Has any of you had to put their kid on resperidone?

Yvonne - posted on 06/21/2011

My son is on Risperidone for his mood swings and aggression! He did gain weight with it but it wasn't a huge problem for a while, as having ADHD and being on Ritalin (which has now been stopped) he was very skinny. Two months ago we had to reduce the Risperidone to 0.5mg twice a day, due to his increased appetite! He still eats plenty but the weight gain is controlled now by his participation in sport. Sometimes I think the Risperidone works and sometimes not! He is under a wonderful psychiatrist, who is constantly monitoring his meds. He is also on Prozac for his anxiety. He also used to take 5mg of Melatonin at bedtime to get him to sleep, but since being off the Ritalin, he no longer needs the Melatonin, which is naturally produced by the body, but as in my sons case, not enough is always produced, therefore some people need "topping" up. Melatonin was a Godsend to me!! Good Luck.

Heather - posted on 06/15/2011

My teen daughter is diagnosed ADD/OCD/MDD, and was recently put on Cymbalta for OCD/MDD, with Seroquel added for anxiety. We have yet to find an ADD med that works without increasing her OCD behaviors. The Seroquel really helps her thoughts slow down. As a side note, years ago a doc put my on Risperdal for a week to help me get into a good sleep pattern and I thought it was great. It was the only time ever that I could feel my mind stop ruminating and finally relax.

Robyn - posted on 06/15/2011

my 5 yr old was diagnoised with adhd & asbergers. They also put him on Concerta. It caused him to become very angry & aggressive. Then after 4 months, started talking about wanting to die & threating to harm himself. I made the dr take him off it. After some research I found that there is some very horrible side effects from this med. As for eating, He almost completely stopped. I went to his peditrician & ask for his help. Dr. Mudry put him on a liquid med called Megestrol AC. Which has worked wonders! He only takes 1 tsp a day. & since starting it he has gained 10 lbs. This med was orginally created for cancer pts. but, they are finding it works wonders for children who are ADHD & AUTISTIC.

Shelly - posted on 06/15/2011

yes, my 8yr old daughter is on it and has been for over a year. she is on 1mg. 1 tab twice a day.

Jane - posted on 06/14/2011

With his "collections" and aggression I was wondering if he might be either autistic or have something else going on besides ADHD, or that mimics ADHD.

My son is diagnosed as ADHD, ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder) and Bipolar, although one doc thinks he suffers from Schizo-Affective Disorder. In any case, the Ritalin showed an immediate and amazing improvement in him, which is generally considered a confirmation that the child does indeed have ADHD.

He has never developed tics or anything like that, but he suffers amazing and rapid mood swings, as well as classic manic phases. He had been on various forms of Ritalin for about three years when he suddenly became suicidal and suffered from hallucinations as well as part of his manic phase. It was not the Ritalin that caused his problems, though. A neuro-psych evaluation showed several areas of his brain that do not operate the way most folks' brains do.

He takes Seroquel and Depakote for his Bipolar Disorder, Metadate for ADHD, Guanfacine (Tenex) for his ODD and anger control, and Trazodone for depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Jane - posted on 06/14/2011

This drug is an anti-psychotic so he is taking it to counter the psychotic reactions he experienced while on Concerta and Dexidrine. Those two are both drugs to counter ADHD but can have disturbing side effects.

Risperdone, aka Risperdal, is also used to treat OCD and several other disorders.

What is your son's diagnosis?

Jane - posted on 06/14/2011

My son was on it for a while, for Early Onset Bipolar Disorder. However, he gained a lot of weight on it so he was switched to Seroquel (quetiapine) and isn't having as big a problem with weight gain. He takes the majority of it at night so the sleepiness isn't a problem.