Re: Risperdal and insomnia

[Guest guest]

My son had insomnia on it ( it made it worse) after just one dose. Right now he

is tapering off it. They told me i wouldn't see efects for weeks (from

withdrawing it) I saw them immeaditely.I don't always believe what the docs say

anymore!

>

> Our son has been on Risperdal for 4 days (0.25 mg once a day). We have been

out late for the past 2 nights and he didn't get to bed until after 11 each

night. Usually he sleeps in when going to bed so late. Tonight he is wide

awake and it is now midnight. Does this medication cause insomnia? He is also

hungry. Granted he didn't have a lot to eat today, but still he is acting like

he hasn't eaten in days! He was on Abilify a few months ago but was taken off

because of weight gain and it wasn't really doing anything. Was on Tennex for a

little over a month, but again, was not really doing anything for him. We are

now trying Risperdal. I am concerned because I know it also causes weight gain

and I don't want that for him. He is already 134 pounds and is just shy of 5

feet tall.

>

> Can he be experiencing side effects of hunger and insomnia after only 4 pills?

The doctor has said it wouldn't take effect for about 2 weeks, but we have never

had a problem with him sleeping before.

>

> Thanks in advance for any input.

>

> Debbie

>

[Guest guest]

Well my son finally went to bed at 1:15 (and I was then wide awake!!), but he

was up before 8:00 this morning. I gave him his Fluoxetine and shortly after

that he was bouncing off the walls....not mad, not violent, but CONSTANTLY

moving ...up and down, talking and singing the whole time. This went on for

nearly an hour and a half. At one point he did say his head was spinning and

the fax machine in his head was spitting out too much information and paper!!

(no clue on that one!). I called the doctor and of course he had to call me

back. I called the pharmacist to see if this could be a reaction to the

Risperdal and I called our pediatrician (the nurse said to call the

psychiatrist!) Well I ended up calling him again a few hours later when it was

time for his dose for today and he finally called me back and told me to stop

the med for a few days and see how he does and call him back! Have I mentioned

how frustrating mental health doctors can be (sorry to those on this group!)

Why can't anyone give straight answers.....why would he act this way, what

should I do if he does it again, what other options are there. I also do not

like the possible weight gain to all this. SO FRUSTRATING!!!

Thanks for the vent!

Debbie

> >

> > Our son has been on Risperdal for 4 days (0.25 mg once a day). We have been

out late for the past 2 nights and he didn't get to bed until after 11 each

night. Usually he sleeps in when going to bed so late. Tonight he is wide

awake and it is now midnight. Does this medication cause insomnia? He is also

hungry. Granted he didn't have a lot to eat today, but still he is acting like

he hasn't eaten in days! He was on Abilify a few months ago but was taken off

because of weight gain and it wasn't really doing anything. Was on Tennex for a

little over a month, but again, was not really doing anything for him. We are

now trying Risperdal. I am concerned because I know it also causes weight gain

and I don't want that for him. He is already 134 pounds and is just shy of 5

feet tall.

> >

> > Can he be experiencing side effects of hunger and insomnia after only 4

pills? The doctor has said it wouldn't take effect for about 2 weeks, but we

have never had a problem with him sleeping before.

> >

> > Thanks in advance for any input.

> >

> > Debbie

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie,

Well, I share your frustration, as I'm sure do many re mental health care and

doctors!!!

The truth is, I think, they often cannot give " straight answers " , unfortunately,

and legally I'm sure they are hesitant to advise anything without seeing

someone. But, personally, I have had the best explanations from pharmacists,

who have the best understanding of how these medications work and can interact.

Our son had immedicate reaction to risperidal, and was hospitalized with 5 days

of starting it. It make his compulsions go through the roof, literature

documents this phenomenon for some. Our son described it at one point as if his

brain had flipped, he was scared, he also couldn't stop talking, said his brain

couldn't slow down, and eventually was just not himself.

The point at which our son was hospitalized he was psychotic, and we feared

bipolar. Long story short, there is bipolar genetics there, we believe this is

a factor with medications, as in they can trip this off, but our son is stable

(no bipolar symptoms) unless certain medications are given.

In our case I think it was a paradoxical reaction, did the opposite of what it

was supposed to do, ie calm things down. I have experienced this myself on

almost every medication I have tried. Many of these kids are very sensitive to

medications, I really don't feel doctors understand this well. Sorry you are

going through this, and that you cannot get great answers from anyone.

Not sure what to suggest to try next... We never did find anything, but had to

lower the dose of ssri, and found our son does better at lower dose. He is on

10mg of celexa, can tolerate 20mg, but over that and there are big difficulties.

What other medication(s) is your son taking and at what dose for any ssri?

Last thing, I did learn at a lecture on medication, that some people lack and

enzyme(?) to process certain medications, and when combined with other

medications it can really cause a problem, risperdal and prozak were two of

them.

Hang in there!

Barb

Son 19, OCD, LD plus - doing well now 2years.

>

>

> Well my son finally went to bed at 1:15 (and I was then wide awake!!), but he

was up before 8:00 this morning. I gave him his Fluoxetine and shortly after

that he was bouncing off the walls....not mad, not violent, but CONSTANTLY

moving ...up and down, talking and singing the whole time. This went on for

nearly an hour and a half. At one point he did say his head was spinning and

the fax machine in his head was spitting out too much information and paper!!

(no clue on that one!). I called the doctor and of course he had to call me

back. I called the pharmacist to see if this could be a reaction to the

Risperdal and I called our pediatrician (the nurse said to call the

psychiatrist!) Well I ended up calling him again a few hours later when it was

time for his dose for today and he finally called me back and told me to stop

the med for a few days and see how he does and call him back! Have I mentioned

how frustrating mental health doctors can be (sorry to those on this group!)

>

> Why can't anyone give straight answers.....why would he act this way, what

should I do if he does it again, what other options are there. I also do not

like the possible weight gain to all this. SO FRUSTRATING!!!

>

> Thanks for the vent!

> Debbie

>

>

[Guest guest]

Debbie - yes you can see side affects this quickly.  I do not know about the

insomnia, we did not experince thsi side affect, BUT the extreme hunger is a

defiinite side affect.  Two days after my son was on it he was complaining

about how hungry he was...and he had just eaten. It was crazy!  He did gain

some weight with that so just something to keep an eye on.  Good Luck!

Subject: Risperdal and insomnia

To:

Date: Monday, August 30, 2010, 12:05 AM

 

Our son has been on Risperdal for 4 days (0.25 mg once a day). We have been out

late for the past 2 nights and he didn't get to bed until after 11 each night.

Usually he sleeps in when going to bed so late. Tonight he is wide awake and it

is now midnight. Does this medication cause insomnia? He is also hungry. Granted

he didn't have a lot to eat today, but still he is acting like he hasn't eaten

in days! He was on Abilify a few months ago but was taken off because of weight

gain and it wasn't really doing anything. Was on Tennex for a little over a

month, but again, was not really doing anything for him. We are now trying

Risperdal. I am concerned because I know it also causes weight gain and I don't

want that for him. He is already 134 pounds and is just shy of 5 feet tall.

Can he be experiencing side effects of hunger and insomnia after only 4 pills?

The doctor has said it wouldn't take effect for about 2 weeks, but we have never

had a problem with him sleeping before.

Thanks in advance for any input.

Debbie