Risperidone orodispersible
| Risperidone orodispersible | |
| What is it? | Anti-psychotic |
| Mechanism of action | ‘Risperidone is a dopamine D2, 5-HT2A, alpha1-adrenoceptor, and histamine-1 receptor antagonist’ (British National Formulary). |
| Starting dose | 0.5 mg OD (can be increased to BD if needed) |
| Time to effect | Hours to days |
| Formulation | Orodispersible tablet |
| Indication | Delirium, terminal agitation |
| Common adverse effects | ‘Anaemia; anxiety; appetite abnormal; asthenia; chest discomfort; conjunctivitis; cough; depression; diarrhoea; dyspnoea; epistaxis; fall; fever; gastrointestinal discomfort; headache; hyperglycaemia; hypertension; increased risk of infection; joint disorders; laryngeal pain; muscle spasms; nasal congestion; nausea; oedema; oral disorders; pain; sexual dysfunction; skin reactions; sleep disorders; urinary disorders; vision disorders; weight decreased’16 |
| Contraindications | Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients |
| Caution | ‘Avoid in Acute porphyrias; cataract surgery (risk of intra-operative floppy iris syndrome); dehydration; dementia with Lewy bodies; prolactin-dependent tumours’16 Seizure, Parkinsonism, renal and liver failure, old age16 |
| Licencing | ‘Off label’ use of a licensed formulation |
| Benefits | Orodispersible alternative anti-psychotic |
| Risks | Narrower spectrum of action than olanzapine, currently not widely use outside of psychiatry |
| Cost | £18.28 for 28×500 μg orodispersible tablets |