I want to describe to you one of many cases I have encountered. Usually, it starts like this. The child suffers from behavioral problems, aggression, or temper tantrums, sometimes severe attention and concentration issues. There are also other cases like Risperidone for tics, sensory dysregulation, and even Risperidone for autism. We will discuss these in a separate article. The parents go with him to a psychiatrist or neurologist, and he gives the miracle pill – Risperidone. The doctor tells you it's not addictive, and he's giving the lowest possible dose of the drug.
The Risperidone really helps. The child no longer has outbursts as he did before. Although the doctor said it was a very low dose, it seems Risperidone has a positive effect. Everything is great. However, the mother notices that something is a bit "off" in her child. He also has some strange behaviors. Sometimes he asks the same question over and over, as if something is stuck in his brain. Or it just seems his memory is not what it used to be. Something has gone wrong, but it's not terrible. Finally, he no longer has temper tantrums. And life returns to normal, thanks to the miracle pill Risperidone.
All this goes on for about a year, two, even three, and then suddenly the child falls into a deep depression. Well, what to do? They go to the psychiatrist who gives another drug to help with the depression. And then comes an outbreak of thoughts disconnected from reality. A kind of psychotic episode. Now the child is diagnosed as suffering from manic depression and receives more pills to stabilize him and balance his problematic brain. The ball keeps rolling, and the child grows from one hospitalization to another, and it seems we have already lost him.
Unfortunately, I encounter many such cases. And it all starts with one small Risperidone at a very low dose that only children receive. I sit, unfortunately, with many parents whose most precious one rolls from one hospitalization to another, and when we look back to find where the really big problems began, the answer is – one small pill – Risperidone. In hindsight, these parents would have preferred to turn back the clock. They would have preferred to have a child who has outbursts and crosses boundaries endlessly, but a living person. Yes, they tell me they would have preferred a living and kicking child, rather than an expressionless creature on pills who no longer functions like a normal person.
To better understand what Risperidone does to your child's brain, I want to give you some medical background on this drug. Risperidone is an atypical antipsychotic drug. It was originally intended for cases like schizophrenia, manic depression, and psychotic episodes. How does an antipsychotic drug work? It doesn't cure schizophrenia but simply silences the brain. Risperidone prevents the absorption of dopamine in the brain, thus effectively silencing part of it. So if someone has schizophrenia and is engulfed in uncontrollable attacks, we give them a kind of anesthetic, and their brain is partially silenced. This is also how Risperidone affects your child; it silences his brain, he is less himself, has fewer emotions, less energy, and also fewer temper tantrums. If you look at the patient leaflet, you will see that drowsiness and impaired alertness are common side effects. According to studies, in 67% of cases, Risperidone causes drowsiness. As you can read in the Risperidone patient leaflet, it is recommended not to drive a vehicle for those taking it, and for good reason.
Psychologically, your child does not learn to control himself. They are taught that something is wrong with their brain and if they take Risperidone, it will fix the brain malfunction. In reality, because of the effect of Risperidone, he becomes not himself. Emotions suddenly become duller, and even thinking becomes clumsy.
The more serious problem is the effect of Risperidone on the brain. As I began, unfortunately, I have encountered quite a few cases where Risperidone was the gateway to real brain problems. Problems that sometimes remain long-term. Yes. It is very possible that Risperidone has a long-term effect on the brain. Here is a link to a meta-analysis summarizing studies that followed changes in the brains of those who took antipsychotic drugs like Risperidone. The conclusions clearly indicate a reduction in brain volume due to the use of antipsychotic drugs.
And here is a link to another study that also indicates a decrease in brain volume – just like what happens in Alzheimer's disease. It is not clear whether this is reversible or irreversible. But I want to tell you about one of Risperidone's side effects called tardive dyskinesia, which means uncontrollable muscle movements. Although this is an uncommon phenomenon, the Risperidone patient leaflet states it appears in only 1 in 100 cases, but this phenomenon remains for life even after stopping the drug. This means Risperidone has side effects with irreversible, lifelong damage. Is there also lifelong brain damage? The subject has not yet been sufficiently researched. No studies have been done on those who took antipsychotic drugs and were weaned off them simply because there are not many such cases. In reality, once you start with Risperidone and similar drugs for a period of a year or more, it is very difficult to stop. Risperidone creates a structural change in the brain, and when you stop using it, the brain needs to return to its previous functioning, and that is not so simple. I have encountered quite a few people who tried to wean off antipsychotic drugs, and the withdrawal was absolute hell. I wrote about the risks of uncontrolled discontinuation of Risperidone here. In such cases, it is advisable to go through a responsible, gradual, and considered Risperidone withdrawal process.
Okay, so I understand that the very low dose of Risperidone is harming my child. Risperidone silences his brain and thus also prevents temper tantrums. But what can be done? I've tried everything possible. This is a last resort. There's no choice.
This is exactly why my wife Elisheva and I are here. Because there isn't always no choice. There isn't always no solution. You don't always have to take Risperidone and silence the child's brain because there's no choice. The first thing we do is a thorough examination of the root of the problem. The first step to a solution is to identify the root of the problem, and that's what my wife Elisheva does.
So how will we identify the problem and reach a solution? The first and simplest option is a conversation with Elisheva. Elisheva has a lot of experience in guiding and accompanying parents. In many cases, after a simple consultation, things became clear, and life returned to normal. Without Risperidone and without other drugs, but with a lot of experience and common sense.
In the meantime, Elisheva has already advised many parents and has compiled all the knowledge and experience she has acquired over the years into a series of about 50 videos in which she gives you everything you need to set boundaries for your child, even when it is very, very difficult. So first of all, there are many people whom the videos have already helped without needing further consultation with Elisheva. And even if you need another consultation session with Elisheva, it will only be after you have already gone through the videos, started implementing, and got stuck. In such a case, the meeting with Elisheva will be much more efficient and purposeful. You will come prepared and also get much more out of it.
Because you came through this page via a simple Google search and not from an advertisement that costs us money, we decided to give everyone who came through this page the course at an affordable price of 97$. You can purchase Elisheva's videos here at this link.
Since I wrote this post, which was written with actual tears about children whom, after years on Risperidone, we could no longer help, Elisheva has met many parents. For some of them, the reason they gave the child Risperidone was severe anxiety, OCD, and some were already on the verge of hospitalization. Thank God, Elisheva, with her guidance and training, literally saved these children.
For the vast majority who turned to us, the background for giving the child Risperidone was behavioral problems / oppositional defiant disorder.
After a lot of experience and parental guidance, Elisheva created a series of 50 focused videos in which she guides you step-by-step on how to turn a child with behavioral problems into a child with self-discipline. And all this for a symbolic price of only 97 $. Of course, if more is needed, you can schedule a follow-up meeting with Elisheva. I must note that there are many parents for whom the advice Elisheva gives in these videos has already solved 80% of their problem.
And if things are not so simple. If it's hard to find the source of the problem. If we are already weary of various diagnoses. After all, they didn't just suggest giving us Risperidone for no reason. In such cases, we do a diagnosis through drawings. (A few personal words about the diagnosis. I am a very skeptical person by nature, and in general, there are many kinds of diagnoses. I personally checked the validity of this diagnostic method several times. Both before Elisheva learned this method and afterward. The diagnosis was always accurate and genuine). The child draws a number of pictures that give a complete picture of the root of the problem, which will ultimately lead to a solution. After a one-time diagnosis, you will receive both the root of the problem and practical conclusions. And with these practical conclusions in hand, we can move forward and lead our child onto the right path. No more magic solution of Risperidone that silences and imprisons the child in a kind of prison of himself, but a path that will lead him as a person with his own personality.
The path to change will first be through guidance for you, the parents, which is included in the videos. Later on, we might need short-term therapy for the child using the TAT method, and sometimes it might even be therapy for you, the parents. I want to tell you that my wife and I have also undergone therapy for ourselves so that we can succeed in raising our children. Every child has their own character, and sometimes it's a real challenge. And it's not the parents' fault... We experience it firsthand every day. We would be happy to help you. To start the process, it is recommended that you now watch Elisheva's videos, in which you will receive much of her experience and knowledge. All this for a symbolic price of 97 $. I am sure that after you watch the videos and start implementing them, it will already provide a good starting point and help you get your child on the right track.