Brief Answer:
Yes it can have both those side effects.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome back to HealthcareMagic.

Unfortunately Risperdal can cause both those side effects.

Weight gain is a common side effect in risperdal patients ranging in studies from in at least 5% of patients to 40% of them.

As with almost all psychotropic drugs it can also affect your memory and concentration.

I hope to have answered your question. I remain at your disposal in case you have further questions.

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Brief Answer:
Read below

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for your kind words.

There are some medications which help in losing weight, however they are as an addition of diet and exercise, they do not substitute them. Also they can have side effects as well as drug interactions with both Lamictal as well as Risperdal. Some commonly used drugs are Orlistat, Belviq, Contrave but all have potential for interaction with what you use, so to be honest I wouldn't go that way.

On the other hand your therapy can be changed if weight is a significant issue. I still am not sure you really need Risperdal, as I said in our other conversation it didn't look as a first choice drug for your OCD. Looking at conversations you had with other doctors they do not see a reason to use it as well, so I am not alone in thinking that.
Also Lamictal can be considered to be switched to Topiramate, which doesn't add weight, on the contrary helps you lose weight.
So these issues can be discussed with your guardians and doctors.

As for the memory, apart from the risperdal interruption, there are some helpful supplements like gingko biloba extracts, ginseng, L-carnitine, the medication piracetam can be used as well.

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Brief Answer:
Read below.

Detailed Answer:
The memory as I said could be helped with natural supplements like Gingko biloba, Ginseng, L-carnitine or with medication like Piracetam.

Risperdal is not typically used for OCD, usually medication like SSRI are used for that, drugs like risperdal can be added to them at times but not routinely, that is why me and other doctors on this site have advised not to take risperdal.

It is good that you are seeing your cognitive therapist as cognitive therapy is very important in OCD.

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Brief Answer:
Read below.

Detailed Answer:
I am not sure I understand your question. OCD - obsessive-compulsive disorder, it is a medical condition/disorder it doesn't control mood.

Perhaps you meant asking whether it is related to mood disorders? If that is what you meant, yes, OCD is commonly associated with mood and anxiety disorders, so mood instability could well be the case.

I hope to have answered your question.

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Brief Answer:
Read below.

Detailed Answer:
Regarding comparison of SSRI vs Risperdal for OCD:

- in terms of efficacy SSRI are the better choice
- for memory SSRI are much better
- for weight gain again SSRI are superior (up to 40% with risperdal while with SSRI varies, but generally under 10%)
- as for sexual dysfunction it is a common side effect of both of them, reaching numbers of over 50% for both.
- in terms of seizure, both slightly lower seizure threshold, for risperdal seizure frequency about 0.3% while for SSRI, citalopram for example about 0.2%. Those numbers are just for a comparison to show that pretty similar, they refer to causing seizures in people without a prior seizure history, in those who have a seizure history like can be different.

I suppose you wanted me to give more percentages, but that is difficult because for this type of subjective side effects like memory, sex drive, percentages vary among studies, depends on what type of methods and questionnaires were used in different studies, hence I get varying numbers.

However SSRI are preferable in terms of side effects.

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Brief Answer:
Abilify not an SSRI

Detailed Answer:
No Abilify is not a SSRI, it is an antipsychotic, it belongs to the same group as Risperdal so in terms of efficacy and indications for use they are pretty similar.

Abilify has a slight edge regarding weight loss and sexual function, they are still possible but less frequent than with Risperdal.

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Brief Answer:
Yes

Detailed Answer:
Yes chocolate and walnuts do help, as well as asparagus, avocados, hot chilies, oysters, salmon.
Of course they are not miracle working the most important is to find the right person you're attracted to, there's no substitute for that, but they are considered to have a beneficial effect.

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Brief Answer:
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Detailed Answer:
I was sort of expecting that question.

It is a difficult call, percentages vary among individuals. Say, for Abilify weight gain estimation varies from 8 to 30% among different studies, which is quite a wide variation as you can see. And with sex drive, influence can vary, in some patients Abilify has been reported to cause even the opposite effect of increased sex drive.
And these are drugs of different classes, abilify can have other side effects which SSRI doesn't have at all (like extrapiramidal symptoms) and vice-versa.
I would still consider SSRIs to be the safer drug at the end of the day.

However I think you are looking at this issue from the wrong angle. You are viewing it as if they were two equally efficacious options and you are comparing their side effect. But that is not the case. If we are considering treatment for OCD, SSRI are better, antipsychotics like abilify and risperdal are used only as an addition when SSRI are not enough, they are not considered useful alone.

So it's a "contest" which SSRIs have won before it even starts to be honest, they are better for OCD, that is a fact. If there is some other reason for antipsychotics, like psychosis, agitation it's another issue, but you mention no such problems.

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Brief Answer:
Read below

Detailed Answer:
Psychosis is a condition in which a person interprets or perceives thing around him in an incorrect way. One example are hallucinations, meaning a person hears, sees, feels things which are not there. Another example are delusions, meaning believing something which is clearly untrue, like thinking someone is planning to kill you for example. Psychosis is a prominent feature of diseases like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.
Antipsychotics are drugs which aim to make these abnormal thoughts or perceptions go away. Drugs like Abilify or Risperdal are such drugs, they were originally studied for that use, so they took that name, but they have other effects as well.
Such an effect is to calm agitation. Agitation is a state of extreme irritability, tenseness, nervousness, at times leading the person to being difficult to control, in such cases antipsychotics can be of help as well.

Extrapiramidal side effects are issues related to movement. They can take many different forms such as slowness of movement, rigidity, abnormal muscle spasms and contractions, etc. The list can be long really, wouldn't want to confuse you, just need to know that in some cases these effects such as rigidity, slow movements can be a side effect of antipsychotics. That might not be your case at all, with modern drugs like Abilify they are rare, but is a possibility. I can't say whether that includes you since I can't examine you in person, physically (that is for Risperdal naturally, since you are not on Abilify can't be said).

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