Any nurses ever take Risperdone?

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I was recently recently diagnosed with Bipolar disorder & my psychiatrist put me on Risperdone (0.5 mg BID). I tried it & I felt SO zonked out, like a zombie. All I wanted to do was sleep, I felt dizzy & I couldn't understand anything. I haven't took it since since I am a nurse & I need to think clearly to take care of my patients.

My questions, anyone out there suffering from Bipolar & what medication are you on?

If you are taking Risperdone did you feel this way & did the feeling go away?

Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

Another nurse with bipolar here! I think I've had bipolar all my life but wasn't accurately diagnosed until I was 50. As Viva said, it'll probably take some trial & error to find meds that work for you. I'm at the point where mine is well-controlled with just a low dose of Cymbalta. (I have bipolar 2 so I have more of the depressive problems.) Mood stabilizers tend to make me hypomanic so I stay away from them. If, by some chance, I have a manic episode, my doc puts me on Abilify for about a week & it resolves.

Don't be afraid or ashamed to talk openly about your struggles with bipolar on here. We understand how hard it is.

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Bipolar 2 for me. I tried Risperdal ONCE. I was in a very confusing and debilitating mixed episode that wouldn't ease off with the rest of my meds, so my doc decided to try that. I took it in the evening before bed and was ok for a while, but in the morning, I could not get up. I tried and tried, and eventually did, but I couldn't even walk to the bathroom without having to stop and rest. I had to have a babysitter come watch my kid that day because I didn't feel safe caring for him on my own. It took about 24 hours before I felt "normal" again. I will not take it again. It scared me.

Right now I'm on lamotrigine (plus a few others). It's ok I guess. I'm more stable than I was, but I'm kinda depressed, really anxious, and it won't go away with anything. I'm in between psychiatrists; I had the greatest one ever for a long time who retired, and the Dr. they tried to transfer me to ended the session with "Well, I guess this is why I don't do therapy." You can imagine how that went. I'm at a point where I'm seriously considering getting off all my medication. If it's not going to help anyway, what's the point? I think the doctors are reluctant to take me off Lamictal, as it took so long to titrate the dosage.

Bipolar dx is not a fun trip for sure. I've known something was "wrong" with me since I was a kid. It's just in the last couple years I was finally diagnosed with Bipolar, after several other diagnoses: GAD, major depression, ect. I've had to make changes in my life to accommodate this part of my personality - I can't work full time. I work PRN, and even that sometimes is too much. I'm working hard to find some balance, and am just in limbo right now. I'm sorry this post is kind of a downer, but you asked for some experiences, and here's mine for the moment. It could change at any time ;).

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

NurseDirtyBird,

That's what happened to me when I took 1 dose of Seroquel several months ago. I slept for 24 hours & when I woke up I was so confused & tired it scared me. I had a friend of mine come over & babysit ME until my husband got home from work because I was scared to be alone feeling like that. I'll never take that again. I guess I'm pretty lucky that I only need 1 med to keep me pretty well controlled. I've had a lot of downs this year, though, that no med in the world would help because my dad died 6 months ago very suddenly & we've been trying to sort out his estate. My only sister lives 3 hours away so most everything has fallen on me & it's been really overwhelming.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

Wow I didn't know I'd get so many responses. :) I tried taking the Risperdone HS, I've felt drugged all day & I'm just now coming out of it (I hope).

I'm not gonna take it any more & I'm gonna call my psychiatrist Monday morning, sleeping the day away & feeling like a zombie is NO fun.

I've known something has been wrong with me since high school. I would get severely depressed & cut myself.

Things got REALLY bad 2 years ago when I was in a horrible relationship. He was abusive in every way possible. My moods would really get out of control then!

But I haven't been able to hold down a job or a stable relationship. My last one ended because he just can't handle me & I have cheated on every boyfriend I've had. I just want to control of my life.

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NurseDirtyBird,

That's what happened to me when I took 1 dose of Seroquel several months ago. I slept for 24 hours & when I woke up I was so confused & tired it scared me. I had a friend of mine come over & babysit ME until my husband got home from work because I was scared to be alone feeling like that. I'll never take that again. I guess I'm pretty lucky that I only need 1 med to keep me pretty well controlled. I've had a lot of downs this year, though, that no med in the world would help because my dad died 6 months ago very suddenly & we've been trying to sort out his estate. My only sister lives 3 hours away so most everything has fallen on me & it's been really overwhelming.

Ah, grief can certainly throw everything out of whack. Just when you think you're doing fine, life throws some crazy :poop: at you. I had a similar issue when my grandma died. She was like a second mom to me (more like my only mom, but I digress). I'm sorry about your father. There's nothing anyone can say to make you feel better, but I hope you have some support. Virtual hugs for you!

OP: Just getting control of our own lives is the big goal to strive for. It can take a long time and is a frustrating journey to get there. Like I said before, just when you think you're ok, something happens to throw everything out of control and you feel like you can't get a grip on anything.

Maybe getting stable on medications can make relationships a little easier for you. I'm lucky that my husband is very understanding and supportive. I need a stable person in my life to balance out my instability, and it works. Yin and Yang I guess. I hope you have family or friends that can be your support system. It's a big help.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

I'm lucky enough to have great family & a great best friend (who is also a nurse). I just hope I can get on some medication that won't make me so drowsy or loopy & stable me out.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I'm glad you're going to talk to your doctor on Monday. Although I will say that pretty much ALL antipsychotics will make you sleepy, especially at first. What you should ask is why he feels you need one.

Just out of curiosity, have you been tried on a mood stabilizer, like lithium or Lamictal? These are first-line treatments; doctors usually don't bring out the "big guns" unless you've had a serious manic episode or a hypomanic episode with psychosis. You may want to ask your p-doc about this if you're not already taking a MS and you want to avoid the drowsiness of the APs.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

No, I haven't ever been on Lithium or Lamictal. I've only been on antidepressants. Hopefully I can get this all sorted out, it's exhausting. :(

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Specializes in adult psych, LTC/SNF, child psych.

Bipolar type II reporting for duty! I received my diagnosis during the first semester of my senior year of nursing school and on top of that, I suffered from a very traumatic experience shortly after starting a mood stabilizer and anxiolytic. It's been a rough 6 years, but I'm on top of my disorder now, therapy once a month, and meds that do good. I also recently was diagnosed with ADD and am on Concerta for that, which really helps keep everything together!

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Specializes in adult psych, LTC/SNF, child psych.
No, I haven't ever been on Lithium or Lamictal. I've only been on antidepressants. Hopefully I can get this all sorted out, it's exhausting. :(

It is super exhausting! What was your experiences with antidepressants?

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.

With the antidepressant I had no problems. But the Risperdone, nono. I hope my psychiatrist & I can figure something out.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

I'm very surprised you were on an antidepressant alone; they can induce mania if not balanced with a mood stabilizer or an AP.

By the way......do you know what type of bipolar you were diagnosed with? I ask because it's good to know what animal you're dealing with, although a good p-doc treats the symptoms and not the label. My bipolar support group is full of members whose doctors use a cookie-cutter approach, e.g. if you have BP 1 you get a mood stabilizer and an AP. Which is stupid, because there are as many variations of bipolar as there are people who have it.

Be prepared, sometimes finding the right med cocktail is complicated, and many of us need multiple medications to control the mood episodes. I'm on five---six if you count the melatonin supplement my doctor prescribed for sleep---and all but one of them are daily or twice daily, not PRN. (I take an AD, AP, mood stabilizer, and two different types of benzodiazepines.) Getting to remission hasn't been an easy road for me, but it did happen, and it will for you too.

You do need to be willing to put up with some side effects, especially with APs. And always, always, ALWAYS consult with your doctor before discontinuing or changing the dosage of your medication(s)---I cannot overemphasize that enough. These are powerful, mind-altering drugs and while we may be competent nurses, we are not psychiatrists. (A fact I am very glad about....you couldn't pay me enough to sit there and listen to people like me all day! LOL)

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