Risperdal/Risperidone and weight Gain ?

Hi everyone,
   My husband has been taking Risperdal for about 3 months now and he is complaining about weight gain. Indeed he gained some weight, but he is so thin that it's hard to notice.
   For now I'm trying to keep our healthy diet as it has always been and keep telling him to do some exercise, I do Yoga and Biking...but he is still in a state of 'depression' and somewhat confused with a really Bad Manic Episode he had 3 months ago, so I'm going easy on him about the exercise.
   But here is the question, the weight gain is due to increase appetite or it is just the effects of the drug itself on the body?
   Anyone , any experience?

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I read from user reviews some people gained weight from eating more while others gained weight even though their diet didn't change from I guess their metabolism slowing down because after they stopped it it didn't go away.

[cornyguy]

Try to make him to do some physical exercise everyday and take control of his diet.

[ILADVOCATE]

Risperdal is an antipsychotic and may not work completely as a mood stabilizer . Here's a list:
http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/meds/moodstabilizers.htm
Antipsychotics (at least the ones currently available) do change metabolism. That's why they cause weight gain and have the potential to cause diabetes. The newest antipsychotics Abilify, Fanapt and Saphris are the least likely to do this but they may not be quite as effective mood stabilizers (although they are approved in this capacity) but only a psychiatrist would be able to make a conclusive judgment.

[vsantos]

Thank you all for your feedback,
i guess exercise and good diet will help but not entirely....I beleive he'll be on Risperdal for another couple of months (he did try Abilify and it was Horrible, it made him even more angre and psychotic!).
   on the top of that he is also taking Depakote as the mood stabilizer, but I hear that does not cause weight gain in most people.....

    For now he is not happy with the weight gain but he is ot talking about stopping Risperdal, he had a really bad Psychotic phase that is not entirely gone yet, so I really hope he'll be patient!