Risperdone side effects with sleep

Eeewww Nortriptyline... I remember... eewwwww  had bad effects on that one along with many many many many other anti-depressants.

Risperdal: Recently was given this supposedly to help with intrusive thoughts and onset of sleep.  It helped only slightly the intrusive thoughts (not so pervasive though still there) but not one bit the sleep onset much less the duration in that I was waking up throughout.  I had some strange dreams but no nightmares per se but then again, I was on a low dosage.

You may want to speak with the pdoc that is handling your meds before you discontinue taking it.  He/she may have a remedy for your situation or something else to offer.

I'm updating this post for anyone interested.  I saw my pdoc on Wed. and she said you can't automatically assume that one medicine is causing a particular side effect.  I had stopped taking risperidone on Sunday night but was still having horrible sleep experiences on Tuesday night.  She says that it should have been out of my system by then and side-effects should have dissipated.  They hadn't.  Well, then I did a little research on the one remaining med I was taking, Lamictal.  Lo and behold, many people I read online were having severe insomnia with panic and nightmares.  I know I'm self-diagnosing again but I'm getting off this Lamictal asap.  Hopefully I'll be able to talk to pdoc today and get instructions on how to get off it, but I already went from taking 200mg in the morning to taking 100mg this morning.  I have to stop these sleep terror experiences.  They are messing up my day life.  I am so anxious when night comes on and I have to experience it again.  The other night, when I had finally fell asleep, it seemed immediately that something had enveloped me and held me with loud sounds and vibrations.  I tried to wake up realizing what was happening and I couldn't get out.  It was holding me down and not letting me wake.  It was scary and I'm not going down that road again, no way.  Now, if I get off all these meds and it continues, then I'll deal with that, but I have to know first what I'm dealing with.

I left out that I had been taking Lamictal a couple of months without these side effects, but I was taking it with Pristiq, and then Nortriptyline and, I believe, that they were blocking the sleep side effects.  I think taking it with the risperidone was a bad mix and allowed them to come out.  At least that's what I'm hoping.   Pdoc wants me to go on clonazepam.  Have never  tried it.  Anyone have an opinion on it?  Thanks for reading.