Mom of three,

If his aggressive behavior isn't that bad, why does the doctor want to put him on the Risperdal? My nephew who is 18 has been on Risperdal since he was 8 or 9 and had no problems with it. But he was put on it due to his having child onset bipolar disorder.

There are other medications that can be used to help one's appetite.

I don't know if the possibility of Asperger's has anything to do with the medication choice. Does your son have any other diagnosis besides ADD?

My husband and adult daughter have taken Risperdal, but only on an as needed basis for dysphoria (which is a really, really bad mood comprised of anxiety, rage and despair). It can make one groggy if the dosage is high.

I'm sorry I don't know more. Prozac can also help with aggressive behavior and might be another option. I would talk to the doctor more about his reasons and get a second opinion. He may have a good reason for using the Risperdal and if it is truly needed, that is fine.

Hopefully, someone else here has more experience with the medication use for a child.

Elaine

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Elaine has a good point. The Risperdal can also be used for people that show the signs of the temper getting out of control. It's sort of palative. Give the medicine so one does not get out of control, don't wait till it happens. This is really a good choice of meds if your child can tolerate it. It is also considered non-addictive.

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My 16 year old was prescribed risperodol (?) a year ago to help with raging temper tantrums and mood swings ( ASPERGERS/adhd) IT worked like a charm at a low dose except that after 6 weeks, she started lactating!!! Needless to say, we had to dump that med. Today, after many many months of experimenting with different combinations, we have found success with a cocktail of Adderall, Wellbutrin, Strattera, Ciprilex, and Seroquel ( this is the alt to RIsper.) Our doctor, (whom we call "the chemist" is a genius with meds., but it does take such a long time to get it all right.

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