respidal side effects

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Mar 22, 2006

Wow - sounds like a lot was going on there. Risperdal can be associated with tardive dyskinesia (weird movements of the face/difficulty speaking, etc) so the kid's physician would need to know about such episodes. But I'm confused. If you work by yourself, where did your supervisor come from?

guest83140 · Mar 22, 2006

She came over to get her radio left yesterday toward end of day. As grandad leaves with him, she's following him asking if he will take him to doc. After he leaves, says she's so worried, and says neuroleptic in drugbook is what he's having looking at me. I was too everything to say I had it under control and let her take over. 1st yr here, never saw her take over. I have 20+ yrs exp. Would you have called 911 with student no sob, vss, sl tachy 120, b/p 130/80, resp 18-20, c/o crook in neck(holding his head to side), able to speak, alert, oriented x3, walking? The counselor said he was acting diff-usually quieter(he wasn't loud to me) She said he usually didn't eat. What is the peak of this drug? Put a damper on my hard day. Feel frustrated....Fine line bet concern and circus. P.S. Took med Mon night, Tuesday night and 2 or 3 years ago.

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Mar 23, 2006

Was the temp taken? If your supervisor suspected NMS, that would have been the important vital sign.

The other weird thing is that Risperdal seems like a strong drug just to get the kid to sleep.

guest83140 · Mar 23, 2006

The first visit, sleepy in class-no temp prob, the 2nd visit c/o crook in neck and seeing 5-6 kids at a time, I doubt I took a temp, unless it was a c/o cough, cold, stomach. And the 3rd visit, I can't remember since there were so many people in there voicing their opinions, talking and making calls. I just stepped back a little. So I would say no temp by me and none by anybody. I personally never had exp with this drug, nor would I associate it with this c/o because of the time frame and since it wasn't given by me. I thought that since he was sleeping in class and another student told me later that he sleeps a lot in class, that the crook in his neck was from laying his head down for a long period of time. I hadn't seen him before and his family said he had taken this med Monday night and also Tuesday night and that he had taken it 2 or 3 years ago. So bc of the length of time-I didn't think this was a Rx. I could be wrong, but don't profess to know everything, always open to learn.

GradGirl · Apr 17, 2008

A student took respidal pill last night for sleep before he came to school. In his 1st period his teacher brought him to the clinic for sleeping in her class and said he started a new medication and can't be sleeping in her class. I called home and he said to tell him wash his face, I did after I let him rest 15-20 min. He went back to class and 5 hours later, he comes back with c/o crook in neck. I let him rest after he said it started in reading class. He leaves 15 min later and returns in 15 min with 2 counselors following him and 5 min later my supervisor. They're saying this is unlike him as I'm trying to figure out what's happening. He has told the counselor his tongue is thick. My sup calls another nurse and gets drug info says over and over this is a side effect and wants to call 911. This is first time meeting this student, they all make me feel like I'm stupid bc they standing over him as I'm now getting his b/p and recalling home, as I going to do before they all came in. Have any of you had exp with this drug? Sup was grabbing drug book, counselors standing in way saying over and over, this is not like him. How can you assess and feel adequate with all this commotion? I, work by myself in lg school and would know when to call 911 esp if parent could not be reached with 2nd c/o of neck. Any thoughts?:uhoh21:

Hey, Sup I totally got put on these pills by a psychiatrist my mom made me go see all because I went through a hectic time in my life. I'm so disappointed that my psychiatrist didn't care to understand or listen that I was doing fine with sleep this year and that I just like to think a lot every once in awhile when I'm afraid I'll miss something precious in life. I just couldn't last year. Would you sleep if someone was casing your house and their was drug involvement in your neighborhood? Well anyhow, I saw Mrs. Neubauer from Washington, Mo and she put me on that. My parents yell at me not to get a job but the truth is I did so well without sleep the year before my mom would yell at me because she would get jealous. It's sometimes just another humans way of knocking another down any way they can. I'll pretend they care but truth is I am the psychologist in all of it that can tell yes you're better off taking FDA approved sleeping pills without this side affect because yes, it does make you very groggy,..I take it the night before and the next morning and it makes me sleepy all day. I have to take them before and after school. I've gone through a lot of stress and needed the Depakote toofor serious headaches. Now that's not so bad. The respidal made my tongue thicken though and my mouth was full of saliva that I was trying to hide one day that I was just about to druel at school. Sometimes I just want wring their neck for not understanding a pill doesn't fix everything.., it's just about as bad as a drug habit today and leads to many for some. Pill popping is needless unless you actually need what it is. I'm on the respidal and I don't. Yet, knowing it's very important to take medicine I still encourage all to. One thing my psychiatrist was smart enough to recommend though was that you could take the dose for the day and night together for the night but it still affects you. You have to experiment. Because my parents are paying for them I have to take them and they gave us bad business one day and was forceful in the office and I think they are all out for the money. How much does it take to convince my psychiatrist I'm doing fine? It's ok she's gotten the dunce cap with me.., I'm very disappointed. If you keep feeling groggy take time out to close your eyes and roll your eyeballs around in vigorous circles 10-15 minutes at a time giving you the sleep affect and lasting you amounts of time enough to keep you hopefully awake enough to just barely make it through the day. I on the otherhand was already use to no sleep but all the respidal does is make me excessively tired after I've already slept the hours I needed and I gained weight. :redbeathe:nuke:

michigooseBSN · Apr 18, 2008

Glolilly, Sounds like a real mess to me. I don't wonder you're questioning yourself. I think you were handling it well. I'm not sure what you could have done about your supervisor taking over but I think I would have asked to councelors to step out. Give an excuse such as the room being too busy and needing quiet to evaluate the student. That might have eased things up a bit. If you have a good relationship with your supervisor, you might want to schedule a time to talk with her ("debrief the episode") and explain your feeling and ask if she had suggestions as to how "she would have liked you to handle it". Again, sounds to me like your professional assessment of the patient was right on.

sharlynn · Apr 22, 2008

Risperdal is an antipsychotic, not a sleeping pill. There is a lot more going on with this student than you've been told!

txspadequeenRN, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2008

why is this student taking this for sleep. i give this stuff by the butt loads to my psych patients for behaviors. my daughter is also on it for behaviors. when she gets off her meds for more than a couple of days then takes it she falls out asleep. it takes her days to get back on track.

this student needs to be titrated up on this med and start taking it late afternoon she they can hit the bed early.