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Risperdal
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Risperdal (... known as risperidone ) is a popular antipsychotic drug administered for treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Risperdal is a member of a new class of drugs called "atypical" antipsychotics. Other "atypical" antipsychotic drugs include Clozaril, Seroquel , Geodon, and Abilify. The drug Risperdal and other drugs in its class are thought to work by balancing the levels of serotonin and dopamine, two natural chemical messengers of the brain.
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Risperdal is the most popular antipsychotic medication in the United States today. Since its FDA approval to treat schizophrenia in 1993, Risperdal has been prescribed to over 10 million people, generating over 2.1 billion in sales annually for its manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceutica and its parent company Johnson and Johnson. A decade later, the FDA approved Risperdal to treat bipolar disorder, and a new market for an already-successful drug was born.
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Doses of Risperdal can be taken once a day, or divided in half and taken twice daily. The usual dose on the first day is 2 milligrams or 2 milliliters of oral solution. On the second day, the dose increases to 4 milligrams or milliliters, and on the third day rises to 6 milligrams or milliliters. Further dosage adjustments can be made at intervals of 1 week. Over the long term, typical daily doses range from 2 to 8 milligrams or milliliters. If you have a liver or kidney disease, your doctor will have you start with one-half of a 1-milligram tablet or 0.5 milliliter of oral solution twice daily and may then increase your dosage by one-half tablet or 0.5 milliliter per dose.
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Risperdal may cause dizziness or drowsiness and so patients should avoid driving, using machinery or performing hazardous activities. Dizziness is ... likely to occur when rising from a sitting or lying position. Rise slowly to prevent dizziness and a possible fall. Patients on Risperdal should avoid using alcohol as it may increase the drowsiness and dizziness caused by the medication. This medication may also lead to heat stroke and so patients should avoid becoming overheated in hot weather and during exercise. Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis are at an increased risk of death when treated with Risperdal and this medication is not approved for such patients.
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Risperdal has ... been linked to the development of diabetes. A study conducted by a former FDA official and a Duke University researcher discovered that over a nine-year period, 132 diabetes cases, five ending in death, were reported to the FDA by Risperdal users. In August 2003, researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston University and the University of Illinois at Chicago released findings from a study conducted on three antipsychotic medications, including Risperdal, that also linked the drug to an increased rate of diabetes. In the same month, Israeli physicians reported that risperidone may increase the risk of osteoporosis in premenopausal schizophrenics.
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Risperdal, like other new antipsychotic drugs currently under development, is designed as a serotonin/dopamine antagonist. While its exact mechanism of action is not yet understood, Risperdal seems to block the action of serotonin and dopamine, two neurotransmitter chemicals in the brain. Conventional antipsychotics seem to primarily affect only dopamine.
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Risperdal