Risperadol
- Thread starter biotech56
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Rigil
Active member
biotech56 said:
It blocks the actions of dopamine and serotonin in the nervous system.
Some of us who are on Zoloft or Paxil for social anxiety may be alarmed at that statement, since both are designed to increase serotonin levels.
Pardon the pun, but no worries.
Risperadol (or Risperdal, risperadone) blocks a very specific serotonin receptor better than others, and those receptors are linked to anxiety.
"Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors", or SSRIs, can avoid that particular receptor if it's designed to, like Zoloft or Paxil.
It's important to note that one receptor cannot be 100% blocked and others 0% blocked.
The other receptors will be affected too, just not at the level of the targeted ones.
This is where the side effects come in, like tremors from Risperdal or the infamous sexual side effects of SSRIs.
Ok, back to your question.
Risperdal can be used to treat many things, ranging from bipolar disorder, paranoid delusions, anxiety, ...
It is currently mostly prescribed for schizophrenia, and is a front-line drug for that illness at the moment.
If the receptors mentioned above are linked to a disorder, then Risperdal is either being prescribed or researched for that disorder.
I personally have some concern that it may be over prescribed, but this is possibly clouded judgment from a bad experience I had with it.
It seems to work for many; it didn't for me.
It would have helped if my doc understood English better, but I don't remember being less anxious.
I was on a higher dose intended for paranoid delusions or schizophrenia instead of anxiety.
I developed tremors, specifically "tardive diskinesia", just a few weeks after being on Risperdal.
This is a side effect that can be permanent, and can be counter productive in social anxiety.
Standing in line at Wal-Mart is bad enough; a simple task like handing the cashier your money can already cause anxiety.
Imagine when it's nearly impossible to put the money in the cashier's hand.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to talk to your doctor about this.
I only have mild tremors now, which are only noticeable to me in most cases.
Before the mistake was caught, the tremors were bad enough that some thought I was having seizures.
That was 9 or 10 years ago, and the mistake was found quickly thanks to those big tremors.
It could have been much worse if I hadn't asked questions, and that's a big task for us with social anxiety.
When my left eyelid is going nuts, and I wonder if anyone notices, I do wish I had said something sooner.
In reality, I don't see how it could have been caught any quicker.
If anyone thinks something is wrong with their meds, do not hesitate to talk to your doc.