I take risperdal for bipolar disorder...?

Question

I was looking it up and it says that there is an injection so you only have to take it twice a week, but it says for schitzophrenia.

Does the injection do the same thing as the pill? Meaning, will it help my bipolar disorder?

Answer 1

You're talking about Risperdal Consta which is an injectable form of the medication that delivers a slow steady amount of the drug. It is the ssame medication and should work just as well for Bipolar disorder. It is kind of expensive (I think about $250/shot) so it is usually only given to patients with severe schizophrenia that can't remember to take a pill everyday.

If money is not an issue then you can discuss switching to Consta with your doctor, it takes about 3-4 weeks to go from the pill to the injectable.