Risperdal vs. Invega

• Are Risperdal and Invega the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Risperdal? (Side effects)
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Invega? (Side effects)
• What is Risperdal? (Uses)
• What is Invega? (Uses)
• What Drugs Interact with Risperdal? (Interactions)
• What Drugs Interact with Invega? (Interactions)
• How Should Risperdal Be Taken? (Dosage)
• How Should Invega Be Taken? (Dosage)

Risperdal (risperidone) and Invega (paliperidone) are antipsychotic drugs prescribed to treat schizophrenia.

Risperdal is also used to treat bipolar mania and autism.

Side effects of Risperdal and Invega that are similar include dizziness, drowsiness, headache, weight gain, dry mouth, restlessness, nausea, stomach pain or upset, or cough.

Common side effects of Risperdal include:

• extrapyramidal effects (sudden, often jerky, involuntary motions of the head, neck, arms, body, or eyes),
• dizziness,
• tiredness,
• drowsiness,
• fatigue,
• fever,
• weight gain,
• feeling hot or cold,
• headache,
• dry mouth,
• increased appetite,
• restlessness,
• anxiety,
• sleep problems (insomnia),
• nausea,
• vomiting,
• stomach pain,
• constipation,
• cough,
• sore throat,
• runny or stuffy nose,
• or skin rash.

Tell your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Risperdal including difficulty swallowing, muscle spasms, shaking (tremor), mental/mood changes, or signs of infection (such as fever, persistent sore throat).

Common side effects of Invega include:

• drowsiness,
• dizziness,
• headache,
• lightheadedness,
• abdominal/stomach pain,
• upset stomach,
• nausea,
• weight gain,
• cough,
• dry mouth,
• breast swelling or discharge,
• changes in menstrual periods,
• restlessness,
• shaking (tremor),
• blurred vision,
• decreased sex drive,
• impotence, or
• difficulty having an orgasm.

Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Invega including:

• difficulty swallowing,
• muscle spasms,
• mental/mood changes, or
• signs of infection (such as fever, persistent sore throat),
• high fever,
• sweating,
• confusion,
• fast or uneven heartbeats,
• feeling like you might pass out,
• tremors (uncontrolled shaking),
• trouble swallowing,
• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body,
• sudden and severe headache, or problems with vision, speech, or balance,
• fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms, or
• white patches or sores inside your mouth or on your lips.

Risperdal (risperidone) is an atypical antipsychotic prescribed to treat:

• schizophrenia,
• bipolar mania,
• and autism.

Invega (paliperidone) is an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia.

Risperdal may interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety), carbamazepine, fluoxetine, paroxetine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, or rifampin.

Risperdal may also interact with cimetidine, ranitidine, clozapine, valproic acid, or medicines used to treat Parkinson's Disease.

Invega may interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety), or carbamazepine.

Invega may also interact with arsenic trioxide, blood pressure medications, droperidol, antibiotics, anti-malaria medications, heart rhythm medicine, medicine to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting, medicines to treat psychiatric disorders, or migraine headache medicines.

Risperdal dose ranges from 0.5 mg to 8mg/day.

The recommended dose of Invega Extended-Release Tablets for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults is 6 mg once daily, and the recommended dose for adolescents 12-17 years of age is 3 mg once daily.