RISPERIDONE

Andrea - posted on 04/21/2013

My daughter is 5 and is non-verbal. Last spring she pulled all of her hair out, and her neurologist prescribed Risperdal for the self-injury until we could figure other things out. It did help the situation, although it is a very powerful medication not to be taken without some consideration because the side effects of use and especially long term use CAN be severe. (I also work in mental health, so I know this from that perspective too). Now she's on Neurontin and Clonidine and it serves the calming and sleep issues that the Risperdal helped with - but the Neurontin also helps with the migraines she was apparently having which may have led to self-injury. She had also been on Tenex for a while which did help as well for some of her aggression.

As with any medication, you have to be the best judge for your child, but I do know my daughter's neurologist said she uses Risperdal as a last resort, or for serious issues - not to just be used for sleep and meltdowns. Everyone's child is different though.

Christine - posted on 04/20/2013

My son is 2 and a half. He is six pounds underweight and considered hyperactive. He was put on respirdone by his neurologist who said it would calm him plus add weight. The GI doctor jumped on the idea of weight gain. My son has been on respiridone for almost one month. He has not calmed down. He started on .25 twice a day. Now is .50 a bedtime only. He was waking up three times a night. Now still waking up but only once. But still waking up normal time. He has quit eating. He is beyond active. This medication is not helping. When given the .50 dose he said dragons were flying around! Not working for us.

Melisha - posted on 05/25/2012

My son, Noah, who is 6yrs old hasn't been fully diagnosed with anything, except an anxiety disorder and she said he's on a dysregulation spectrum, so we're still waiting to find out what he has. So for now, his psy wanted us to try him on Risperidone. He's on .5mg at bedtime. She mentioned the effects of it and how it would help him. It's been 2 weeks since he's been on it. I know it said we shouldn't see results for a couple weeks, but it's like after we started him on it, he was waking up happier, calmer and his meltdowns weren't happening. He was normally having a meltdown everyday...last night he had a small one, but it wasn't as bad as he used to have them. I think it's working great for him. Also, his appetite hasn't increased, for him, it's decreased. I guess it depends on the child. But again, this is working for us. I hope you find something that works for you too.

Lisa - posted on 04/02/2009

Hi charlie.....A very powerful drug, but for my son who has been on it now for 2 years it has worked wonders.....he is 16 though and on a 1mg dose a day, he too was extremely under weight and has had a steady but healthy weight gain since starting the risperidone.

I know everyone is different and it is a very personal choice but I would say give it a trial, you really have nothing to lose and I hope you get the good results we are all talking about

Alisha - posted on 04/01/2009

hi, My daughter Serenity is taking resperidone .5mg at bedtime to help her sleep, at first she was having night terrors and waking 2-3 times at night screaming like you would not belive but lately she has been sleeping quite well. I was leary about medications at first and do not really now what one or combination of more than one (since she is currently taking 4 different meds) is helping but I do see a significant improvement.

Charlie - posted on 04/01/2009

thank-you both very much for taking the time to reply,it has really helped me.

my son joshua is prone to meltdowns on a huge scale and im just finding this very difficult at the moment-he was diagnosed with ASD 3weeks before xmas and he will be 4 in june and this is still quite new for myself and the family.he throws himself on the floor at home and when we are out-however i have had to take this matter very seriously when he bit his older brother on the face...........joshua is due to start a junior school in january and i couldnt bare the  thought of him biting another child.i look and feel at times like a battered wife-people look at my partner as though he is responsible for the marks and bruises on my face and arms............i feel very sorry for him for the looks he gets.....bless him

i am taking everything on board that youve both written and will let you know what my desicion is when i know myself.......

many thanks and best wishes

charlie

xxx

Tracey - posted on 03/31/2009

Hello again... I wanted to comment on the weight gain that Tanya mentioned.  Noah when starting Respiridone only weighed 30lbs at age 4. He was a premature child by 8 weeks but still severely UNDERweight and not where he should be physically. After taking the meds his appetite DID increase and at times I dont have enough food to fill him up.. but for once in his life he's actually HUNGRY and has thankfully gained 10lbs just from being on this medication.  My son is a rare case, he actually NEEDED the weight... if you decide to try this... make sure you have plenty of "healthy snacks" available as they'll want to MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH all the time! If you watch what they eat... you should be ok with gaining just a tad.

Good luck !

Tracey - posted on 03/31/2009

Hey Charlie!

My son Noah, is 5 years old and was diagnosed with Asperger's almost a year ago. Originally, I wasnt going to put him on any medication however, Risperidone was a medication that would serve a certain reaction that my son needed. One of those was a calming affect so he could actually relax. I knew that if I tried it, and I didnt like the results and they didnt seem to HELP the situation I could always take him off. So, I started him on them. He takes 5mg per day.  The difference in the child PRE Risperidone and now, is AMAZING. It's like two different personalities in one little boy. Off the medication Noah is very high strung, mean, physical at times and refuses to be affectionate or allow anyone to be positive toward him, very purpose driven and down right rude! His symptoms of Asperger's are much more vivid and real and hinder him in areas he NEEDS to be focused and able to concentrate. While ON the medication, he's a nice, happy, well rounded child that WANTS and craves attention from the family. Every day is a GOOD day, he's eager to do things, try new things, accepts change and his Asperger's symptoms although, still there as they always will be, they dont get in his way of being productive as he would be completely different without it. It's easier to handle him, to talk to him, explain and understand with him.... the whole learning process is better. However, with that said, even tho Noah is doing really GOOD on this medication, over a time frame he will build up an immune to the dosage he's taking and will require a higher dosage as he grows and matures to keep those symptoms under control. Risperidone is NOT a fix all. It's merely a BANDAID for what your child is experiencing although, in many kids its a tremendous assistant if you will. Some kids dont do well on that medication and there are many others available.  This is the first medication I've tried on Noah, as I dont want to "medicate his problem" I want to teach him HOW to deal with it. The best remedy here of  course, in my opinion is working with the REAL person.. and on the medication, I know the Noah that Im getting is the "good" Noah v/s Noah off the meds is the "challenged" one if you will. The Respirdone only covers up these symptoms and allows you some breathing room to teach and guide them in a more effortless way as the med for Noah has calmed him and opened him up to new experiences.  I know in the future, I will not continue to increase the dosage with him as I will lean more toward the teaching him how to handle things because THAT'S the lesson he needs here. Thats the support he needs from me.... but the med is giving me a chance to learn about Asperger's and how to move forward and making those transitions easier.. for now.

Good LUCK to you!!

Tanya - posted on 03/31/2009

hi charlie,  i am a mother of two children, one of whom is severly autistic and devolpmentally delayed in all areas. i put off putting my child on any type of medicine for 4yrs. he had so many outbursts like kicking and screaming and throwing things and hitting people, biting them. the last straw for me was just a couple of months ago when he actually attacked his school bus aid and the driver. they were both very understanding and kind when they told me what had happened. but i just couldnt let it go anymore. he has since been placed on risperidone and it took a month or so before i noticed any changes in my child. And boy what a huge difference i have seen in only the few weeks he has been on it. both in school and at home. he makes better eye contact with all of us and is paying more attention. his meltdowns have gone way down. it has definitely helped my child and i wish i had put him on it sooner.. however i do want to warn you that one of the side effects is weight gain. well i need to go for now. i do hope this helps. whatever you decide we are all here for you and we support whatever decision you make. take care