Risperidone Associated Paralytic Ileus in Schizophrenia

A 32-year-old man, diagnosed with catatonic schizophrenia, was treated with risperidone and lorazepam in the general hospital psychiatry setup. He developed signs of intestinal obstruction, which was diagnosed as paralytic ileus and was treated conservatively along with stopping the offending drug. Risperidone is said to be devoid of anticholinergic side effects, but prevalence of these varies from 7% to 13% in patients receiving treatment for schizophrenia. Constipation has been reported but fatal adverse effect like paralytic ileus with risperidone is rarely reported. Timely diagnosis can save the need for surgical interventions and fatal complications. This predisposition in schizophrenia could be due to neurodevelopmentally shared abnormality of brain and gut nervous system.