irritable and the maintenance dose he's been on just isn't helping him all that much any more.) I've also been suspicious of akasthisia with the abilify so I'm hoping that risperdal may be less likely to cause that.

What we notice with risperdal is that more than any other rx that he's been on, he's more 'present' (he tends to be in his own world a lot of the time and very imaginative, which is great to a point but it gets to the point that he seems to be in his own world a lot of the time.) And, he's much sweeter, more affectionate, and definitely less aggressive.

Fortunately weight gain hasn't been a problem for my son, on any of the AP meds.

--

Chris Stanley- DS 10, ADHD, ODD, mood disorder NOS
currently taking Adderall XR, Abilify, Zoloft

DD who is 7 was on 500 micrograms for several months.  While it did not eliminate her manic episodes it sure made them less severe.  Her agitated, irritable between depression and manic mood mostly went away.  She for the first time since she was 4 did not say "no" with a bitter look on her face every time anybody asked her to do something.  She also stopped thinking all the kids and teachers were conspiring against her.  Perhaps the best part was the night terrors/talking/yelling all stopped. 

Unfortunately she developed a rash and we determined it was caused by the Risperdal.  She did have other side effects, runny nose, frequent urination, and stomach ache.  The rash is very rare according to her P doc and from what I could find online. 

 After trying several different AP's, risperadal is the one that has worked the best for us.  That being said, my daughter has gained a lot of weight on it - the only downside that i can say.  She has been the most functional and stable on risperdal, so we just try to stay active an encourage healthy eating.  Good luck. 

--

TT - 47, Mother
FT - 49, Father
DT - 19, Son - Away at ISU studying Aerospace Engineering
AT - 15, Adopted Daughter - CP, FAE, MR, Epilepsy; takes Depakene & Zonegran
AT - 13, Adopted Daughter - BP1, TTM, GAD, ADHD; takes Risperadal, Trileptal & Metformin

Risperdal worked for us but caused weight gain.  We really enjoyed the improvement and actually felt like a normal family.  After 2 years it began to be less effective.  Tried geodon but no luck.  Trying lamictal now

I liked Risperdal when we tried it.  It didn't have enough opportunity to do all it could for us, because DD wasn't on a mood stabilizer at the time.  However, we definately saw improvement on it and I would try it again in a heartbeat if need be, now that she is on mood stabilizers.

--

Jennie (37) depression treated effectively with lexapro
Husband (58)
daughter Alison (14)
Bipolar I with episodes of psychosis; Oppositional Defiant Disorder
lithium, depakote, zyprexa, zoloft

Hello im am new to hear my sons doctor advised me to come here and maybe be able to get some help desideing what to do . my son has been on Risperdal for about 4 years along with trileptal 600 mg 3x a day .. concerta 36mg 2x in the am . zoloft 25mg at bedtime . clonidine 0.1 mg at bedtime for sleeping and focalin 10 mg at noon .. he has done very well with these meds up until about two weeks ago when he had a reaction that scared me and him both . his tounge swellen causing him to have trouble breathing and his jaws locked up i took him to the ER room when they said it was a side effect from the Risperdal . his stomach doctor is treating im for ulsers and acid reflux and had added two meds prilosec 20 mg 2x a day and carafate 1gm 3x a day .. the doctor is saying those two meds cause his level of Risperdal to go high . so now we are back to the same behaviors as before he went on it . the doctor says she isnt comfortable putting him back on it and my son refuses to take it again . so now hes scared to try anything she has gave me the names of two meds Lithium is one and was told it could be dangerous if not montored correctly son hears this and says no way hes taking it . then she also said maybe depakote  .. has anyone ever had experience with either of these drugs . have they worked . was there bad side effects . im at a lose is to what to do . or does anyone have any other ideas of what might work she said nothing is out that is i found something else that someone thought might work better or like risperdal that we could talk about useing it if she thought it was ok . does anyone have any insite on this . i know it seems like alot hes done so well with the meds he was on but now Risperdal is out of the Question for many reasons . i never want to experience that nor do i want my son to ever have to again . so now hes scared of everything . any ideas or comments would be great to hear right now im at a lose .. as to what to do . and the longer hes off the more his behavior is going down . please help me if u can thanks ..

Roseangel,

Welcome to TBMF.  Here are links to the Expert Treatment Guidelines and the AACAP Med Guide.  It is too bad your ds had such a scary adverse reaction to the Risperdal.  I do wonder if he would be fine on a lower dose, but I understand his fear and your concerns.  I would be a little worried how he does now that he is off it, especially since he is on both an AD and a stim.  Those meds  were regulated while he had the MS'ing effects of Risperdal on board.  It is possible that he could develop worsening manic sx in the absence of an AP and the presence of meds that can trigger mania in people with BP.  Hopefully you are keeping a daily mood chart or record of some sort, and don't hesitate to let the pdoc know if things deteriorate.

There are many AP's available to use, so always keep that in mind. 

Lithium is the gold standard of MS's.  Both lithium and depakote require regular blood draws to monitor blood levels and other parameters.  Lithium can cause incr. thirst and urination, but it is usually manageable.  Over time it can suppress the thyroid, so that is also monitored.  That is a SE that is easily managed however, and is not a reason to stop the lithium if it is doing a good job of stabilizing moods.  Depakote often causes increased appetite and wt. gain.  Some people seem to tolerate it well, but others have lots of SE's.  That is pretty much the story for all psych meds, so you'll just have to see how it goes for your ds.

As far as the reflux goes, it is very helpful to elevate the head of the bed by placing bricks or thick books under the legs at the head of the bed.  That helps to use gravity to keep the stomach contents in the stomach at night, when reflux sx are usually the worst.  Also, he should avoid caffeine and make sure he eats his last meal 2 or 3 hours before bedtime.

--

Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 15 1/2, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 & H, 11
Married 18 years to DH, 50

FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.

Roseangle-have you thought aboout Invega (similar to Risperdal but longer acting)  or Abilify (similar class). Usually kids that have responded well to Risperdal do well with Abilify or vice versa. The combo of both works well for my son.

--

Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad

DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Zoloft 25mg (new doc titrating down-wants to seem him off of it), Abilify 20mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mg late afternoon) and Melatonin

DD- age 20
DS- age 15-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD

Thanks so much for adding advice . yes i am seeing the moods worsen already so i need to deside what to do pretty fast . i hadnt heard of the Invega but will look into that one . abilify he was on once before at the highest dose and didnt help him . so the pdoc said it probally wouldnt have any effect now as well . thanks so much for all the info .

my 8 year old student started on a very low dose of risperdal in dec, 2011.  after about 3 weeks we saw a much improved mood.  this wonderful mood lasted for 10 days.  the doc has increased the risperdal twice since the initial start, but the moodiness is back to where we started.  any ideas?  should we just wait or add more meds?  I am very close with mom and dad and we only want the best for her.  it was a pleasure to see this 10 day improvement.  where do it go??

My dd did really well on risperdal.  However, as we increased the dose (we went from 1mg. to 2 mg.)  In fact, she was hospitalized at 2mg.  She also had a seizure.  When we decreased it back down to 1 mg.  she was doing wonderfully again!  So...maybe try again at a very low dose??

--

L Anxiety, Lexapro
Mom to:
T (16) Mood disorder (Depression, Anxiety, OCD, BP, SA, ADD?), Risperdal .5mg morning/night, Zoloft 100 mg., EMPowerPlus + AminoPowerplus, Omega-3.
Also has hypoplastic left heart syndrome (open heart surgery 3X), Lisinopril, Aspirin
10th grade-currently going to school online at home.
J (13)
J and C (10)

My 8 yr old son was taken off Intuniv and replaced by Risperdal last summer and his aggression showed a reduction. Today things are better than before Risperdal but we still have aggression/impulsiveness issues. He takes 0.25mg at 6am, 0.50mg at 1pm and 0.25 at 5pm.  It does not seem to last til 5pm, aggression issues begin between 4:00-4:30pm and I wonder if the Risperdal could possibly have "worn off" in 3-3.5 hours?  He has experienced weight gain...7lbs in 4 months...but prior to that he had only gained 3-4 pounds in the past 2 years...so he was due!  He is very very active right now, ice hockey 4 times a week since October but that is ending next week so we will see what happens over the next several months.  I like him on the Risperdal but I know we still need to do some tweaking to his meds. I am thinking of taking him off of the stimulants....anyone have any comments on that?

--

Jen, single mom to:
Devin ADHD,ODD, Mood Disorder NOS (bipolar?), (8 3/4), Focalin XR, Ritalin, Risperdal
Regular 3rd grade
Braden (5) mimicking or his own ADHD - we are monitoring
Wisconsin

Jen,

Before incr. the Risiperdal dose, I would talk to pdoc about the possibility of adding some sort of MS.  AP's alone are usually not effective  in completely stabilizing moods.  Here is a link to the Expert Treatment Guidelines.  I wonder if his stim is wearing off and causing the sx you are seeing?

--

Brenda,51, TBMF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 17 1/2, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Lamictal, Cytomel, Allegra
E, 16, BP,AS: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, inositol, Buspar
B, 14 1/2 & H, 11 1/2
Married 18 years to DH, 51

FROM TBMF: Do not start, stop, or change medications or other treatments for yourself or your child based on what you read on this Website or elsewhere on the Internet. Information presented here should not replace the considered judgement of a doctor who knows you or your child.

the aggression could be him crashing (rebound)  from the Focalin in the late afternoon.

--

Wendy
48-adoptive mom
47-DH-adoptive Dad

DS age 14, (adopted 5 yrs ago from eastern europe) ADHD, LD, PTSD, anxiety, mood disorder-NOS, with lots of great qualities:)
Concerta 72 mg, Abilify 15mg, and Risperdal (.25mg a.m and .25mafternoon) and Melatonin

DD- age 20
DS- age 15-other son
Both adopted as baby/toddler -both ADD,LD

My son was on adderall xr at one point that caused terrible crashes in the afternoon. He has also been on vyvanse. When we saw his current Pdoc & he said that the vyvanse was causing his late afternoon anger & took him off the stimulant.  Right now, P doesn't get afternoon anger by being on the risperdal but he's on the ms lamictal too.

Sue 39 somewhat normal???

Mother of P- 11 yr old son bipolar mixed, lamictal 200mg, risperdone .5mg 2X's day, .10mg risperdone & serqouel .25 mg at bed time. Risperdal .5 mg meltaways as needed as PRN.Have tried stattera, adderall xr, concentra, clonidine, intuniv, risperdal, trilepta, vyvanse, lithiuml..sure I missed a few.

C-1.5 year old full of energy daughter ok so far
expecting child # 3 in July
DH-40 supporting more & learning more & more
Oregon