Does risperdale help with adhd

[prollyadhd]

My doctor just said i could have adhd and i'm trying to figure out if i do have it or not. I currently take risperdale which does a great job at keeping me attentive. Does this mean i have adhd or not.

[Paxiled]

No, just taking that drug does not tell you if you have ADHD.  How put you on this drug and why?  It is an antipsychotic and would usually be prescribed if you have been diagnosed with a psychosis by a psychiatrist or a psychologist.  Anyone with any mental illness can have cognitive impairment even if it's just because their mind is often preoccupied by bothersome thoughts.  Because you haven't said why you're on that medication, and because meds are allowed to be prescribed for unapproved purposes by a doctor once they have been approved for anything, you could be on it for a lot of things.  But it's only researched purpose is to treat psychoses, and does not target what drugs for ADHD would generally target.  It is also not possible for most primary care physicians to diagnose ADHA or any other mental illness.  The problem with diagnosing mental illness generally is that people are really complicated and a general doc doesn't have time to spend talking to a patient for enough time to figure out what's really going on.  They have a lot of patients to see about pretty much everything that happens to us every day.  This is a diagnosis most often made for children, and the diagnostics have therefore generally been drawn up for kids.  It's harder therefore to diagnose an adult.  The usual first treatments are basically speed.  That wouldn't be a good thing to take for someone with a psychosis, however.  The best way to find out what's going on is to therefore see a psychologist, who will spend as much time figure you out as necessary.  You can also see a psychiatrist, although they are more expensive to see and don't spend as much time talking to you.  ADHD can also be faked, so it does take a real specialist to make an accurate diagnosis.  It can also be easily missed and often is.  If you believe you might have it, I'd combine your efforts to get a team diagnosis, combining your regular doc and a psychologist who specializes in diagnosing ADHD.  You can also choose to see a psychiatrist.  So the answer is, again, no, that the drug is helpful to you doesn't by itself tell you if you have ADHD.  Nor does a doc saying you might have it.  It takes more than that to be sure.  Peace.

[Paxiled]

By the way, there are really good articles on such things on the NIH website, but they are not easy to read as they are in scientific jargon.  But if you persist you can learn a lot.  The articles on most mass market internet sites come from original material on more scientific source materials but they can be hard to understand but they do provide a more complete picture of how complicated this stuff can be.

[prollyadhd]

I should point out that my doctor told me that i'm on risperdale because i was inattentive.

[specialmom]

You need more information prollyadhd.  Risperdal is used for a wide variety of things at this point appropriately and effectively and adhd is one of them but not usually as a sole therapy for it.  It's used to as an add on to treat it.  So, something seems a little amiss here in terms of the information and the meds prescribed.  Definitely check in with your doctor.  Diagnosis is important but to me, I'd be more interested in if the regimen is working for you and it doesn't sound like it is.  

[prollyadhd]

what do you mean if the regimen is working for me. is the drug working? or is my doctor doing me good?

[specialmom]

Yes, Risperdal is often used for adhd now.  Not as a sole treatment but an add on.  Are you on any other adhd meds?  I don't know your complete med list which would be helpful.  1 in 5 children treated with adhd is on risperdal as well.  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/874722   You should have a diagnosis from your doctor. Anyway to ask the question specifically? When do you do a med check?

[prollyadhd]

I take risperdale and cipralex no adhd meds so far as my doctor just told me i have adhd

[prollyadhd]

I can call the doctor on wednesdays and fridays.