Side Effects Of Risperidone

Like all medicines, risperidone can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them.

Common side effects of risperidone

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:

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.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects are rare and happen in less than 1 in 1,000 people.

Contact your doctor or call 111 now if:

you get twitching or jerking movements that you cannot control in your face, tongue, or other parts of your body
you get swelling, pain and redness in your leg - this could be a sign of a blood clot
you have stiff muscles, find it difficult to move or control your muscles, or have shaking or drool - these are signs of dyskinesia

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

you have chest pain and difficulty breathing - these could be signs of a blood clot in your lungs
you have weakness on one side of your face and body, trouble speaking or thinking, loss of balance or blurred eyesight - these can be signs of a stroke
you have a high temperature, muscle stiffness, sweating, anxiety or excess saliva - these may be signs of a disorder called neuroleptic malignant syndrome
you have a fast heartbeat
you have difficulty breathing
you have had a seizure or fit
you get a painful erection (priapism) lasting more than 3 to 4 hours, or more than 1 hour if you have sickle cell disease

Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance.

Bring all the medicines you take with you.

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, risperidone may cause a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).

Call 999 now if:

your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
someone faints and cannot be woken up
a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of risperidone. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
Photos: OutUK and LightFieldStudios.