Risperdal Side Effects
Risperdal is an antipsychotic drug that was
approved to treat symptoms of schizophrenia. The approval
of Risperdal was successful, creating $2.1 billion in annual global
sales. While Risperdal was not intended to cure mental illnesses, it
appeared to successfully treat symptoms of them without serious adverse
effects. Risperdal works by interfering with the communication among
nerves in the brain.
By releasing chemicals known as neurotransmitters the
nerves are able to communicate with one another. Neurotransmitters
attach to receptors of neighboring nerves, causing changes in the cells
that have receptors. The use of Risperdal allows several receptors
on nerves to be blocked so that communication among nerves does not
occur.
At the beginning of April 2003, J&J announced the
company was planning on sending out thousands of letter to U.S. physicians
to advise them of the increased risk of stroke appearing in elderly
Risperdal patients. The Risperdal stroke announcement was very concerning
to many people because Risperdal treatment has become more widespread
over the years. These days, Risperdal is not prescribed exclusively
to help treat mental illnesses, but is used more and more to control
behavioral disorders in elderly patients, conduct disorders in children,
and now for autism in children.
J&J had already made an announcement warning Canadian
doctors and patients of the Risperdal stroke risks in October 2002,
and included in the warning J&J cited 37 reports of Risperdal stroke
or Risperdal stroke-like events, including 16 deaths. Advocacy groups
wonder why unnecessary risk is being taken when prescribing Risperdal
to patients for reasons other than for psychotic disorders.
Most common Risperdal
Side Effects:
- Abdominal pain
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Dry mouth
- Sore throat
- Abnormal walk
- Agitation
- Aggression
- Anxiety
- Chest pain
- Coughing
- Involuntary movements
- Nasal inflammation
- Decreased activity
- Decreased sexual desires
- Lack of coordination
- Impotence
- Dizziness
- Dry skin
- Difficulty urinating
- Heavy menstruation
- Tremor
- Weight gain
- Lethargic feelings
- Join pain
- Difficulty ejaculating
- Tremor
- Respiratory infection
Some Risperdal patients may want to consider alternate
treatment methods due to the evidence of increased risk and lack of
adequate safety studies. The use of Risperdal with pregnant women has
not yet been determined safe. It has been reported that some mothers
that used Risperdal while pregnant had babies with problematic births. One
mother using Risperdal had a baby with serious brain problems and it
is unknown if Risperdal may have contributed to the birth defect.
Risperdal studies on animals have indicated that undesirable
effects could occur, though experts are still unsure of what effect
Risperdal has with pregnant women. It has been shown that Risperdal
can pass through the milk of nursing animals, and so women that are
still breast-feeding should discuss alternate treatment methods to Risperdal
to be safe.
There have only been studies showing the safety of
Risperdal in adults, so children may risk very serious side effects.
The use of antipsychotic medications for children has continued to be
a controversial subject over the years and the growing trend of prescribing
new and powerful drugs like Risperdal to children has especially high
risk considering the risk that the risperdal side effects
could last forever.
The various clinical trials testing Risperdal in Alzheimer’s
patients has also shown the increased risk of stroke or stroke like
events, such as blood clots or hemorrhages that can occur. Since Risperdal
labeling has always included information stating there is no evidence
showing Risperdal is safe or effective for dementia treatment, elderly
patients may consider seeking alternate options. Elderly people are
already at an increased risk for suffering stroke, and the recent J&J
warning advising physicians of increased risk of stroke among elderly
Risperdal patients may be further evidence to be extremely cautious.
"FDA Regulators Request Atypical Antipsychotics Carry New Diabetes
Warning"
The FDA has requested all six atypical antipsychotics, including
Risperdal to include a new labeling warning. Links between the antipsychotics
and diabetes have been concerning enough for the agency to issue
letters to the drugs’ producers. The diabetes link had been
made awhile back but the federal agency waited until further recent
studies were performed. The drugs that will carry the new warning
labels include; Risperdal, Abilify, Geodon, Clozaril, Seroquel.
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