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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by monkeysmama on October 30, 2007, at 22:21:05
Okay, so I just started taking 50 mg. zoloft and 2 mg risperidol, and I have been dealing with lots of anxiety and inability to concentrate.. It has even gotten to the point of not being able to leave the house at times. I have only been taking it for two weeks. Anyone have any POSITIVE experiences to share with me?? Is there any hope here? I can't even read a book for lack of concentration. I loooooove to read, so this is extremely problematic as well.
Posted by yxibow on October 31, 2007, at 0:21:39
In reply to zoloft and risperidol, posted by monkeysmama on October 30, 2007, at 22:21:05
> Okay, so I just started taking 50 mg. zoloft and 2 mg risperidol, and I have been dealing with lots of anxiety and inability to concentrate.. It has even gotten to the point of not being able to leave the house at times. I have only been taking it for two weeks. Anyone have any POSITIVE experiences to share with me?? Is there any hope here? I can't even read a book for lack of concentration. I loooooove to read, so this is extremely problematic as well.
Well you can give it some time -- its really hard to tease out which agent is causing the problem or your own body chemistry. SSRIs can help people with OCD concentration issues, on the other hand they can also cause word finding problems. I'd ask your doctor to slowly adjust the dose of one or the other to get at the roots of things.
Posted by Racer on October 31, 2007, at 1:56:42
In reply to zoloft and risperidol, posted by monkeysmama on October 30, 2007, at 22:21:05
Personally, Zoloft is the SSRI I've had best results from. It's been far lighter in side effects for me than any others, and about as effective, if not more so.
Good luck.
Posted by monkeysmama on October 31, 2007, at 7:45:58
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol » monkeysmama, posted by yxibow on October 31, 2007, at 0:21:39
Thanks for the responses. I lowered my dose last week to 25 and got in trouble. lol. She wasn't a fan of my adjusting my own medication. I think I need to be on 25 mg. though... Do you know if these word recognition (I believe that is the word you used) problems will clear up over time?
Posted by Phillipa on October 31, 2007, at 12:14:23
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol » monkeysmama, posted by yxibow on October 31, 2007, at 0:21:39
Jay is that why it's so hard to read without doing it at a thousand miles an hour? Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on October 31, 2007, at 12:15:52
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol, posted by Racer on October 31, 2007, at 1:56:42
Racer how high did you go as it agrees with me at 50mg pdoc didn't go higher don't know why. Phillipa
Posted by Astounder on November 1, 2007, at 23:03:36
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol, posted by monkeysmama on October 31, 2007, at 7:45:58
> Thanks for the responses. I lowered my dose last week to 25 and got in trouble. lol. She wasn't a fan of my adjusting my own medication. I think I need to be on 25 mg. though... Do you know if these word recognition (I believe that is the word you used) problems will clear up over time?
Are you taking the Risperdal for schizophrenia or for depression? If it's depression, I think you'd be better off lowering the dose of the Risperdal, not the Zoloft. Risperdal's benefit in depression is from its 5-HT2a blocking which attenuates the initial anxiety and insomnia SSRIs cause and augments the mood elevation, but this effect maxes out at .5 to 1 mg with Risperdal (Risperdal has the highest 5-HT2a to D2 affinity among all neuroleptics). Any higher and you start to meaningfully block D2, making it act more as an antipsychotic: This can weaken cognition, block pleasure, and sometimes causing an intense, restless anxiety called akathisia.
Posted by monkeysmama on November 4, 2007, at 1:42:30
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol » monkeysmama, posted by Astounder on November 1, 2007, at 23:03:36
I am taking it for depression I guess.... I told my dr. that depression is not my problem, but she doesn't seem to believe me. I am depressed because of my anxiety. It takes ahold of me and I don't feel very functional. I thought the risperdal was for that....
Posted by infectedmushrooms on November 5, 2007, at 0:15:59
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol, posted by monkeysmama on November 4, 2007, at 1:42:30
> I am taking it for depression I guess.... I told my dr. that depression is not my problem, but she doesn't seem to believe me. I am depressed because of my anxiety. It takes ahold of me and I don't feel very functional. I thought the risperdal was for that....
You are smart your doctor isn't...Doctors are supposed to listen to patients symptoms and not just give whatever they feel like and think they are right...Risperdal is a neuroleptic drug that causes endocrine problems...word of warning if can cause hormonal problems that aren't worth the risk and even worse Tardive Dyskenesia a movement disorder mimicking parkinsons...If you have an anxiety problem just take ativan, klonapin, or xanax...one of those will be fine and don't fall for the BS that they are addictive...They really aren't addictive for a lot of people and are 1000 times safer than risperdal..my psychiatrist knows a man who has been taking it for 20 years and is doing fine...i'm sure if he got off it he would be somewhat messed up for that long but it doesn't hurt the hormones/libido like the other drugs and there is no risk in TD...goodluck to you and tell your doctor asap you don't like what Risperdal makes you feel and taper slowly
Posted by monkeysmama on November 5, 2007, at 9:22:45
In reply to Re: zoloft and risperidol » monkeysmama, posted by infectedmushrooms on November 5, 2007, at 0:15:59
I guess the reason she gave it to me, is because I took it a few years back and tolerated it pretty well. That was a few years ago though. She originally gave me Abilify, and that did very bad things to me, so she just sort of shrugged and gave me my old prescription....... I am doing pretty well at the moment, so maybe I should continue taking the risperdal. I would much rather have something like xanex though. Not klonipan for me though. Doesn't do good things to me. My husband leaves for Korea (military) for a year pretty soon though, and I am moving. I only have one more appointment with her so I better make it count!
This is the end of the thread.
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