Anyone who has had experience with Risperdal please help me - my bf wants to kill himself

My boyfriend had a breakdown of sorts and started hearing voices. They put him in a mental hospital and he’s been on Risperdal for months. Even though he’s out now and no longer hearing things - the side effects of the meds aren’t getting any better.

His symptoms: no feelings, can’t cry or feel joy, can’t get an erection even with viagra, dumbed him down to the point he had to leave school. His self-esteem is at an all time low.

He plans to kill himself after Christmas. I am trying SO hard to help him without betraying him.He’s begged me not to tell his parents because he knows if he goes back to the hospital they are only going to hurt him even worse with other medication. And he says if I do tell that he won’t see me the same again.

I don’t want to hurt him so I am desperately trying to find people who’ve experienced similar side effects that were able to recover and move past it once off the drug. I want to show him this thread. The whole reason he’s got this permanent brain damage idea in his head is because he read about it from other people but I’m hoping I can find some who can show him that he can also be cured of these symptoms…that they’ll go away after a certain period of him being off Risperdal.

Please help. It’s urgent. I can’t sleep. I can’t think. I can’t focus in class. My heart is constantly racing. All I can think about is trying to save him without making him hate me.

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You need to tell someone in authority about his plan.

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Having suicidal thoughts is very serious. Having an actual plan is extremely serious. You are worried that if you that if you tell someone it will damage the relationship. Well if he dies, there won’t be a relationship to salvage. I’ll say right here that I tend to think in black and white. And my black and white thinking tells me that you need to tell someone even it wrecks the relationship.
Black and white thinking is not always helpful.

Do you think if you told someone about his plans that it would spur him on and make his suicidal thoughts worse? Sometimes you have to help someone in drastic ways against their will when they can’t help themselves.

He knows I’m trying to get him “non-threatening” help. He keeps saying to show him proof people can get better once they’re this far gone due to that medication. The sad thing is I can’t FIND proof anywhere… I only find proof that people suffer with the consequences for years and years. I feel like I’m failing.

If he get’s sent back to the mental ward and there’s actually a good chance he CAN’T be fixed, he’s going to spend his days in there suffering, zombified, empty. He’s scared of that and so am I. But I don’t want him to die either.

Risperdal? That was the first medication I was prescribed and then was labeled schizophrenia, but I dont know anymore Good luck.

The first 6 months of taking Risperidone has been very hard for me. I had the thoughts of suicide , too because I was extremely depressed. But after 8 months, my body started to get used to Risperidone and the suicidal thoughts went away.

Has he seen only one prescriber thus far? (Was it at a public health facility?) If so, and that prescriber has kept him on the same med without reviewing his sfx, you may want to find another doc.

My suggestion is to go on this website, type in “psychiatrist” and the name of the major city to which you live nearest. When the list comes up, go through each entry to see who specializes in schizophrenia. Call them see which ones twist your pretzel.

I was mis-dx’d an mis-prescribed repeatedly until I did something like this. I wasn’t the only one.

He went to an extremely fancy facility. I think top 3 in the world. If I remember correctly it was like upwards of 5000 to 7000 dollars a day. Unfortunately I have NO control over where he goes. His mother is so stubborn. I know I can’t let him kill himself but if he goes back in there under her care I wouldn’t be surprised if he dies anyways.

Did you have any of the other symptoms?

Risperdal is just one of many medications - you need to get in to talk with his psychiatrist and convey the problems. Is he also in therapy? He needs that too. Act quickly - and he can likely find a medication and therapy combination that works for him.

also - here is a communications checklist your BF can use (I recommend you join him at the doctors appointment so that all issues get discussed and addressed:

OK. PickleEater. I was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 1980 when I was 19. My case was severe with solid suffering for almost 2 1/2 years. I had many delusions and I was suicidal often. I was sent to my first psyche ward where I spent a week and a half. After that I went directly into a house for schizophrenics where I spent a year. I suffered every minute of every day while I was there. While I was there I had no friends, no job, no money, no schooling, certainly no girlfriend, no car. I got kicked out after a year over a misunderstanding and I moved back into my parents apartment. I lasted about a week before I broke down again.

This time my parents put me in a long term locked hospital. I still had nothing at age 20. I lived there 8 months with a hundred other very ill people. It was quite scary. I was heavily medicated with a drug called prolixen. It was so sedating that I could hardly walk. I suffered again for that entire 8 months. It was a nightmare in there. I was a naive 20 year old thrown in with some rough people.After 8 months of hell my parents got me released into a nice Residential Treatment Home. I had no income except an SSI check that went towards rent and left me with about $35.00 a month to spend on myself. After a year the agency that ran the house got me a job. I was still suffering symptoms but they lowered my medication. Well, I worked that job for four years. And I’ve worked pretty steadily since then. In 1984 I enrolled myself in college.

Unfortunately, I relapsed and went through several hospitalizations in 1989 and I didn’t work for a year. In 1990 I got another job. At that time I got put into a group home. I stayed there 5 years and worked the entire time. I also attended college. In 1995 I moved out of the home and my sister let me live with her. I had a job and I got a car and I was living independently. I socialized a lot too. Well eventually I had to move. I moved around a few times renting rooms in people houses. I worked fairly steadily and I even got a job as a park ranger for two years. In 2002 I was living with 7 housemates in a women’s house. In 2004 my psychiatrist put me on Resperidone. I’ve been on it ever since. While I’ve been on it I have worked, taken online classes, drove my car, lived independently, had a few friends, socialized, socialized with my family, and other things in life. I have lived a life.

Unfortunately. just recently I had to be hospitalized. My mom had died and the resulting stress from her death and built up stress from other things had built up and I lost some things but I’m getting back on my feet. But yeah, I’ve been on resperidone for 12 years and still functioned. Until this last two day hospitalization I had been out of the hospital for more than 25 years. I think this is what you or your boyfriend wanted to hear. I’ve been suicidal off and on but never attempted. Despite that I’ve done quite a few things. Good luck in your situation. I hope you can help yoyr boyfriend.

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ALSO I JUST NEED TO SAY he’s coming off of the medication in December. I told him to hang around longer to see if the side effects go away but he is determined that they won’t.

Thank you nick. I’m going to show him this. He’s getting off the medication in a month so it’s not quite the same situation (though he still believes the brain damage is permanent). Hopefully he can get some inspiration through your struggles that with effort and time things can get better.

I would love to be able to have some control over his medicine but his mother is a bit of a dictator who doesn’t like me because I’m not as wealthy as they are… ridiculous as that sounds. So I couldn’t even go to a doctors appointment with him if I tried. It’s one of the things that is messing with him so much, that he can’t come see me. Poor dear actually wants me to kill myself too so that we can be together in the afterlife. Seriously gut-wrenching.

If the side effects of a med are too bad they’re often willing to change your med. It sounds to me like your boyfriend has no place to go but up. Start talking to the pdoc and his case manager about a change in med’s. Often they can find a drug that is a better fit.

Don’t be afraid, I’m taking the generic Respiridal.
I can help if you want the help?

Your body has to take time to get used to the medication.
I am fighting suicidal thoughts, that’s one of skizo effects so it does that to you. I wasn’t always skizophrenic. I used to do drugs, and drink a lot. I didn’t care for myself to much. I was even the popular kid in school. I lost a good friend of mine and that’s why I did the drugs. The drugs eventually gave me schizophrenia. And I survived an accident that caused me to realize life better. I am schizophrenic and am not ashamed of it. I actually oddly thought people on medication, I thought it was a good thing. You can only imagine how my brain works. All I got to say is that I’m surviving and you will get discriminated out in this world. But everyone judges anyhow. My family supports me,that helps. I eat healthier,we’ll try. The doctor recommended me to eat healthier when taking any medication. That goes for everyone. It’s also good to be in an environment that is positive and being honest is helpful when schizophrenic the doctor said. And Have a little sense of humor. I saw that on a website on this illness. Respiridal/Respiridone shouldn’t be mixed with alcohol or any drug. I don’t smoke either I quit. And be social it’s healthy for you. Take care now

Have you tried drinking tea that helps me hot tea, like Lipton or Tadin. Hot tea non -decaffinated. Don’t drink the pill with the tea bad reaction.

Love and happiness works and a good bond. And Doctor told me to keep the mind busy if we have a bad thought/ idea in our mind and we just don’t do anything with our brain then we give in to the thoughts and don’t fight back. She told me to do Ike crossword puzzles,read,draw. Keep the mind busy!

This troubles me. Your boyfriend sounds like he’s ten years old.

That’s because that’s the only scientific evidence we have since we are not allowed to do stem cell research.

Tell your boyfriend to man up or they’re gonna haul his ass away.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we were all invincible though? Haha

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