RISPERDAL

Who is Risperdal for ?

Risperidone is used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia (a mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions). Risperidone is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. It works by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.

Risperidone is also sometimes used to treat severe behavioral problems in children and teenagers who have autistic disorders. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your child's condition.

this medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Risperidone is an antipsychotic that is used to improve psychotic symptoms by adjusting the imbalance of certain chemicals (like dopamine and serotonin) in the brain. By adjusting this chemical imbalance, risperidone helps stabilize symptoms of hallucinations, delusions, lack of emotion, and feelings of being disconnected.

When should I be careful taking Risperdal ?

Before taking risperidone,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to risperidone or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention amiodarone (Cordarone); antidepressants; buproprion (Wellbutrin); carbamazepine (Tegretol); celecoxib (Celebrex); chlorpromazine (Thorazine); cimetidine (Tagamet); cisapride (Propulsid); clomipramine (Anafranil); clozapine (Clozaril); disopyramide (Norpace); dofetilide (Tikosyn); doxorubicin (Adriamycin); ergot alkaloids such as bromocriptine (Parlodel), cabergoline (Dostinex), ergonovine (Ergotrate), ergotamine (Cafergot, Ercaf, others), methylergonovine (Methergine), and methysergide (Sansert); erythromycin (E.E.S, E-Mycin, Erythrocin); fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem); levodopa (Dopar, Sinemet) medications for anxiety, high blood pressure, or seizures; metoclopromide (Reglan); methadone (Dolophine); moxifloxacin (Avelox); other medications for mental illness; paroxetine (Paxil); pimozide (Orap); phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton); phenytoin (Dilantin); procainamide (Procanbid, Pronestyl); quinidine (Quinaglute, Quinidex); ranitidine (Zantac); rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane); ritonavir (Norvir); ropinarole (Requip); sedatives; sertraline (Zoloft); sleeping pills; sotalol (Betapace); sparfloxacin (Zagam); terbinafine (Lamisil); thioridazine (Mellaril); tranquilizers; and valproic acid (Depakote, Depakene).Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• tell your doctor if you use or have ever used street drugs or large amounts of alcohol and if you have or have ever had Alzheimer's disease, difficulty swallowing, phenylketonuria, breast cancer, angina (chest pain), irregular heartbeat, problems with your blood pressure, heart failure, a heart attack, a stroke, seizures, or kidney or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you become pregnant while taking risperidone, call your doctor. Do not breastfeed while taking risperidone. i
• f you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking risperidone.
• you should know that this drug may make you drowsy and may affect your judgement and thinking. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this drug affects you.
• remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug. Also, using alcohol or street drugs can cause your symptoms to return and make your condition harder to treat.
• plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Risperidone may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
• you should know that risperidone may make it harder for your body to cool down when it gets very hot or warm up when it gets very cold.
• Tell your doctor if you plan to do hard exercise or be exposed to extreme heat or cold.
• you should know that risperidone may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting when you get up too quickly from a lying position. This is more common when you first start taking risperidone. To avoid this problem, get out of bed slowly, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing up.

Side Effects

Risperidone may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• upset stomach
• diarrhea
• constipation
• heartburn
• weight gain
• stomach pain
• increased dreaming
• anxiety
• agitation
• difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
• decreased sexual interest or ability
• heavy bleeding during menstrual periods
• runny nose
• cough
• sore throat
• muscle pain
• dry or discolored skin
• dry mouth
• difficulty urinating

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:

• fever
• muscle stiffness
• confusion
• fast or irregular pulse
• sweating
• unusual movements of your face or body that you cannot control
• slow or difficult speech
• faintness
• weakness or numbness in an arm or leg
• seizures
• difficulty swallowing
• slow movements or shuffling walk
• shortness of breath
• rash
• painful erection of the penis that lasts for hours

Symptoms of overdose may include:

• drowsiness
• rapid, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
• upset stomach
• blurred vision
• fainting
• dizziness
• seizures