Our 56 year old son has taken Risperdol for 4 years now, & he has had none of the bad side effects it is famous for. It is for his periodic outbursts, which have lessened in intensity, & don’t happen near as often. We were fearful of trying it too, but so far, so good. God bless you with wisdom as you decide! Hope this helps! He has had none of the reactions you mentioned.

Be careful if your child is receiving ANY anti-psychotic medication like risperidone. Can cause tardive dyskinesia as it has my son. Anytime he acted up the group home drugged him instead of finding out what the problem was. They don't understand Autistic adults. He is now a shell of him self, drooling, smacking lips, rolling eyes, trouble walking, cant talk on alphabet board any more. Zyprexa is another no no medication.

My son is on risperdone and prozac now as of recently and he has been much better as far as aggression goes and ocd tendencies.
He smiles more now also.
He also takes lithium and must stay hydrated and have enough fiber(which is important anyway!)

My son is on a very low dose of Risprrdone. No side effects no weight gain. It's helped tremendously with his aggression.

Hydroxyzine has been a good fit for Laurel. Helps her sleep peacefully. Along with prozac, she is much more adaptable and functional.