Feeling "dumb" on Risperdal?!


Question: Feeling "dumb" on Risperdal?
Hello all,

I've just decreased my dose of Risperdal from 4.5mg twice daily to 3mg twice daily (on monday). All this week, I've been feeling not at all myself. I feel like I'm at a loss for words, and lose my thoughts in mid-sentence if I have to speak. It's difficult for me to describe anything in detail, or for that matter, even carry on a conversation at all. Finally, (something I've felt the entire time I've been on) I feel that my ears constantly have fluid in them.

Has anyone else ever experienced these symptoms that can help me out? If so, how did you function socially and otherwise while on Risperdal? I'm concerned that when I go back to school in the fall I'll have a hard time making or maintaining friendships because I've lost the "spark" that I used to have. If anyone could help me, I would GREATLY appreciate it. Thanks!

ps Is there any hope for getting off the meds eventually? If you've done this, how did you go about it?

Answers:

Yes. You do lose your "self." You become someone else that is kinda like yourself. You write notes to yourself constantly to make up for your lack of short-term memory. You learn to speak more slowly, to give yourself time to think. You practice conversations of import, with your parents or teachers, and then pray that it turns out ok -- that you remember half of what you wanted to say. It's a real pain.

Stay on the lowered dose. Your mind will settle down again. And then maybe even go lower, if you can. Yes there is hope of getting off. Don't let any doctor tell you otherwise. There are many people with diabetes who chose NOT to use insulin, and they find a way to cope. You will find a way to cope.

You remember the movie "A Beautiful Mind?" (See it, if you haven't) Little known secret -- the main character is shown at the end, "recovered." Most people assume it is because he was on meds. If you read the real historical account you know that he actually said to hell with the meds, and learned to cope with his voices. Remarkable. But they had to keep that quiet in the movie due to fears that persons with the same condition would go off their meds.

So yes, there is hope. You will have friendships. It'll be ok.

Look into taking Fish Oil supplements to keep your blood pressure low. Heart problems arise with these drugs. And look into Magnesium to help with your glucose levels if you are gaining too much weight.

Good Luck!



I had a similar experience when I was on Risperdal, except for me it was just from being on the drug rather than a decreased dose. My experience with Risperdal was not a pleasant one; I gained 110 pounds in the 10 months I took it and basically lost interest in everything during that time period. It helped my mood swings/depression/mania by reducing or 'dulling' the extreme lows of them but also hurt the positive aspects of my life by similarly reducing and dulling the good things as well. I felt like my mental capacity had been diminished, I couldn't concentrate on anything and basically I felt dumbed-down and comatose which sounds to me like sort of what you're describing.

However, I was able to rid myself of all of these things (and also of the extra 110 pounds) by simply going off the medication. I'm sure many people have great success with Risperdal and similar anti-psychotics but it hurt much more than it helped me so I felt the need to get off of it. My doctor didn't agree with this decision, but this same doctor had been prescribing me basically the same crap for the previous 6 years never to any positive result so I decided to get a second opinion and ended up switching doctors. The new doctor had an entirely different approach and switched me from the two meds I was on (Risperdal and Paxil) to two meds that were pretty much the exact opposite; Dexedrine and Wellbutrin. This had a profound effect and all the numbness and "duhhh" feeling I'd had for so long on the prior meds evaporated as soon as I made the switch. It was as if I was spinning my wheels in quicksand while on the Risperdal etc and driving at max speed down the fast lane once off of it. Now of course this has its disadvantages as well (crashing, for instance) and I don't know what your condition is or what the best treatment for you would be but, as someone who has also felt lost, dumbed down and not myself while on this medication I'd strongly recommend looking into other alternatives.

In any case, tell your doctor about these symptoms and your concerns and hopefully you can find a treatment that works for you. Good luck!

Personal experience



Can I ask why you are taking an antipsychotic like Risperdal (risperidone), how long have you been on it and why are you now reducing the dose? All of these facts will relate to the answer of whether or not you can get off these medications in future. Usually people do manage to get off these medications but sadly some have to take them for life to prevent a recurrence of the symptoms.

Sadly it looks as if you are having an adverse reaction to the reduction in the dose. perhaps the drop was too much at once and you'd be better going back up to say 4 mg twice a day at first then scale down more slowly. Was this a medically agreed reduction or did you decide to cut down on your own?

I can understand wanting to stop the side effects such as the ear problem. Some people feel better on different drugs so I wonder if this is the only anti psychotic you have tried or is this the best of a bad bunch?

If you have a doctor or psychiatrist involved in your care then please do think about telling them what you are feeling as a result of the drop in dose (regardless of whether they authorised it or not!)




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