Risperidone prescribed for severe angry episodes, any experience with this drug welcome!

CS 63

My HWD had another angry episode yesterday but this time instead of ripping his tshirt off and going to bed til it wore off he got angry enough to start damaging the house.  He tore the handrail off the stairway in one fell swoop, tried to rip the exterior steel door off its hinges,  tried to tear the kitchen counter top off and succeeded in crushing the tv remote with his fist.  He didn't succeed with the door or counter because I stopped him, I can't sit and watch him destroy our hard worked for home.  Anyway, I called 911 and the police and ambulance came and took him to the hospital.  I've never had to call the police before and I must say they were awesome, can't thank them enough for their help.  The ER doctor consulted with a psychiatrist, after speaking with me, and they decided to start him on Respiridone 0.5mg twice a day. This is not his first angry episode, but the first that has resorted to this kind of violence.  He woke up this morning very apologetic for his actions and he isn't at all resentful that I called for help.  He's been good today,  a little off balance and drowsy which is one of the early symptoms that can wear off.  

Does anybody else have experience with Respiridone?  I'm really hoping for a more stable less anxious mood!

Cynbar

Yes, my DH is on Risperidone. He had been taking Zyprexa for at least a couple of years for delusions and agitation. Through the spring, his agitation and anxiety had been increasing including during the night. Finally, he fell down the stairs at 2 am trying to get to the front door to find his mother (long dead.) He went to the ER for eval, had a psych consult there and was switched to Risperidone .5 gm 2 x day, plus 2 PRN .5 mg doses if he gets excessively agitated. He isn't violent like your DH, but I must say it has helped with his behaviors without much sedation.

Jo C.

This is only our experience; my mother had a behavioral variant of FrontoTemporal Dementia which is different from Alzheimer's; she was initially misdiagnosed as Alz's, but I could see something was way off base with behaviors.

The dementia specialist prescribed Risperdal for her.  It was almost miraculous - within a day or so she was  SO much better; all the agitation and acting out gone. Delusions quelled.  At first I thought it was temporary; but no.   

Sometimes a dose will need some adjusting, that happened about three months later and was easily addressed.

It gave my LO back her quality of life.  Imagine what it is like living inside their heads when they are going over the moon in fury.  Awful.

Some time later, when at the latter parts of her disease, placement became necessary.  The lovely NH Director wanted to have her weaned off the Risperdal . . . . well;l within a day or so, my mother began to become irritable and agitated once again. The DON said it was okay; they could manage it, but I did not want my LO to suffer all the dread feelings again.  Not appropriate.   The Risperdal was begun again with great results and we never tried to taper her off again.

She was on Risperdal for a couple of years and we were so fortunate in that she had no apparent side effects from it.  Each person is different.

I send best wishes for your husband to have an effective outcome. Let us know how he and you are doing, we will be thinking of you.

J.

jfkoc

My husband was on a tiny dose. It was very effective. This is one of those meds that is not a go to but can help when others fail.

CS 63

Thanks for the replies!  I know it's early but the ER Dr thought I would see results quite quickly and if I didn't I was to contact our GP right away to increase the dose.  Well, today is Monday, he had his first dose on Sat afternoon, and I'm pinching myself to see if I am dreaming.  First my sister and her husband came for a visit and he was smiling and relaxed the whole time. Then this afternoon I suggested that we could run into town and drop some things off for my Mother who is in a retirement home.  Usually he says no, but today he said that he'd go with me ( otherwise I wouldn't go as I don't leave him alone).  As we got closer to Mom's I asked him if she was outside would he like to have a quick visit or should I just drop the stuff off.  He said he'd like to visit and we didn'T need to make it quick, we could stay a half hour or more.  Mom was outside and was super happy to see both of us, he sat and visited with a big goofy grin on his face, gave her a hug and everything!  He hasn't been comfortable around other people in so long, it felt really good!  

I hope this is just the start and not a one day thing - fingers crossed!

Cobalt

My son with EO at age 41 was prescribed it last fall and he only needed it for about 3 months.  Before it was becoming a real crisis, my desperate calls to his Alzheimer's doctor and neurologist always was answered by "He should NOT take any mood stabilizer or psych med because it has a tendency to increase brain fog and perhaps increase dementia decline".  However, when they learned he was actively trying to smash art on the walls, put his hand through a window and throw things, suddenly the answer changed.

So he got Risperidone .5 mg twice a day for a couple weeks and there was a very slight improvement.  Then he got .5 mg in the morning and then 1 mg at supper.  Finally there was a significant improvement. After it had been 3 months, we were no longer seeing any aggression at all and I asked about dropping back down.  It did seem to make him a little more tired.  Since he was showing improvements in memory and behavior and no aggression, we ended up taking him off of it at the 3 month mark.

I was told it is given often for people with a psychosis or schizophrenia which my son doesn't have.