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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 10, 2014, at 9:46:47
I was just wondering if anyone takes Risperdal in the morning once you get past the sleepy stage of it if it seems to work better or the same? I am only starting out at 1/4 of a .25 mg to minimize side effects and hopefully to minimize seizure risk as well. I am finding that despite my greatest effort that I miss taking this med and how calm I was on it versus how out of control I feel and snappy and crabby at everyone. so any feedback if it matter when or what time of day to take it please let me know.
Also anyone taking this med please give me some feedback on how you feel about it, the good, bad and the ugly and thanks so much, jamie
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 10, 2014, at 12:42:04
In reply to Taking Risperl in the morning vs at night? feedbac, posted by alfbarks007 on February 10, 2014, at 9:46:47
I was on a higher dose (4mgs) for a bipolar freak out. I took divided doses--2 AM, 2 PM--and that was OK, until I switched to Abilify (Risp. was causing twitches).
Good luck!
Posted by baseball55 on February 10, 2014, at 20:51:24
In reply to Taking Risperl in the morning vs at night? feedbac, posted by alfbarks007 on February 10, 2014, at 9:46:47
I took risperdal briefly and found it very calming. I actually loved the way it made me feel and it worked almost immediately. I felt great and had no side effects -- or so I thought -- until I weighed myself after a month and found I had gained 10 pounds. In a month. For me, I would have stayed on risperdal or abilify or zyprexa forever, based on how they alleviated depression, anxiety and psychotic symptoms. But I am one of those people who gain weight uncontrollably on anti-psychotics.
I don't remember what dose of risperdal I took. I know it was more than 0.25mg.
Why are you afraid of seizures? I wasn't aware that risperdal increased seizure risk. Are you epileptic?
Posted by Phillipa on February 11, 2014, at 9:03:05
In reply to Re: Taking Risperl in the morning vs at night? feedbac, posted by baseball55 on February 10, 2014, at 20:51:24
I read this yesterday and didn't know resperidol had a risk of seizures either? Phillipa
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 11, 2014, at 9:12:36
In reply to Re: Taking Risperl in the morning vs at night? feedbac, posted by baseball55 on February 10, 2014, at 20:51:24
I do have a seizure history with provoking factor as it is called. If I am in strobe light situation for too long I can have a grand mal. Things like the sun filtering through the tree, a light above a ceiling fan, etc..make a strobe light effect. Risperdal can lower seizure threshold. When I was on it despite how great I felt, clearer of mind, calmer, happier, I could not shake the fear of having a threshold lower for a seizure. I drove around in terror when I would go past a clump of trees that had strobes, what a wreck I was but on the other side I was soooo happy and felt so good and now I feel so crappy again, so irritable and mean spirited, snapping at everyone and everything even. I miss the way I felt but I just don't know how to get past that fear.
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 11, 2014, at 9:13:45
In reply to Re: Taking Risperl in the morning vs at night? feedbac, posted by Phillipa on February 11, 2014, at 9:03:05
of all the atypical antipsychotics it has thee lowest risk factor and I believe I read too the lowest incidence of TD.
Posted by phidippus on February 11, 2014, at 16:09:27
In reply to Taking Risperl in the morning vs at night? feedbac, posted by alfbarks007 on February 10, 2014, at 9:46:47
I take Invega, the active metabolite of Risperidal. I take my dose at night, although some feel it is activating.
Invega has helped me a great deal with anxiety and I haven't experienced untoward side effects.
Eric
Posted by Willful on February 11, 2014, at 16:30:55
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night? » baseball55, posted by alfbarks007 on February 11, 2014, at 9:12:36
Have you had a seizure as an adult? The epilepsy website says seizures from flickering light and other photosensitvities are more common in childhood and adolescence and become rare in adulthood. Maybe your fear is out of proportion to the real danger.
Also, I wondered if there are any simple things that might minimize your sensitivity to light, like very dark sunglasses or special glasses that might reduce or the appearance of flickering. For example, the epilepsy website suggests covering one eye with one hand and turning away, if exposed to such lights. I don't know much about epilepsy, but they also suggest there are medications you can take to help with the issue.
I"m sure you've thought about these things, but I wonder if you've tried all the possible work-arounds. Sometimes fear can prevent prevent from seeing options that might really improve things.
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 11, 2014, at 17:25:09
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night?, posted by Willful on February 11, 2014, at 16:30:55
wow thanks so much for finding this awesome info!
the only thing i knew about was wearing polarized sun glasses which i've done for years now. The other things i did not know about. The last time i had a sieizure was in 1994 because i've been so diligent to avoid strobes since then. The one i did have in 94 was a grand mal and I was stuck in a residential neighborhood surrounded by trees and could not get my way out of them, it was awful and I felt the aura coming on before it happened, wish I knew about the 1 eye thing or the polarized glasses. I'm now 57 (in april) so I was not quite an adolescent in 94 I was 37...I've lived such a paranoid life since then which isn't really much of a life. Even if it were not the strobe light fear of seizures I have wondered if a seizure in general could be triggered from this med though not likely I still live with this fear. My husband asked me just this morning to PLEASE go back on this Risperdal...he is already feeling the effects of me being off it as am I. it was so nice to feel what one might consider normal if it was only for a few weeks...I have my 1/4 of a pill ready by my bedside to take tonight I just hope I don't chicken out again!
Posted by Willful on February 12, 2014, at 10:21:30
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night? » Willful, posted by alfbarks007 on February 11, 2014, at 17:25:09
Hi again,
Have you seen a doctor recently to check on any new meds for preventing or lowering susceptibility to these seizures? and maybe asked enough questions to clarify which of your fears are well-founded and which ones just fears?
The seizure you had was obviously very terrifyin. Maybe if you knew you could protect yourself, or knew that you had medications that greatly reduced, or even eradicated the danger, you could begin to function better Given the effect of this one seizure, I would, as a friend, advise you to establish a regular relationship with a physician, who could, in an ongoing way, treat whatever symptoms you showed. I feel sure there must be a way to improve your situation, so you can live more like the rest of us without this ominous shadow over you.
After all, it seems as though the fear of a seizure is tormenting you in a way that makes the long-past seizure as if it happened yesterday. In fact what you describe reminds me of the descriptions of Post traumatic stress disorder, and I wonder if you are really not suffering from a form of this disorder. Indeed, I wonder if there aren't certain types of therapy-- even talk therapy-- that could help you lessen the fear--
You seem to live with so much inner turmoil that you can't possibly have emotional energy left to deal with the external pressures and demands of small children.
I would talk to an expert, several times if necessary, about the possiblity that risperdal could lower your seizure threshold, But more than anaything, you need to find treatment for this phobia, and/or as PTSD so that at a minimum you can take the risperdal, and perhaps more than than, extinguish some of the fears. There is a lot of hope that over time, if you investigate some of these options, you can find that you can enjoy the children-- and many other things as well.
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 12, 2014, at 11:52:14
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night?, posted by Willful on February 12, 2014, at 10:21:30
this may sound dumb, but...could you take Klonopin?
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 12, 2014, at 12:28:01
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night?, posted by Willful on February 12, 2014, at 10:21:30
wow your post made me cry but not in a bad way but in a good way. you summed up so much of how I feel and what my life is like on a daily basis and has been for so many years if no and decades. Actually that was not my first seizure. My first one was when I was 17 and had been up all night riding from Minnesota to Colorado two weeks after giving birth and had been sleeping in the back of a pick up so was very tired and hungry and the early morning light and watching the trees go by seemed to be enough to trigger that first strobe seizure. My 2nd one was right after giving birth but I can blame that one of preeclampsia which then they put me on Dilantin which after a year or so caused severe bleeding gums so they were in the process of switching me to phenobarbital and I did not follow suit and stay on Dilantin long enough for the phenobarbital to kick in and take over and again had been up all night at a party (I was 17 then 19 with both these) and I had to walk across a bridge that had a chain link fence and I was trying to get over it and I felt the aura coming on and made it to the corner drug store before having yet a 3rd grand mal, that was in 1976 and my next one was in 1994 so a long time to live in a sheltered away from the sun and strobes and that is how my whole life has been...and each day is just a struggle to get out and feel like I can enjoy something like a nice mountain road trip but I wait for cloudy days, love cloudy days so I can feel so functional. Colorado has too many sunny days and I want to move to Seattle so I can have something of a life in the clouds.
So I did talk to a counselor not too long ago when I was given the Risperdal and asked him about the PTSD because it has crossed my mind too and he said I don't fit the bill for it yet the psych nurse says I do.
I did some research after your post on meds that help with PTSD and though not really advocated as one I found several excellent reports of Buspar. I even found papers that specifically say it does not affect seizure or epilepsy disorders. So many wonderful reviews on this med that I may have to ask psych nurse for a trial of it. As for living with so much innerturmoil that I cant enjoy much that is something that you hit right on the head! Are you a psychic? what are you? you are so correct on so many things like you looked right into my life! are you a spy? Between you and Eric you have both given me some really good insight but nothing can quell this fear of taking the Risperdal with the seizure risk even how small it is. I was going to retake it last night and had it in my hand with a glass of water and somehow ended up flinging it across the room instead with all the good and bad flashing through my mind with it and thee only bad was that stupid dam dumb fear of having a seizure. its funny that I've intentionally looked up advil to see if it can cause seizures and yes it can but I continue to take it as needed for pain but now with a tinge of fear to it but yet I take it anyways...I don't know if it is because this med is an antipsychotic that makes the fear worse of what the heck the deal is but I wish I could pull that fear right out of my brain and flush it down the toilet. I'm sorry I tend to drag on and on with my posts, I guess I have to lot to get out though this is not a therapy board and you are all so helpful and I can say how much I appreciate it all your help and everyone elses too..
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 12, 2014, at 12:29:25
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night?, posted by Christ_empowered on February 12, 2014, at 11:52:14
no that does not sound dumb at all but I have tried klonopin and freaked out when I found out how addicting it was and immediately weaned off it but dang it caused some horrible rebound anxiety and that was several years ago.
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 12, 2014, at 13:07:54
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night? » Willful, posted by alfbarks007 on February 12, 2014, at 12:28:01
BuSpar+an AD might be good...but ADs can trigger seizures :-(
That's why I asked about Klonopin, honestly. I figured...anti-seizure, anti-agitation, anti-anxiety...why not?
I dunno what to say. I was thinking maybe Lamcital? It can help depression, agitation, anger, and its an anti-seizure medication.
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 12, 2014, at 17:26:11
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night?, posted by Christ_empowered on February 12, 2014, at 13:07:54
I didn't know that AD could cause seizures and I've taken them plenty of times. I use to take Celexa for a long time off and on over the years. I am terrified of klonopin because I feel I was addicted to it years ago and had the hardest time getting off of it. I also scared to take antiseizure meds because I know that if they don't work out then you can have withdrawl seizure and that's the last thing I need to worry about. I'm still waiting for my Dr. to email me back about Buspar for all this to see what she thinks if its an option because some meds say not to take if you are bipolar and I've been diagnosed with it but she wont diagnose me with it (which is fine) because she don't like labels but says instead I have a severe anxiety issue that stems from the seizures I've had or something like that. I guess if she doesn't want to give me something else to try then I will start to do some heavy duty cardio as I've heard it can help with anxiety...so we shall see!
Posted by Dr. Bob on February 12, 2014, at 22:08:59
In reply to Re: Taking Risperdal in the morning vs at night? » Willful, posted by alfbarks007 on February 12, 2014, at 12:28:01
> I guess I have to lot to get out though this is not a therapy board
Have you taken a look at the Psychology board? It could be a good place to get things out.
Bob
Posted by alfbarks007 on February 13, 2014, at 13:35:00
In reply to Re: lot to get out » alfbarks007, posted by Dr. Bob on February 12, 2014, at 22:08:59
I didn't realize there is a psychology board but I will look at it definitely. My dr. shot down the Buspar idea saying it is not effective for my anxiety level and wants me to take some gabapenen or something like that 3 times a day! she is nuts because I told her I don't want to take something more then twice a day and I do not want an anticonvulsant because I know of withdrawl seizures if it don't work out and I don't need to worry more about having one then I already do, ugggh, back to valium I guess and prayers sigh...
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 13, 2014, at 18:25:53
In reply to Re: lot to get out » Dr. Bob, posted by alfbarks007 on February 13, 2014, at 13:35:00
lyrica? its an anticonvulsant, but I think its twice daily. I'd take valium though (I'm kind of hedonistic).
Prayer always helps :-)
Posted by phidippus on February 13, 2014, at 22:16:19
In reply to Re: lot to get out » Dr. Bob, posted by alfbarks007 on February 13, 2014, at 13:35:00
You know Valium is an anticonvulsant, right? Same risk of seizures if you withdraw from it.
You can ask your doctor about Lyrica, which is a morepowerful version of gabapentin that you take twice daily.
Eric
This is the end of the thread.
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