LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Risperidone: Patients
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Risperidone long acting injection (RLAI) is the only long acting atypical anti-psychotic available in the UK. Its impact on NHS resource use has not been widely studied. This review of medical records was conducted to quantify the impact of RLAI on NHS psychiatric secondary care resource use, primarily in terms of episodes of inpatient hospital care 12 months before and 12 months after RLAI initiation. Data on number of hospitalizations and hospital bed days were collected retrospectively, from patient notes and hospital databases in four acute psychiatric units in the UK for all individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who were prescribed RLAI more than 12 months previously. Data were collected on 100 individuals (58 male) with a mean age 40.8 years (range 19-70). The median duration of illness before RLAI initiation was 12 years (range six months to 43 years). There were 62 admissions in the 12 months pre-RLAI, falling to 22 admissions in the 12 months post-RLAI.
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Risperidone is a antipsychotic medication and is used to treat patients that suffer from delusions, hallucinations, unorganized thought and hostility. This is a psychiatric medication that works by helping ot restore the balance of certain natural substances in the brain (neurotransmitters).
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Risperidone may cause orthostatic hypotension and tachycardia but to a degree which may be less than is seen with other agents (eg, phenothiazines: chlorpromazine, thioridazine). Risperidone may ... prolong the QT interval. For these reasons, patient's with cardiovascular disease should be monitored closely while on therapy.
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USE IN PATIENTS WITH CONCOMITANT ILLNESS: Clinical experience with Risperidone in patients with certain concomitant systemic illnesses is limited. Caution is advisable in using Risperidone in patients with diseases or conditions that could affect metabolism or hemodynamic responses.
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Risperidone is used to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia (a mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and strong or inappropriate emotions). It is ... used to treat episodes of mania (frenzied, abnormally excited, or irritated mood) or mixed episodes (symptoms of mania and depression that happen together) in patients with bipolar disorder (manic depressive disorder; a disease that causes episodes of depression, episodes of mania, and other abnormal moods). Risperidone is also used to treat behavior problems such as aggression and self-injury and sudden mood changes in teenagers and children 5-16 years of age who have autism (a condition that causes repetitive behavior, difficulty interacting with others, and problems with communication). Risperidone is in a class of medications called atypical antipsychotics. It works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain.
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Given these considerations, Risperidone should be prescribed in a manner that is most likely to minimize the occurrence of tardive dyskinesia. Chronic antipsychotic treatment should generally be reserved for patients who suffer from a chronic illness that (1) is known to respond to antipsychotic drugs, and (2) for whom alternative, equally effective, but potentially less harmful treatments are not available or appropriate. In patients who do require chronic treatment, the smallest dose and the shortest duration of treatment producing a satisfactory clinical response should be sought. The need for continued treatment should be reassessed periodically.
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