Risperidone withdrawal

[Toddleo]

Any experience out there for those who have had Risperidone stopped?

I posted on another thread that mum's been told to stop taking it due to akathisia (this is all the fidgeting, restlessness and an extreme compulsion to keep moving) and an altered gait (she stands very oddly in a way that she did not before)

On Monday we have a member of the psychiatric elderly mental health team coming to see how we're coping, but in the meantime, she is incredibly bad, and utterly exhausted from the CONSTANT movement. Any one else had experience of this?

We have been told to increase her Lorazepam to 3mg in 24hrs if needs be to calm her, and obviously we will try this (I expect that the Lorazepam is probably causing some other issues too...but who's to say, when do we know what's the Alzheimers and what's the drugs.....)

 

[Louby65]

Hi toddleo . I take it the risperidone was gradually reduced before stopping it altogether ? It is one drug that should not be stopped abruptly . Hope your mum settled ? Best wishes , Lou .

 

[Toddleo]

Hi toddleo . I take it the risperidone was gradually reduced before stopping it altogether ? It is one drug that should not be stopped abruptly . Hope your mum settled ? Best wishes , Lou .

Actually no, Louby65, just the opposite! they said" you must stop the risperidone immediately, do not give mum any more at all under any circumstances"

We are on day three without Risperidone now, and she is still absolutely hyper mobile, exhausted and looking very thin and drawn, luckily a member of the Psychiatric elderly mental health team is coming tomorrow to see how we're all getting on, so I will update then.

 

[Milox]

Actually no, Louby65, just the opposite! they said" you must stop the risperidone immediately, do not give mum any more at all under any circumstances"

We are on day three without Risperidone now, and she is still absolutely hyper mobile, exhausted and looking very thin and drawn, luckily a member of the Psychiatric elderly mental health team is coming tomorrow to see how we're all getting on, so I will update then.

Hi Toddleo, when my Mum went into a home in October last year, a new GP put her on risperidone and she had the same symptons you mention, when we asked about her coming off they said only a Psychiatrist could authorise that, we got a quick appointment and she was weaned off these, but it's now April and they still give some so it's taking quite some time. I hope you get some answers today, the side effects are hard to watch.

 

[keegan2]

Any experience out there for those who have had Risperidone stopped?

I posted on another thread that mum's been told to stop taking it due to akathisia (this is all the fidgeting, restlessness and an extreme compulsion to keep moving) and an altered gait (she stands very oddly in a way that she did not before)

On Monday we have a member of the psychiatric elderly mental health team coming to see how we're coping, but in the meantime, she is incredibly bad, and utterly exhausted from the CONSTANT movement. Any one else had experience of this?

We have been told to increase her Lorazepam to 3mg in 24hrs if needs be to calm her, and obviously we will try this (I expect that the Lorazepam is probably causing some other issues too...but who's to say, when do we know what's the Alzheimers and what's the drugs.....)

Sorry can I ask how long was your mum on risperidone. Other half is on haliperidol a smiliar drug which in time makes you stiff and twitch. Have thought about having it reduced however other half was getting aggressive hence the start of this drug, lorazapam intially was given along side this drug however I thought it made in him very hyper, so that was stopped (also due to seizures any being on too many drugs).

 

[Toddleo]

Sorry can I ask how long was your mum on risperidone.

Hi Keegan2, yes, no problem, mum was on Risperidone from Sept 2015 to this week, so that's 6.5 months or thereabouts.

 

[Canadian Joanne]

Although that's not a really long time, still I think a graduated withdrawal would have been better. My mother started exhibiting Parkinsonian symptoms so we had to gradually reduce the drug and switch to another one. I would definitely get on to the doctor.

A chemist is a good source of information about drugs - in my opinion often better than a GP, because drugs are their specialty.

 

[southlucia]

Any experience out there for those who have had Risperidone stopped?

I posted on another thread that mum's been told to stop taking it due to akathisia (this is all the fidgeting, restlessness and an extreme compulsion to keep moving) and an altered gait (she stands very oddly in a way that she did not before)

On Monday we have a member of the psychiatric elderly mental health team coming to see how we're coping, but in the meantime, she is incredibly bad, and utterly exhausted from the CONSTANT movement. Any one else had experience of this?

We have been told to increase her Lorazepam to 3mg in 24hrs if needs be to calm her, and obviously we will try this (I expect that the Lorazepam is probably causing some other issues too...but who's to say, when do we know what's the Alzheimers and what's the drugs.....)

Hi Toddleo

My dad experienced the same symptoms from Risperidone. His spine also bent at the base of his neck and he was unable to raise his head. It got so bad that his chin was resting on his chest all the time. This did eventually correct itself – once the Risperidone was stopped – but Dad has been left with a twisted spine and his head is still slightly stooped. He also experienced constant drooling and nose dripping when he was on that 'orrible drug. I too didn't know at the time if it was the drug or Dad's sudden decline causing these terrible symptoms.
I insisted he was taken off this drug and he was put straight on to Quetiapine instead. That didn't produce the same terrible side effects in my dad; but, everyone responds differently to different drugs.
It turned out that all the physical symptoms in his case were caused by the Risperidone.

 

[LadyA]

Golly - reading these posts has made me realise how very lucky my husband was! None of the other medications tried helped his horrific paranoia & hallucinations at all, so he was finally put on risperidone and gradually increased to 1.5mg per day. That was in 2011, and he was on that dose (monitored very regularly) until he died last August. He never had any bad side affects from it - it didn't even make him drowsy. The only affect it had was to switch off the paranoia & hallucinations!

 

[Toddleo]

Thanks one and all for replies. We had our visit from the mental health nurse today, who confirmed that mum's current symptoms are all due to the Ripseridone. She has told us to increase the Lorazepam for today, and wait for a visit from the Dr and nurse from the Mental Health Crisis team tomorrow to decide how we will proceed....watch this space.
This has all been very unpleasant, but I do agree with Lady A that without the risperidone, mum's totall non compliance and psychosis would have made her unmanageable, so it's swings and roundabouts I guess. We just need to find something which works for mum without the Akathisia side effects.