Risperidal, as with all antipsychotics, damages complex1 of the mitochondria. A subgroup of ASD are known to have MTD, indeed the term " autism secondary to mitochondrial disorder" or AMD has been used.
The knowledge of the harm these drugs cause has been known of since 2008 when James Dykens and Yvonne Will co- edited a collection of research publications. It is called " Drug induced mitochondrial dysfunction". I made enquires of our Health Board's librarian and they do not have this book.
In Scotland we have a Patient Safety Programme which states that no treatment should be given which causes harm, but this drug is still being forcibly given to people.
We are suing.

Thank you, Teresa, and thank you, AOA. Yes, Benedetta, you are 100% correct: Seroquel is a second generation anti-psychotic drug. The way they prescribe it and the way it is viewed (on the street, in the jails, etc) is not as an anti-psychotic, but as some kind of "relax you so you can get a good night's sleep" and/or "it helps the videos in your head quiet down, helps the repetitive thoughts go away so you can sleep" -- BS folks! It is classed as an anti-psychotic by the FDA just like risperdal/risperidal.

I cannot stand to even start on risperidol: it was the new Haldol/Haloperidol, and was used on the elderly, back, starting in the 90's. Never mind tardive dyskenesia, I cannot tell you how many dementia patients I personally saw die from that drug. Later, they quietly declared it not for the elderly. And ... started giving it to children on the autism spectrum! Weight gain is the least of it; gynomastia (boys developing breasts) is the least of it. I saw that drug suddenly cause the inability to swallow. More than once or twice! Upon discontinuing the drug, sometimes the ability to swallow came back. Sometimes it didn't -- and you die pretty fast.

The research into the microbiome is so heartening. I'm mainly saying: if you personally know anyone who has a child on Risperidol, please, please help them understand this!

My uncle had schizophrenia from vaccine mercury poisoning, and took Thorazine for decades. He had been a slender, handsome young man, but the Thorazine caused him to become extremely obese, close to 400 pounds. It also dampened his personality, making him indolent and excessively calm. He died nearly thirty years ago, at 59, found one morning slumped over his dining room table. Another one whose life was ruined by vaccine mercury.

Is seroquel on of those drugs? I think so - It is impossible for anyone to take that stuff and not become obese.

It really causes them to crave sugar and carbohydrates too.

Zonnagram an anti-seizure med though makes patients to lose their appetites.

They have known for 60 years or more that all these drugs side effects are weight gain or lose.

It is simply horrifying to me that they are giving children -- any children with any diagnosis -- reward-hormone blockers. There is no logical reason whatsoever to block the reward hormone (dopamine) in a child who is not actively hallucinating or otherwise exhibiting an extreme form of psychosis. That reward hormone is why we are still living on this planet. It is largely responsible for our survival as a species. As much as we need to actively campaign against the vaccine mandates, we just as desperately need a campaign against dopamine blockers. They are not just bad medicine. There is something inherently evil about what is happening with this class of drugs now. They are being used to sedate people -- adults and children -- often to the point of becoming non-functioning. This class of drugs has no value beyond that for the vast majority of patients to whom it is being prescribed.