Can risperdal actually cause diabetes or does it just mimic diabetes?

Define diabetes: If you define diabetes as a disorder of glucose metabolism that alters the normal metabolism of glucose leading to elevated blood sugar levels, then yes, Risperdal can do that. Many drugs can fall into that category. There are technically many types of diabetes. Used to be we jsut though of type 1 and type 2, but now know there are many subets and different causes of all of these.

It's complicated: Risperdal causes weight gain and increased appetite. People taking Risperdal are more likely to develop high blood sugar than would be normally expected, but weight gain rather than Risperdal may be the true cause. If you are on the drug, your blood sugar should be watched, and you need to call your doctor if you have excessive thirst or urination, weight loss, or other symptoms of diabetes.

Yes: If a person develops diabetes in adulthood, type 2, the elevated blood glucose level is a tip off that the person is at risk. The value of hbaic is an indicator of that increased risk and Risperdal can increase the hbaic value. The best way of knowing of a person's risk is the person's bmi, blood sugar and hbaic.