Would taking Risperidone long-term affect memory and concentration?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have been taking Risperidone for three months. I had a mental disease, due to which my doctor recommended this dose. I started from 2 mg around the sixth month, and it reduced to 1 mg. I am not able to concentrate and memorize anything in my studies. I wanted to know whether it was because of my medicine or my disease and whether Risperidone has a brain-damaging effect.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I thoroughly read your query and understand your concern.

First of all, I need to know about your disease and the disease's severity and duration. You are taking Risperidone, which is an antipsychotic. So you may have a psychotic disorder. A psychotic disorder may lead to you cognitive impairment. Cognition impairment leads to impairment in concentration, thinking, and abstraction. If you have a memory problem, then you can assess yourself using MMSE (mini-mental state examination). It is done by a psychiatrist to assess cognition. Sometimes due to depression, a patient may have pseudodementia. Risperidone may cause cognitive problems after long-term use. You have taken just three months, so it is not affecting your memory. In my opinion, your memory problem is due to your disorder.

Hope this has answered your query.

Thanks and regards.