Risperdal

[angie75]

Originally Posted by index.html

Yes and it's so much quicker/easier to ask questions of people who have actually been through it than to have to do the research on your own, starting from scratch. In either case, I will take what I find out and then discuss it with my doctor before making any decisions.

Angie, would you mind a couple more questions about TD? I'm wondering if a family history of it or Parkinson's might increase the risk. Also wondering if there's any history of it in your family.

I'm taking a low dose (5mg) of Risperdal for sleep. I'm not thrilled with the TD risk, however small, but then I'm also not thrilled with the "black box" liver warnings that go with the Depakote (also currently taking) or the risks of addiction with something like Klonopin if that was used instead of Risperdal.

I *REALLY* appreciate your input!

I honestly do not know the answers to some of yor latest questions. I am unsure if having a family member w/another movement disorder would put you at a higher risk or not. I personally do not have another family with a formally diagnosed movement disorder. The reason I say this w/some hemming and hawwing is that my mother, who has fibromyalgia (which I do too), has some high tone and some "mild" muscle spams in her neck that are controlled w/low dose xanax. It isn't TD, but it hasn't exactly been formally diagnosed by a neurologist. My understanding is that kind of myofascial muscle issue can happen w/fibromyalgia. My situation is rather different though as I had full-blown TD years before I had 1 symptom of fibromyalgia.
There is not 1 person in my family w/a case of parkinsons or epilepsy, besides me.

I know what you are saying about drug warning. Naturally if we read every one, and expected to get them all, we would go REALLY insane. And again, I don't think anyone should ever stop taking meds they need without the supervision of their doctor. I also don't think those people who need meds like risperdol to think clearly and function (believe me that I have been there) should stop taking them due to a slight risk of a rare problem. My question is this: if you are taking it just for sleep, have you consdered all the options? It sounds like you are looking into other options.

As far as other meds for sleep go: there are sleeping pills like ambien (fast-acting, last a short time 4-6 hrs), restoril (kicks in slower, lasts longer). More docs rx ambien, restoril is a bit stronger and is a "real" benzo. You are not really supposed to take them every night to avoid dependence. There are meds like klonipin, ativan, and xanax, which are again sedatives. The whole "habit-forming" thing has to do with you. Do you have a history of addiction? If not, I wouldn't necessarily be too concerned. Of course, your doc may not want to write for them, who knows. You won't find out unless you ask. Have you tried trazadone? In relatively small doses, I used to take it for sleep, and it worked ok. When it didn't, my psych doc would add the lower dose of restoril on bad nights. These are just some thoughts. Now I am just on the higher dose of restoril because I get less "hangover", and I have to get up in the a.m. w/my baby, so that is more important than it was before.

These are just some ideas that maybe you can bring to your doc, and you can work together to find something that works for you. I am also sure that your doc can more thoroughly answer some of your TD questions, especially about how rare it is. I can, however, understand your concerns. Remember, if you end up needing one of the newer atypical anti-psychotics, they are unlikely to cause TD.

Angie