Risperidone why is it prescribed

It will probably take several weeks to see big enough changes in your symptoms to decide if risperidone is the right medication for you. Antipsychotic treatment is generally needed lifelong for persons with schizophrenia. Your doctor can best discuss the duration of treatment you need based on your symptoms and illness. Last Updated: January This information is being provided as a community outreach effort of the College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists.

This information is for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical advice. This information contains a summary of important points and is not an exhaustive review of information about the medication.

Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified medical professional with any questions you may have regarding medications or medical conditions. Never delay seeking professional medical advice or disregard medical professional advice as a result of any information provided herein.

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Advocacy Crisis Intervention. Advocacy State Fact Sheets. Advocacy Public Policy Reports. Risperidone Risperdal. Know the warning signs Learn the common signs of mental illness in adults and adolescents. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication. For seniors: The kidneys, heart, and liver of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time.

This raises your risk for side effects. Seniors may be more likely to have orthostatic hypotension a decrease in blood pressure when you stand up from a sitting or lying position caused by this drug.

Risperidone oral tablet is used for long-term treatment. For this drug to work well, a certain amount needs to be in your body at all times. If you take too much: You could have dangerous levels of the drug in your body.

Symptoms of an overdose of this drug can include:. But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away. What to do if you miss a dose: Take your dose as soon as you remember.

But if you remember just a few hours before your next scheduled dose, take only one dose. Never try to catch up by taking two doses at once. This could result in dangerous side effects. A prescription for this medication is refillable. You should not need a new prescription for this medication to be refilled.

Your doctor will write the number of refills authorized on your prescription. You and your doctor should monitor certain health issues. This can help make sure you stay safe while you take this drug. These issues include:. Some insurance companies require a prior authorization for this drug. This means your doctor will need to get approval from your insurance company before your insurance company will pay for the prescription.

There are other drugs available to treat your condition. Some may be better suited for you than others. Talk with your doctor about other drug options that may work for you. Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional.

You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.

Schizophrenia, a lifelong psychiatric disorder, isn't fully understood. There's no specific cause. Learn about possible causes.

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Disorganized or hebephrenic schizophrenia is no longer a diagnosis, but the term is still used to describe symptoms such as disorganized thinking and…. Getting up slowly may help. If the problem continues or gets worse, check with your doctor.

Risperidone can temporarily lower the number of white blood cells in your blood, increasing the chance of getting an infection. If you can, avoid people with infections. Check with your doctor immediately if you think you are getting an infection or if you get a fever or chills, cough or hoarseness, lower back or side pain, or painful or difficult urination.

This medicine may cause drowsiness, trouble with thinking, or trouble with controlling body movements, which may lead to falls, fractures or other injuries. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you. This medicine may make it more difficult for your body to cool itself down. Use care not to become overheated during exercise or hot weather since overheating may result in heat stroke.

Also, use extra care not to become too cold while you are taking risperidone. If you become too cold, you may feel drowsy, confused, or clumsy. This medicine may increase your or your child's weight. Your doctor may need to check your or your child's weight on a regular basis while using this medicine. Do not stop taking this medicine without first checking with your doctor.

Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount you are taking before stopping it completely.

This is to prevent side effects and to keep your condition from becoming worse. Check with your doctor before using this medicine with alcohol or other medicines that affect the central nervous system CNS. The use of alcohol or other medicines that affect the CNS with risperidone may worsen the side effects of this medicine, such as dizziness, poor concentration, drowsiness, unusual dreams, and trouble with sleeping.

Some examples of medicines that affect the CNS are antihistamines or medicine for allergies or colds, sedatives, tranquilizers, or sleeping medicines, medicine for depression, medicine for anxiety, prescription pain medicine or narcotics, medicine for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, medicine for seizures or barbiturates, muscle relaxants, or anesthetics, including some dental anesthetics.

This medicine may increase prolactin blood levels if used for a long time. Check with your doctor if you have breast swelling or soreness, unusual breast milk production, absent, missed, or irregular menstrual periods, stopping of menstrual bleeding, loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance, decreased interest in sexual intercourse, or an inability to have or keep an erection.

If you plan to have children, talk with your doctor before using this medicine. Some women using this medicine have become infertile unable to have children. Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. Risperidone is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration FDA for the treatment of behavior problems in older adults with dementia.

Talk to the doctor who prescribed this medication if you, a family member, or someone you care for has dementia and is taking risperidone. 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 in adults and teenagers 13 years of age and older. It is also used to treat episodes of mania frenzied, abnormally excited, or irritated mood or mixed episodes symptoms of mania and depression that happen together in adults and in teenagers and children 10 years of age and older with bipolar disorder manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods.

Risperidone is also used to treat behavior problems such as aggression, self-injury, and sudden mood changes in teenagers and children 5 to 16 years of age who have autism a condition that causes repetitive behavior, difficulty interacting with others, and problems with communication.

Risperidone is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. It works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain. Risperidone comes as a tablet, a solution liquid , and an orally disintegrating tablet tablet that dissolves quickly in the mouth to take by mouth.

It is usually taken once or twice a day with or without food. Take risperidone at around the same time s every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take risperidone exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Use the dropper provided to measure your dose of risperidone oral solution.

You can take the oral solution with water, orange juice, coffee, or low-fat milk. Do not take the solution with tea or cola. Do not try to push the orally disintegrating tablet through the foil. Instead, use dry hands to peel back the foil packaging. Immediately take out the tablet and place it on your tongue. The tablet will quickly dissolve and can be swallowed with or without liquid.

Do not chew or crush the tablet. Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of risperidone and gradually increase your dose to allow your body to adjust to the medication.