Hello friends, the dr. has prescribed Risperidone to help DH with irritability etc. The warnings accompanying the rx. are as serious sounding as those for Seroquel.
I don't know what to expect (of course I'd love to EXPECT that DH becomes NICE) and instead of giving the prescribed dose at first, I thought it would be wiser to give half.. (.25mg) then see how that goes and give the 2nd pill if he tolerates one well. I didn't have an opportunity to talk at length with the dr. His point of view was.. this isn't going to get better AND if there are dire side effects..well,..most of you can finish that statement.
Can anyone tell me if this med has helped your loved ones? Dr. said that DH was so very difficult, it would be very improbable that he would adapt to a residential facility.. ??? we'd have to take turns being his caregivers...??? If the medication WORKS, we possibly can do it.. if not..we'll all be in facilities and he will still be here creating chaos. mercy..
Judy- Risperdal has been a "life-saver" for me. My husband had such horrible angry behaviors, that I called his MD and asked for Risperdal, 2 MGS, but I only give him .50 MGS. I also give him 150 MGS of Effexor for some depression. He was a man that never took meds his entire life, but for behaviors, the Risperdal works wonders. I have tried to wean him off, but after one week, the "ugly-mean" person returns, so I put him back on his meds. There is a Black-Box warning on Risperdal, but the benefits outweigh the risks. This Alzheimers is a terminal disease, so if we and our loved ones benefit, that is what really matters. You will see a difference. Right when I get my husband up for day-care, I put his meds in his mouth. Day-Care loves him and so do I. Risperdal makes him the sweet, nice man he really is. Yes, my husband has Alzheimers, mid-late stage, can hardly walk, word salad alot, sometimes incontinent, I have had to just last week quit my job, as he is 100% care. but he is sweet and nice! All because of Risperdal. His MD says to keep the 2MGS, even though I only give .50, as someday, I may need the entire dose. Good luck to you.
Judy--We had to change my Dh's Psych Meds because of problems arising from extended exposure causing side effects. We had problems with Xeprexia, and Seroquel. Risperdal was wonderful, except he developed side effects--serious shoulder, hip, and knee pain. I had him to Orthopedic Specialists who could find no cause. The Psych Dr. said, "Oh, that's the risperdal" and we changed to Geodon. There's still one more to try if we ever need to. As ckkgram said, these all have "Black Box Warnings", but from the choices we have, "the benefits outweigh the risks."
As far as the difficulty of placement for your husband. If and when it becomes necessary, it will be worked out. He may not adjust well enough for an assisted living facility. He may need to go to a locked unit in a nursing home. I've run into Drs. who avoid saying this kind of thing. I guess they think they're doing us a favor by leaving us floating on possibilities. Pin him down. My Dh's earlier Psych Dr. would not tell him "You cannot drive. You cannot get your license back." Instead he wrote the referral for testing and then provided the medical evaluation that prevented him from passing the test. But, he wasn't the "Bad Guy".
Risperidone has worked will for my husband who is in an Alzheirmer's only residential facility. He only gives them problems when they take care of his incontinence needs, the med has seemed to help, but they did have to add another one. It is quite a balance to get them calm and not overmedicated.
My husband was on risperidone for a little while but it did the opposite of what is was supposed to do. Now he is on seroquel and less agitated, antsy, etc. Hope it works for your husband.
After well documented (many blogs)rage episodes that could not be controlled, the doctor finally put Sid on Risperdal. Low dose twice a day. It keeps him calm enough to function.
Clyde is on Risperidone. He takes .25 mg in the am and .5 mg at noon and in the evening. He seems to be doing well. He also takes 50 mg of generic Zoloft (Sertraline) once a day. Strangely, when we took him off the Namenda he became way less agitated and agressive. Oh, I was told today that Namenda has or will be shortly going generic. Any word on that?
According to several legit website, at this time, no generic Namenda products are available. The medication is currently protected by a patent that prevents any generic versions from being made in the United States. The patent expires in April 2010, and then other drug companies can begin manufacturing a generic.. While you may see so-called generic versions on the Internet, these drugs are fake and potentially dangerous.
Thank you all so much for such encouraging news! I think I can manage if he's manageable.. Otherwise I've felt nearly at the end of my endurance... If this helps him as much as most of you report that its helping you.. What a great day that will be!!! Again thank you..woweeee..
Deb, my husband was on Resperidone...and it didn't work for him. (Just didn't calm him at all)..It was during and after his hospitalization and during his worst sundowning period... His Neurologist put him on Seroquel...beginning with a small dosage and now he is on 50 mg twice a day..and he's just fine. I believe they are supposed to do the same thing, but people just take to one better than the other.
Whatever works for him...works for me! I don't get involved in all the side effects on the insert sheet. Many of the warnings are just "CYA" for the drug companies. I appreciate the doctor for changing the original drug and trying Seroquel. He is 82...and deserves a peaceful existance.
Nancy B-- It is worth your time to be aware of potential side effects. May never be a problem for you or Dh, we have run up against problems--side effects--several times. We've usually been able to avert permanent problems most of the time, but not all. I don't let the information rule what we do, but just keep an eye ot.
Example is side effects of Chantix--med to help stop smoking. Dh will have to use as we get him off cigarettes. Side effects can be serious depression and hallucinations--not so good with his Learning disabilities, Mental illness, and VaD. But we've tried the gum, lozenges, and patches, plus they are all now OTC and expensive. Psychiatrist has said watch close and stop at first sign of trouble. It pays to be informed.
You are absolutely correct, Carol. We maintain a very close relationship with the nurse in his Neurology Dept., and she calls frequently just to be sure everything is going well. When we changed meds to Seroquel, she called every day for two weeks...just a few minutes each time, to be sure he was ok... I appreciate that so much. She was making sure the Seroquel didn't make him sleep constantly. He dozes off and on all day, as all AD guys do, but she was concerned about him being so sedated he couldn't get out of bed. That's when we stopped at 50 mg 2 x day.
Finally got the neuro on the phone today and is is sending a prescription for Risperdal, .5 mg twice a day. I've been doing a search and see from Carosi's experience that we have to beware of joint pains. I hope it helps to calm DH a bit, as it helped with Joan's Sid and some others.
I had suggested Seroquel since so many of you have good results with it, but dh is diabetic.
We had to increase the dosage from .50 to .75 mgs a day. Since DH is accustomed to taking all of his meds in the mornings. He has three .25 tablets (small)..and this has made things much much better. HOWEVER, he has become more confused and a couple of times has not been able to FIND the bathroom (too dark, he said) for his shower..or the thermostat for the air conditioner (he has been the thermostat 'monitor' for years and its located in plain sight) .Once he misnamed my shoes..said 'your sandwiches were left on the floor'. It hasn't happened again but it got my attention as he didn't correct himself. The question would be..after a month of upset and raging.. the medication is working..BUT is this decline a result of medication OR natural progression. I just don't know but we can at least manage better right now.
Joan, in your post above in this thread you say that Sid is on Risperdal. Was this later changed due to diabetes?
I'm not quite clear on this. I have finally got the Risperdal but have not started DH on it due to the concern you mentioned somewhere about the blood sugar. But according to the information with the medicine, this medicine (Risperidon Actavis) causes high blood sugar in only 1 in 10,000 cases, so I guess it's not really worth worrying about.
Someone said, don't read the warnings.. I read them and sat thinking about the awful possibilities of giving this medication...but we were at a point of having to DO something. We aren't trying to juggle diabetes issues though. Joan will know more I'm sure. Jeanette, the difference is amazing. Good luck.
I gave Siem the first Risperidone pill this morning. He was pleasant all day, and we did the things we always do (lots of bicycling). I watched him like a hawk, but he seemed normal and was more cheerful than usual. AND I was out this evening at a support group and for the first time in weeks he was not raging at me when I got home. He just poured me some diet coke and asked me (three times) what the meeting was about. Could the Risperidone (0.5 mg) work that fast?
Yes, I believe it is possible for it to work that fast. When my husband was first given risperidone, it was right before we were leaving for a vacation that required a 4 hour plane ride. I was worried about how he would be on the plane and the doctor said to give it to him about an hour before the flight and it should calm him. It did and we had a nice plane ride, no agitation. I never gave it to him daily when he was first given it--that started a couple of months later but then he has been switched to seroquel because after awhile it started doing the opposite of what it was supposed to. Made him more aggitated with constant movement.
Thanks Deb. One reason I pushed for this med is because we have a long plane ride coming up in October. At what point did you start giving it every day?
I started giving it daily when he started to pace and walk constantly. He would sit down for a couple of minutes and hop up, walk around the house or we would go for a walk and when we got back home literally five minutes would go by and he would want to go for another walk or pace around the house. I thought it couldn't be comfortable physcially or mentally to feel like you constantly had to be moving. That is when I started giving him one pill in the morning and one pill after dinner. He still likes to go out every day and I try to take him somewhere daily but will watch a movie or tv show and only goes on about 4 walks a day (through our subdivision or around the block) rather than the 10 or more he wanted to take in the past. I do sometimes give him one more if we are going to be doing something outside of his normal routine.
Well, we've been on the Risperdal for three whole days (just one a day in the morning) and so far it's wonderful. Yesterday morning I made the mistake of offering it to him with the rest of his pills and he refused to take any, finally when he wasn't looking I gave him just the Risperdal ground up in his yogurt. Shortly aftrer he took it he was much calmer and pleasanter and that continued all day. I did the same thing with the yogurt this morning and he was so pleased that I handed him his yorgurt with the spoon already in it, didn't suspect a thing. I bought a pill crusher but crushing all his pills has not been a success. I probably put too many in some applesauce this morning and he wouldn't finish it. But tonight after supper I handed him his evening pills and a glass of water and he took them again with no protest! Makes life much easier.
A side effect I found with Risperdal (intially) and Seroquel (now) is that he will forget to go to the bathroom 'in time'. I will say, "Let's stop here at the restroom before we get on the plane"....or "before we go to our table"... or "before we leave the house". Otherwise, he would wait until it's almost too late or it IS too late. ... Just as we did with the children before a car ride ... just say "WE need to stop now and go".... It's a little less invasive in whatever psychi they haveleft.
My old maxim, Nancy, nothing to do with meds: Men go in need, women go in CASE. It's why women's bathrooms are always crowded at the theatre, etc. Mine has finally, after a couple of years of nagging, er, being reminded.. started saying Yes, I know I have to go to the bathroom before we go... but he still doesn't like it.
My DW has been very aggitated and angry when she gets up in morning, especially with her tub bath. We tried Seroquel for a couple of months with no apparent improvement improvement. I reported this last Mon and Dr prescribed Risperdal which I started Tuesday night before bed, 1mg. It has worked great. We actually snuggle and stay in bed just talking. Of course I don't understand but it is with real affection in her voice. We had xanax before with no help either. Right now I sent an email to our Dr and said" THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!' I had not read this thread before. You guys are helpful again in you support. bill
Bill, I too have been delighted and amazed at the good effect of Risperidone. As I understand it Risperidone/Risperdal is an anxiety medicine. Much of the anger and other troublesome behavior in AD patients is triggered by deep-seated fear - fear of what is happening to them, which is expressed by lashing out at the caregiver. The medicine suppresses the anxiety and bingo! the anger disappears. DH gets 0.5 mg in the morning and I can add another 0.5 mg in the evening which I would like to do because I can see it wearing off after 8-9 hours. But I'm waiting until after his blood work gets done tomorrow.
Just goes to show that each person is different and medication doesn't work the same for everyone. Both seroquel and risperidone are anti-psychotics. My husband was first prescribed risperidone which did nothing but make him more aggitated and have more anxiety. He was changed to seroquel and that has helped a great deal with both. He take 25 mg in the morning and another 25 mg in the evening but I have permission to give him up to two more 25 mg tablets if required during the day. Sometimes I give him one more if we are going out to someplace he has never been and it does keep him calmer. I have not had to go as high as 4 tablets in one day yet.
This medication has been the answer for us so far. We started with 2 pills, then added one more BUT have noticed that there seems to be more confusion and difficulty FINDING rooms in our own home. This is a problem in hotels or when we visit our children..but not in our own home (we've lived here for over 30 years)..
Not sure if thats the tradeoff..for the anger/anxiety. We had to spend a night at my studio in town recently because our a/c went out. There are several rooms and I had to direct him to the bathroom several times during the night even though I left lights on etc. I had to tell him where to turn and he had difficulty knowing how to come out. It was a small bathroom..but I guess he couldn't 'find' the door. Although we've owned that house for over 10 years, he'd never spent a night there..but it seemed more that he was BLIND and couldn't find his way..
The Risperadol has made a huge difference in what had become a nearly two month ordeal..but I've wondered..was that ranting and agitation the prelude to further decline OR has the medication calmed him into not being able to 'find' his way around? If so, at least he is not hostile and agitated. We are all thankful.
Your posting in 2009 is the answer I've been looking for. THANK YOU! My husband has been Resperdahl for agitation since early 2012 and has a need to constantly move. With increased dosages he is still always on the go, wont' sit still to eat, and the resident assistants have a difficult time changing and dressing him (6'3" 184# now). He has been falling since February and lost 20 # in two months (Apr/May). Had 6 falls in one week so Resperdahl was decreased last week from 1 mg 3x day to .5 mg 3 x day and so far no falls (fingers crossed) but he is still very restless. I am going to push for a change to Seroquel. He was on Seroquel briefly last year but then another doctor changed it so we never had a chance to see if it worked.
My husband is still on seroquel which has worked well for him but we did have to add ativan a few months ago on an as needed basis. I hope your doctor will work with you to help your husband.
Took hb off of Resperdal (I think dosage was too high) because he couldn't function. Sat wherever staff put him, head down drooling. Couldn't hold head up, couldn't eat. I asked that drug be stopped. It was and he was as "himself." They wanted him to stop wandering; he did, but....
For information only--Risperidal is also available in the liquid form....works faster, easier to change or adjust doseage, and can be called Vitamin B-9 in case they are aware enough to refuse taking it...Everyone loves Vitamins...