Risperidone

Also indexed as: Risperdal

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Risperidone is used to manage symptoms associated with psychotic disorders, especially schizophrenia.

Summary of Interactions with Vitamins, Herbs, and Foods
In some cases, a herb or supplement may appear in more than one category, which may seem contradictory. For clarification, read the full article for details about the summarized interactions.

Beneficial May Be Beneficial: Side effect reduction/prevention—Taking these supplements may help reduce the likelihood and/or severity of a potential side effect caused by the medication.

Vitamin B6

Vitamin E
Beneficial May Be Beneficial: Supportive interaction—Taking these supplements may support or otherwise help your medication work better.

Glycine
Check Check: Other—Before taking any of these supplements or eating any of these foods with your medication, read this article in full for details.

Liquorice

White peony
Depletion or interference

None known
Reduced drug absorption/bioavailability

None known
Adverse interaction

None known

An asterisk (*) next to an item in the summary indicates that the interaction is supported only by weak, fragmentary, and/or contradictory scientific evidence.

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Interactions with Dietary Supplements

Vitamin E and Vitamin B6
Vitamin E along with vitamin B6 was used to treat a side effect of risperidone called neuroleptic malignant syndrome in a 74-year-old woman, and results were encouraging.1 However, whether vitamin E and vitamin B6 supplementation might help prevent this condition in people taking risperidone is unknown.

Glycine
In a small double-blind study, people with schizophrenia being treated with risperidone experienced an improvement in their symptoms when glycine was added to their treatment regimen.2 The initial amount of glycine used was 4 grams per day; this was increased gradually over a period of 10 to 17 days to a maximum of 0.8 grams per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day.

Lithium
Lithium is a mineral present in large amounts in some medications, and may be included in some mineral supplements. The combination of lithium and risperidone has produced unwanted side effects such as delirium, confusion, and fever.3 4 Smaller amounts of lithium are available in some nutritional supplements, but it is not known whether these amounts are enough to cause a problem in individuals taking risperidone.

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Interactions with Herbs

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza radix) and White peony(Paeoniae radix)
An Oriental herb formula containing Glycyrrhiza radix (licorice root) and Paeoniae radix (white peony root) successfully restored menses in a 28-year-old woman who had developed amenorrhoea (lack of menstruation) while taking risperidone.5 Discontinuation of these herbs while the woman continued taking risperidone again led to disruption of her menses. Controlled research is needed to determine whether supplementation with liquorice and peony might help prevent amenorrhoea in women taking risperidone.

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Interactions with Foods and Other Compounds

Food
Risperidone oral solution should be mixed in half a glass of water, coffee, orange juice, or low-fat milk and immediately consumed.6 It should not be mixed with cola or tea.7

Alcohol
Alcohol increases the breakdown of many anti-psychotic drugs.8 More research is necessary to determine if alcohol consumption might lower blood levels of risperidone.

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References
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