Appetite, increased risperidone

In an 8-week study, pre-school-age children with bipolar disorder (aged 4-6 years) took either olanzapine (n = 15 mean age 5.0 years 10 boys mean dose 6.3 mg/day) or risperidone (n = 16 mean age 5.3 years 12 boys mean dose 1.4 mg/day) (59). There were significantly more dropouts with olanzapine (6 versus 1), including one patient who withdrew because of adverse events (increased appetite and hand tremor). The main adverse events, found with both treatments, were significant increases in prolactin concentrations and weight gain. With both treatments, increased appetite, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and sedation were the most commonly reported adverse effects. 

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the addition of low-dose risperidone (mean dosage 2.2 mg/day) to a 5-HT re-uptake inhibitor in refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder in 70 adults, 18 of 20 risperidone-treated patients had at least one adverse effect (37). The adverse effects in both groups included sedation (n = 17 for risperidone, n = 8 for placebo), increased appetite (6 and 3), restlessness (6 and 6), and dry mouth (5 and 5). 

In a two-phase placebo-controlled study with an initial sample of 45 patients, 39 of whom completed the study, the addition of low doses of risperidone (0.5 mg/day) appeared to improve symptoms in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder taking fluvoxamine monotherapy (51). The main adverse events included transient sedation and mildly increased appetite. 

I Increased appetite and weight gain, fatigue, drowsiness, dizziness and drooling were coimnon with risperidone. 

In a review of the use of risperidone in autistic disorder in children and adolescents it was stressed that somnolence, increased appetite, increased prolactin concentrations, and fatigue were the most common adverse events [117 ]. 

In a retrospective study of male delinquents, mean age 16 years, with childhood onset and persistent conduct disorder treated either with psychosocial treatment and risperidone (mean dose 2.5 mg/day n = 60) or cognitive-behavioral treatment alone n = 69), the most common adverse events in the patients taking risperidone were somnolence (26%), weight gain (18%), increased appetite (17%), and constipation (14%) mean body weight increased by 6.8 kg during a mean time of 9 months [119. ... 

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