Could incontinence be from medication?

annie51 · October 2025

My DH is on a low dose of risperidone 0.25 mg twice a day and 25 mg Zoloft once a day. A few weeks after starting them he became incontinent. From what I read it’s a rare side effect and at this low dose I thought it was just a coincidence and that it was just the inevitable progression of the disease. Has anyone else experienced this with risperidone or Zoloft? I’m waiting to hear back from his doctor.

harshedbuzz · October 2025

@annie51

I've never heard of either of these medications causing either kind of incontinence.

I used to moderate a forum for parents of children with high functioning autism where these were very commonly prescribed medications. Zoloft was often given for anxiety, repetitive and picking behaviors. Risperdal was used for more extreme challenging behaviors like meltdowns and self-injury. In 15 years, I don't think this ever came up although I do recall one young man who developed priapism from any of the current antipsychotics.

That said, if the risperidone is causing a very deep sleep state, I could see where overnight incontinence could be a consequence of the medication. I hope you hear back soon; I'm curious what they have to say.

HB