My son was put on Risperdal for ADHD. He had impulsivity and inattentiveness issues at school, severe ones.

He remained on the Risperdal for several years, while being monitored closely for side effects. The Risperdal worked wonders for us.

We eventually went gluten free/dye free as a family and were able to taper him off Risperdal, which was a relief because I worried about the side effects. He has not had the issues we had before come back and is doing well in school. But Risperdal was a godsend for us for several years. Glad it's working for you, OP, take care!

OP, please, please, please, I have worked in mental health reseach for 14 year. The side effects of respirol for adults, can be be very problematic. Using a medication like that off label with a child, who brain is still developing, has been untested. In other words there is no research, that has even looked the effects. You have no recourse if something goes wrong.

If you feel that you no choice. Please get a second opinion, with a physician that is hooked into a hospital, so they can monitor you child's blood work more carefully. That fact that stimulates haven't work, some psychiatrist opt for goong in a differnt direction and try Wellbutrin, which is med that people use to receive for ADHD.

Check Georgetown psychiatry or another hospital, where doctors can discuss cases with with their colleagues and again blood work can be monitor. Using Rispidol on a child is that serious.
Good luck!

bump!

Risperdal was a miracle drug for our son's behavior (went on when he was 7), but he went from 60 pounds to 95 pounds in about 6 months. We had to pull him off of it. He was on it for bipolar, OCD, and Aspergers. We haven't found anything that doesn't make him crazy (he reacted very badly to Abilify, Geodon, Lamictal, and Adderall) so he's currently not doing very well. Thinking of pulling him out of school on Home and Hospital.

OP here again. Our son's dose is .5mg each morning. It's a TINY amount, and we haven't increased it. Things still asren't perfect, and probably never will be, but it is much better than before.

OP - My DS has your DS' DX. He's 10.
We tried a few thing before found the mix we think is working for him. Adderral 10mg and Kapvay in the AM and PM. Kapvay is in the same fmaily as intunix.

NP here. Thanks for the positive update, OP. Our DS's psych is also suggesting Risperdal, but we're very hesitant to use it. Abilify had unexpected effects with DS (activated him/made him more hyper, plus an increase in tics), so the psych is proposing Risperdal. I'd also love to know what dose your DS is on and how quickly the dose was increased to get to his current dose.

PP here...so glad it's working for him. Can you share what dose he is on? Our dr is suggesting to try .5 mg at bedtime. Thanks for your feedback!

OP here. Yes, we decided to do it, and it has really helped. Our son hasn't had any side effects (weight gain, etc.) except for fatigue - but he tends to get tired easily anyway due to low tone. We hate that he needs Risperdal, but he clearly does - it has helped him tremendously in terms of regulating his emotions, impulsivity, etc. Best of luck, PP.

OP - did you every try the risperdol? it is being suggested for my 9 year old in addition to a stimulant to help with irritability, weight loss, and some OCD behaviors on top of the ADHD. we are considering it but are approaching with caution. we are not as concerned about some of the short-term side effects bc our DC has been losing too much weight on the stimulant -needs to gain weight - but im more concerned about long term potential effects. If you tried it - did you see a difference for your DC?

Sorry you are going through this. Have you thought about a different school environment?