Any nurses ever take Risperdone?

Nurses Disabilities

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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?

How do you get past the stigma...and the meds?

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
How do you get past the stigma...and the meds?

It takes time. It takes patience. It takes support.

Stigma will probably always be with us, because our culture absolutely refuses to grow up and stop marginalizing those it views as "different". If you're a brave sort, you can "come out" with your illness and show the world that you're not weird or crazy or dangerous. (I don't recommend doing it at work, however.) Sure you're going to get knocked down a time or two, but reducing the stigma is going to take educating people, one at a time if need be, and that means being open with your diagnosis.

And, if you're not comfortable with being "out", you can support the efforts of groups that advocate for mentally ill Americans, such as the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) and/or the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA).

Meds? The short answer is "don't get hung up on labels". I just about fell off my chair the first time a doctor told me I needed an antipsychotic, and even refused it at first---I might have been a little manic, but I certainly didn't need one of THOSE medications! Well, it's a good thing I got over that and accepted the treatment, because I do need one and I'm still on it a year and a half later.

When you get right down to where the rubber meets the road, achieving stability requires making some sacrifices and giving treatment a chance. And it's well worth it, because feeling normal is an incredible gift. :yes:

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I am afraid I am the worst judge of myself...I cannot get past the label...or accept help yet...and I am still at the embarrassed stage...particularly due to my experiences...I am still trying to fight it...hahaah

how do you get past the employee health questionnaire/ med list? I am beyond scared of the stigmas and discrimination.... And all my nursing experience has been in the OR which limits my options...

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I really appreciate your open ear and all of your advice...finding direction has been so haphazard.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
I am afraid I am the worst judge of myself...I cannot get past the label...or accept help yet...and I am still at the embarrassed stage...particularly due to my experiences...I am still trying to fight it...hahaah

how do you get past the employee health questionnaire/ med list? I am beyond scared of the stigmas and discrimination.... And all my nursing experience has been in the OR which limits my options...

Personally, I wouldn't apply anywhere that requires a med list. This is private, personal health information that is NONE of the employer's business. I know for myself, there is no way an employee health nurse could look at my med list and not figure out that I am being treated for bipolar disorder. That is not information my supervisors need unless I'm requesting accommodations for my illness.

If you MUST supply a med list, ask why that information is being requested and who will be able to access it. If the answers are unsatisfactory, ask yourself if this job is really worth having your personal health situation exposed to who-knows-who.....especially since you are in the stage when you're still so uncomfortable with the diagnosis.

I feel for you. Been there, done that, and to be honest I didn't fully accept my own diagnosis until this past spring, when I had a horrendous mixed episode that wound up costing me my job as a DON in assisted living. Up until then, I sort of thought my psychiatrist was humoring me by calling my screw-looseyness by a clinical name; but when that episode happened, he literally had to sit me down and tell me "Look, Viva, you're BIPOLAR. That means you're mentally ill. It doesn't make you a bad person or a bad nurse, it just makes you sick."

It's easy for me now to say "don't be embarrassed", but I know what it took to get me to that point and all I can say is, give yourself time. You didn't get to be bipolar in one day, and you're not going to come to the point of acceptance in one day. Take it easy on yourself, 'K?

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BTW, Your articles have been a life-saver over the past year. THANKS for being REAL :)

I am concurrently pursuing disability and interviewing...I have exhausted all my resources and I am trying to keep a little bit of dignity and not lose all my assets.... I have a disability interview as well that has me pulling my hair out... the questions are so prying and I do not want to go that route...however...

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

I was put on an antidepressant alone because first I was diagnosed with depression. I cheated on my (then) boyfriend & threatened suicide. I ended up going into the hospital for 2 days. The psychiatrist there put me on Zoloft.

The psychiatrist I'm seeing now has diagnosed me with Bipolar & the only one to ever do so. He didn't say what type I had. I know it will take awhile but I'm ready to be ok & have a stable life.

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

We all have to do what we believe is right for us. However, I hesitate to encourage anyone to file for SSDI....not only because it's almost impossible to get on the first try---especially without an attorney---but because work (no matter how part-time or how menial the job) provides dignity and keeps our minds from wandering off onto paths that are best left unexplored. My own doctor is ex-military and he won't sign off on an SSDI application unless a patient is totally and permanently disabled because, as he says, "having nothing to do makes all mental illness worse".

He makes an important distinction between "having a disability" and "being disabled". I have a disability. So do you. But is either of us truly disabled by our illness? Can we make our own decisions, pay our bills, cook ourselves a meal? I can. So can you. Therefore, I would encourage you to keep looking for a job, even if it's only an ancillary position like my own. Even if it's not in nursing.

OK, climbing down off my anti-SSDI soapbox. :yes: Yep, I believe in being real. There's no sugar-coating something as gritty as bipolar disorder. But it can also lend itself to incredible creativity, and I find our interpretations of the world utterly fascinating because they're filled with vibrant colors and rich textures that most 'normal' folks can't grasp. It's not all bad. ;)

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I completely agree with you! I need something to do....more than interview interview interview...

If you don't mind me asking, can you elaborate on your experience with job interference and how you recovered your career?

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

My career really has never recovered from the events of the past couple of years, but at least I didn't have to give it up completely.

I was diagnosed as bipolar in February 2012 after a series of stressful events and a horrific experiment with Wellbutrin sent me over the edge. (That drug is the reason the word "psychotic" is in my medical record---it threw me into full-on mania with paranoia and delusional thinking.) At first my dx was bipolar NOS because my doctor thought I might just have depression and the WB incident was an anomaly, but it didn't take long for him to figure out that this was the real deal.

In the meantime, work was getting harder because of the cognitive changes I was undergoing, both as a result of the illness and the meds that were being used to treat it. I have terrible memory loss and concentration issues, which have cost me dearly in terms of employability. But it wasn't until I started having serious manic episodes that I became unable to fake it anymore. Unfortunately, my facility had a bad state survey which exposed my difficulties in running the health services department, and eventually the stress of trying to fix it led to a massive mixed-manic episode that nearly landed me in the hospital. I was fired shortly after returning from a three-week medical leave because they "couldn't" restructure my job to make it compatible with my recovery process.

I heard months later from a fellow manager who still works there that I was thrown under the bus during the re-survey---Corporate got the issues fixed, and then blamed the first failure on the "mentally ill nurse" who had since been terminated. Of course, I don't use that place as a reference; I put it on my job apps to show that I worked there for 2 1/2 years, but I say that my job was "restructured". As indeed it was......it was restructured so that I couldn't keep it anymore.

In the meantime, I've been working at the nursing home where I used to work several years ago, while half-heartedly looking for more stable jobs. I'm not sweating it. I know I can't work full-time any more, and I have too many cognitive issues to work the floor anyway. Luckily everybody knows me there and thinks well of me, even though I have the BP which limits me to a fair extent. But I am almost 55 years old and all I want now is a job, not a career......I'm done with the rat race. :sneaky:

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Thank you for sharing :) I can really relate to your experience. Its hard to find a way to keep this stuff at bay when interviewing. Concentration and memory...feel like a distant ideal...I wish there were med options that didn't involve insurmountable weight gain and inability to socialize/drink be "normal" etc. with debilitating side effects.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

I agree with Viva about trying to get SSD unless you're really unable to work. I was on SSD from 1993-2004 because I had agoraphobia & could not leave my house for over 3 years. I was lucky enough to work with a therapist who came to my home. Once I started being able to leave home, I got private duty jobs on a VERY part time basis. By 2004 I was all but cured of that problem & was able to go back to work full time & get off disability. Social Security is very strict on what qualifies as a disability & I was lucky to be approved for it the first time I applied (without a lawyer). I've heard they're more strict now than they were back then. You can work when you're on disability but you are only allowed to make a certain amount per month or they will find that your disability doesn't exist any longer.

I absolutely hated being on disability because it felt like a huge negative label. I was so excited when I was able to return to work full time. In fact, I was so much better when I returned to full time work that I took a huge leap. I moved 180 miles from home & took a position in NICU which I had never worked before. It was a great experience!

When I started with my current psychiatrist & told her my story, she said she'd never heard of anyone getting off disability!

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