Has anyone had success with other drugs other than Risperidone. My son has been taking risperidone in custody for about 5 months now and seems mostly catatonic and still hears voices, though he tells me they are not as pronounced. I don’t see any positive change and was wondering if anyone has had success with other drugs after risperidone did not work for them.
A lot of people have to make several med changes before they find one that works.
I’m sorry to say… there were quiet a few med changes for me. Then the idea of two AP’s came.
I have more problem with negative symptoms so the Latuda got me up and moving.
The racing thoughts and agitation… Seroquel calmed the mind
Also… it took Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to get coping tools for the anger management, the stress management, and some of the other glitches I fight through.
Good luck. I hope a better answer comes soon.
Unfortunately, positive medication responses are highly individualized. As the saying goes, “One man’s meat is another’s poison.” It’s all a shot in the dark. My psychiatrist likes Risperdal, but if it fails, he moves on to other new drugs. To directly answer your question, yes, I’ve had success with other meds other than Risperdal.
I’ve been on three antipsychotics, Geodon was the right one. My life is in those little capsules.
I used to be on a typical, and when risperdone came out my physiatrist wanted me to give it a try. Hated it. Was on Zyprexa/olonzapine for years and am now on Abilify.
It’s fairly typical to go through a number of medications before they find the ‘right’ one. And even when you’re stable new medications come along with better efficacy or less side-effects.
My son has been on a fair number of medications for various things over the past 4 years.
Zypreza/Olanzapine, Ativan, Haldol
Risperidone
Depot Risperidone
Clopixol
Flouxetine
Clonozepam
Venlafaxine
Fluphenazine
Divalproex
Benztropine
Clozapine/Clozaril
Lithium
Abilify
Valium
Clonidin
Trazodone
Neurontin
Seroquel
Adderall
Invega oral and depot injection
He seems to do best on Clozapine and Invega or Risperidone for psychosis symptoms.
Trazodone and Neurontine help him with sleep and anxiety
Don’t give up if Risperidone isn’t working. There are others that may work.
I’m on Geodon also. It took me two years to find it.
Thanks for all of the feedback. Sounds like there are many options, so we will continue to try to find the right combination of therapy, drugs and dosage.
Risperidone was only marginally effective for my son. We tried two other medications before finding clozapine. It seems the aliens are no longer contacting him now. Our Dr. advised us that clozapine is an effective drug but it is often the last to be tried because it requires blood test monitoring on a monthly basis. This is so because approximately 5% of users experience negative health effects. As they say, your mileage may vary, but for us this is the one that worked best.
I’ve had success with Geodon and Seroquel. If your son doesn’t respond to any of the atypical anti-psychotics you might try the typicals, though I hate to say that because the typicals are so harsh. Clozaril is a drug that I have heard that some people have had great success with. Keep trying. You’ll find a drug that works for your son.
I am in the process of switching antipsychotics soon - I am starting to get desperate, my options are running low.
I have been on Risperdal for many years - this drug kept me rather stable, now I will have to make a switch because of some nasty side effects triggered by the Risperdal.
I have been a psychiatric patient since I was a kid - I know my body and I know which meds to try and which ones I will not touch - based on their side effect profile - I am not going to say yes to every drug my pdoc mentions.
At this point I am considering different low dose combos of drugs and am even considering getting back on Zyprexa at a very low dose - maybe in combination with a low dose of Haldol.
I am thinking outside of the box a little and including the typicals like perphenazine and Haldol at low doses -
My blood glucose levels will probably rise, my prolactin will probably rise a bit, and other side effects will crop up.
Like my pdoc says all of these meds have side effects - but at least I am going to try to take meds that work - no use in taking a med that is going to be good for my body but is going to turn me into a basket case - whats the use
My son has been on Risperdal, Abilify, Seroquel and now perphenazine. Best 5 months we have had in the last 5 years. He just started working a parttime job (hate to say it that I’ll jinx it!!) but doing well. He takes perphenazine and Lithium, with buspar 3 times a day for anxiety.
After being on Risperedal going back to perphenazine was going back to an old friend. Sure it gave me dry mouth and a bit of rigidity, but these were predictable and gave the feeling the medication was there and working. There’s a lot to be said for a good typical in lower dosages, they don’t mess with blood sugar and cause weight gain at least.