Kids who take Risperdal in an effort to treat a number of psychiatric conditions may end up experiencing severe side effects which may negatively impact their lives much more than the original disorder that prompted taking the medication in the first place.

While some children who take the medication can experience unprecedented improvement in their behavior and related symptoms, other kids who take Risperdal are not so fortunate, and the drug may cause their health and well-being to take a serious turn for the worse.

What is Risperdal?

Generically known as risperidone, Risperdal was the first drug that was approved by the FDA to treat the symptoms of autism in kids. For parents who were desperate to see a side of their children that was not aggressive, irritable, self-harming, hyperactive and even violent, many of them were able to witness a child that was calmer, more tolerant and generally more well-behaved.

The drug is an antipsychotic medication that also is approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in kids. The drug works by balancing brain chemistry in order to have more appropriate levels of various brain chemicals known as neurotransmitters. Particularly, the medication works on neurotransmitter known as dopamine.

Side Effects in Kids Who Take Risperdal

As can be expected with any pharmaceutical medication, Risperdal comes with a number of side effects that are associated with its use. While many of these are mild and can disappear with continued use, there are some side effects that persist that can be devastating.

The mild to moderate side effects seen in kids who take Risperdal include headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, restlessness, anxiousness, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, nausea, stomach pain, fatigue, constipation and mild rash. Most parents find these particular side effects to be much more manageable than the behaviors they witnessed in their children prior to starting them on the drug.

More severe side effects in kids who take Risperdal include a tendency to develop insulin-related disorders and the development of gynecomastia is seen in males.

For some kids who take Risperdal, the drug affects their insulin levels. They may go on to develop insulin resistance, where the action of insulin in the body is impaired. This can cause hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, and may eventually lead to the development of type-2 diabetes.

For males who take Risperdal, gynecomastia is a possible side effect. This condition of male breast development is commonly referred to as “man boobs.” Male children may begin to develop breast tissue like that of a female.

In addition to working on the neurotransmitters of the brain, it is believed that Risperdal also affects a hormone in the body known as prolactin. Both males and females produce prolactin, but females and especially pregnant and nursing females, have much higher levels of the hormone.

As the name implies, prolactin is associated with lactation. Males who developed gynecomastia may not only have their breasts grow in size, they may also experience milk production, nipple discharge, breast pain and nipple pain.

As one can imagine, adolescents and kids who take Risperdal to treat psychiatric issues may go on to develop a host of new psychiatric issues after their breasts begin to grow abnormally. Depression, gender and sexual identity confusion and suicidal thoughts and behavior are not uncommon when males developed gynecomastia in response to taking Risperdal.

Unfortunately, simply stopping Risperdal is usually not enough to reverse the gynecomastia effects in males. Once the tissue has already developed, the only way to remove the breast tissue may be through surgical means.

Many parents have felt that they were not adequately warned that their kids that take Risperdal may develop insulin-related problems or gynecomastia as a result of taking the drug. Some have gone on to take legal action against the product manufacturer for failing to warn parents and for producing a defectively designed and/or manufactured product.