I was prescribed this medication for generalized anxiety and mood stabilization (due to bipolar disorder), it is a potent atypical anti psychotic (due to "tight" binding (high affinity) for the D2 receptor).
DOSE: 0.5mg TWICE daily
When I started taking Risperdal it would sedate me at first, but then over time (2 - 3 weeks) the sedation passed, but I was still getting anxiety attacks and mood instability; so my pdoc decided to increase my dose. I experienced no side effects at this dose.
DOSE: 1mg TWICE daily
When my dose was increased there was no change in sedation; but there was a drop in both social and generalized anxiety levels and my mood is markedly stabilized at this dose. However I started to experience a few side effects such as weight gain.
Overall:
Risperdal is very effective for mood stabilization and social anxiety but not so for generalized anxiety; although it definitely has a positive impact on my anxiety levels.
If others want to share their experience of this medication please feel free to post here.