Risperidone

Risperidone is suitable for most adults and children aged 5 years old and over, but always check before taking it.

Risperidone is not suitable for everyone. For example, if you have heart problems or low blood pressure, check with your doctor it's OK to take.

Risperidone comes as tablets and liquid that you take 1 or 2 times a day. Follow the instructions that come with your medicine.

Side effects of risperidone include difficulty sleeping and problems with movement. More serious side effects can happen in rare cases.

It can cause problems to take risperidone with some other medicines, such as medicines for epilepsy or high blood pressure.

Most adults can take risperidone.

Children and teenagers aged 5 to 17 years old can take risperidone for aggressive behaviour.

Risperidone is not suitable for some people. To make sure it's safe for you, tell your doctor before starting to take it if you have:

• ever had an allergic reaction to risperidone or any other medicine
• a heart problem (including arrhythmia)
• low blood pressure (hypotension)
• had a stroke or are at high risk of having a stroke
• ever had problems controlling the movements of your tongue, mouth and face
• ever had a rare condition called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (symptoms include a high temperature, muscle stiffness, sweating, anxiety and excess saliva)
• Parkinson's disease or dementia
• ever had low levels of white blood cells
• diabetes
• epilepsy
• ever had a prolonged or painful erection that lasted more than 2 hours
• problems controlling your body temperature or overheating
• kidney or liver problems
• had a blood clot or someone in your family has had blood clots

Follow the instructions in the leaflet that comes with your medicine.

Standard tablets

Swallow your risperidone tablet with a drink of water.

If you need to take half a tablet for your dose or if you have difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, use the score line on the tablet to break it in half.

You can take risperidone tablets with or without food.

Tablets that dissolve in your mouth (orodispersible)

Make sure your hands are dry. Only remove a tablet from the pack when you're ready to take it and put it on your tongue, straight away.

The tablet will begin dissolving within seconds. You can have a drink of water afterwards if you like.

Liquid

Your medicine will come with a syringe, dropper (pipette) or measuring cup to help you to measure out the right dose. If you do not have one, ask your pharmacist for one. Do not use a kitchen spoon as it will not measure the right amount.

You can take risperidone liquid with or without food.

Injections

If you need to have a risperidone injection, you'll usually have it every 2 or 4 weeks at your GP surgery (or from your mental health team).

After you've had an injection, the medicine works for a few weeks. The dose will depend on how well risperidone works for you.

These common side effects of risperidone may affect up to 1 in 10 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

If you have trouble getting to sleep at night, try taking your medicine in the morning if you've been taking it at night. You could also try not to have a big meal, smoking or drinking alcohol, tea or coffee in the evening.

Watching television or using your mobile phone before going to bed may also stop you getting to sleep. Instead, try to relax for an hour before bedtime.

If your sleep does not get better, talk to your doctor.

If not sleeping at night makes you feel sleepy during the day, do not drive, ride a bike or use tools or machinery.

As your body gets used to risperidone, this side effect should wear off. If it does not go after a few weeks, speak to your doctor.

Make sure you rest and drink plenty of fluids. Do not drink too much alcohol. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a painkiller.

Talk to your doctor if headaches are severe or do not go away.

Try to eat a healthy balanced diet without increasing your portion sizes. Do not snack on foods that contain a lot of calories, such as crisps, cakes, biscuits and sweets. If you feel hungry between meals, eat fruit and vegetables and low-calorie foods.

Regular exercise will also help to keep your weight stable.

Try to rest and relax. It can help to eat and drink slowly and have smaller and more frequent meals. Putting a heat pad or covered hot water bottle on your stomach may also help.

If you are in a lot of pain, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.

Stick to simple meals and do not eat rich or spicy food. It might help to take your risperidone after you've had a meal or snack.

If you're being sick, try having small, frequent sips of water or squash to avoid dehydration. Signs of dehydration include peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee.

Do not take any other medicines to treat vomiting without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor.

If you take the combined contraceptive pill or progestogen-only pill and you're being sick, your contraception may not protect you from pregnancy. Check the pill packet for advice.

Get more fibre into your diet, such as fresh fruit and vegetables and cereals. Try to drink several glasses of water or squash every day. Try to exercise more regularly, for example, by going for a daily walk or run. If this does not help, talk to your pharmacist or doctor.

Drink lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration. Signs of dehydration include peeing less than usual or having dark, strong-smelling pee.

Do not take any other medicines to treat diarrhoea without speaking to a pharmacist or doctor. Speak to a doctor if symptoms get worse or last longer than a week.

If you take the combined contraceptive pill or progestogen-only pill and you have severe, watery diarrhoea or any diarrhoea that lasts for more than 24 hours, your contraception may not protect you from pregnancy. Check the pill packet for advice.

These can be signs of hormone changes.

Speak to your doctor if these side effects last longer than a few days. Your doctor may be able to change your medicine.

Keep taking the medicine but tell your doctor if the advice on how to cope does not help and the side effects bother you or do not go away.

Risperidone can be taken during pregnancy, although there is little information on its safety. If there is an increased risk of birth defect, it is likely to be very small. The risk of you becoming unwell if you stop taking your medicine is potentially much greater.

For this reason, you will usually be advised to keep taking risperidone in pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about your treatment as soon as possible.

You will usually be offered an antenatal clinic appointment with a pregnancy specialist (obstetrician) and possibly a mental health doctor or nurse.

Do not stop taking your medicine unless your doctor tells you to.

If your baby is healthy, you can take risperidone while breastfeeding, but talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.

Risperidone passes into breast milk in very small amounts and does not usually cause side effects in breastfed babies.

However, a few babies have had side effects when risperidone was taken with other medicines that can cause drowsiness, while breastfeeding.

It's important to continue your treatment to keep you well. Breastfeeding will also benefit both you and your baby.

It's very rare for breastfed babies to have side effects from medicines you're taking. But it's important to keep monitoring your baby if you're taking any medicine while breastfeeding.

Contact your healthcare professional or call 111 as soon as possible if you notice that your baby:

• is not feeding as normal, or not gaining weight as expected
• has changes to their usual sleeping pattern
• is behaving differently, for example being irritable
• is having sudden or jerky movements
• has signs of tummy upset, such as being sick or constipation
• is getting a rash

If your baby has any symptoms that are not listed, or if you're worried about them, you can also call 111 or contact any healthcare professional.

Carry on taking the medicine, and keep breastfeeding as usual until you get advice about your baby's symptoms.

It's important not to share a bed with your baby while you're taking risperidone.

Some medicines may affect the way risperidone works and increase the chances of you having side effects.

Check with a pharmacist or doctor if you're taking any other medicines, including:

• rifampicin (an antibiotic for treating tuberculosis (TB))
• carbamazepine or phenytoin (medicines for epilepsy)
• itraconazole (a medicine for treating fungal infections)
• medicines that make you feel sleepy such as diazepam (benzodiazepines), morphine or tramadol (opioid painkillers) or chlorphenamine (an antihistamine) – risperidone can increase these sedating effects and make you feel more sleepy
• medicines that cause a slow heartbeat
• medicines to treat high blood pressure
• medicines for Parkinson's disease such as levodopa
• medicines that stimulate the brain such as methylphenidate
• medicines that remove extra fluid from your body (diuretics) such as furosemide or chlorothiazide

These are not all the medicines that may cause problems if you take them with risperidone. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.