Mental Health Coming off Invega Sustenna (paliperidone)

[Hilary]

how is your son doing? does he take medication? i am not doing better at all. still very depress , anxious its horrible.

He woke up after after about a 12 hour sleep saying that he felt OK. He actually had pleasant dreams and felt rested. I suggested that he try taking some Turmeric last night. Turmeric inhibits both MAO-A and MAO-B and increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine. He said that it seemed to help.

He seems to like the symptoms that are associated with overyly high dopamine levels - like lots of brain activity and enhanced senses. But with that he also runs the risk of paranoia and hallucinations.

I think he is also doing better because he is very lean (so not a lot of chemical is stored in his fat cells), and working out, including lots of pushups (which I'm guessing works his deltoids somewhat - where the shot was) He did 75 pushups yesterday. He's also goes to the gym, lifting weights and goes into the sauna (although his psychiatrist advised against saunas). He's also working, trying to stay busy and keep his mind occupied, even though he doesn't really want to.

He's not taking any regular medications right now - although he wants to. He wants to see another psychiatrist who might prescribe a different medication. He wants a quick fix.

He is taking quite a few supplements though. I'm advising against medications, because I feel chemicals are too harsh on the body, and are too unnatural for your body to deal with. No one really knows what they actually do in the brain. They just know bits and pieces. One drug might raise or lower dopamine, but what does it do to the 50 other neurotransmitters in the brain? Brain chemistry is too delicate to nuke it with chemicals.

 

[OzzyEcer]

Can anyone tell elimination calculation method ?

 

[iridescentblack]

I've tried multiple ways of coming up with such a thing. The best thing you can do is just ride the current until you feel the effects leaving. Then you'll have a better understanding of when it'll be out of your system. But...

25-50 days is the half life. 25 for the lowest dose. 50 for the highest.

The idea is to just get a calculator and punch in your last dose quantity, and divide by 2 - and that's one half life. This is what screws me up, because it would seem that 3-9 mg wouldn't be so bad to live with, but supposedly I'm at <1 mg of Invega Sustenna in my system and I'm still not at my 'peak'. My educated guess is that the medication is released in a very different way than the oral medication. That's not very helpful, I know, but take this for example:

Back in September of 2015, there was a brief moment where the medication ceased to have any more effect on me. I felt wrought with the energy I had had back before I was hospitalized in November of 2011 and immediately started doing tai chi. But the next morning it was clearly back and pervading my system once again (I could not feel or see my own energy anymore).

So the drug is basically released in waves, as I keep saying. Once I discover more about how that works specifically, I'd be glad to share it with you, but I don't see that happening as information about this drug is very limited. I've spent years browsing the web looking for answers: to no avail. I have a feeling exercising can speed up the release of the medication. This would make it seem - after you work out - that the effect is intensifying, and it very well is. But that way there'll be less to release into your system in the future. I know it's hard to get motivated while on it - impossible even. I didn't start regularly exercising until just a short while ago.

 

[OzzyEcer]

I've tried multiple ways of coming up with such a thing. The best thing you can do is just ride the current until you feel the effects leaving. Then you'll have a better understanding of when it'll be out of your system. But...

25-50 days is the half life. 25 for the lowest dose. 50 for the highest.

The idea is to just get a calculator and punch in your last dose quantity, and divide by 2 - and that's one half life. This is what screws me up, because it would seem that 3-9 mg wouldn't be so bad to live with, but supposedly I'm at <1 mg of Invega Sustenna in my system and I'm still not at my 'peak'. My educated guess is that the medication is released in a very different way than the oral medication. That's not very helpful, I know, but take this for example:

Back in September of 2015, there was a brief moment where the medication ceased to have any more effect on me. I felt wrought with the energy I had had back before I was hospitalized in November of 2011 and immediately started doing tai chi. But the next morning it was clearly back and pervading my system once again (I could not feel or see my own energy anymore).

So the drug is basically released in waves, as I keep saying. Once I discover more about how that works specifically, I'd be glad to share it with you, but I don't see that happening as information about this drug is very limited. I've spent years browsing the web looking for answers: to no avail. I have a feeling exercising can speed up the release of the medication. This would make it seem - after you work out - that the effect is intensifying, and it very well is. But that way there'll be less to release into your system in the future. I know it's hard to get motivated while on it - impossible even. I didn't start regularly exercising until just a short while ago.

Thanks for your share.

 

[Tina3000]

thank you for your advise! when did you get paliperidone this shot? was ist a few years ago iridescent black? thank you for your help god bless

 

[iridescentblack]

thank you for your advise! when did you get paliperidone this shot? was ist a few years ago iridescent black? thank you for your help god bless

May 27, 2015 was my last injection. Had received paliperidone injections for a year, since 2014 (give or take a month), starting at 156(?) mg and moving down to 117 mg some time in mid or late 2014. 'Hope this helps.

 

[paranoid android]

Invega IM is a retarded idea for a medication.

I think it's mostly a money grab as Risperdal Consta has been available longer and since Paliperidone is the main and only active metabolite of Risperidone the 2 drugs should have the same effect with Risperdal Consta being a good bit cheaper i would think.

I know here in Canada giving Depot injections of atypical or typical anti-psychotics are only used if a person does not respond well or can't be trusted to take oral meds. They always try the pills long before going for long acting injections due to the risks of that kind of treatment. So it's not easy to get put on long term injections of any anti-psychotic here. They do use drugs like Zyprexa and older anti-psychotic such as Clopixol-Acuphase, Chlorpromazine aka good ol Thorazine and Largactil and Haldol to treat acute psychosis and mania in IM form quite abit though when fast relief is needed. Often they give it along with a benzo such as Lorazepam or Valium. I have had Largactil in IM form for severe nausea and vomiting, Mania and once when i was really dopesick. I used to have a few vials of it in my med kit as it's about the best medication I've used for severe nausea and vomiting and is good for helping Mania as well as dopesickness.

I really don't think long acting anti-psychotic injections should be used unless the person can't take the pills or if they are really bad and won't take them which is a sticky legal and ethical area. The ones used in depot injections like Risperidone, Paliperidone, Haloperidol, Flupentixol, Zuclopenthixol are also the worst for causing Tardive Dyskinesia due to their strong D2 antagonism so naturally tablets of these drugs and other anti-psychotics should be tried first.

 

[Bad Robot]

19 weeks off the poison, 1 week on the testo gel
Going back to doctors to make sure he's checked my prolactin levels because I'm thinking its got to be high and that is what is making my testosterone low, thats a result of not enough dopamine.
For 3 or 4 days I felt better on the testo gel then decided to go to the pub and drink 5 pints and smoke 2 joints, was hungover the next day. The chills have returned the last 2 days and I've felt ill, had to have a couple of beers last night because I thought I was dying.
Was expecting an improvement in my energy levels and sex drive, but its not happened yet, its only been a week so its not worth panicking yet, the depression does seem to have lifted slightly and I seem to be just bored waiting for some sign of improvement.
Just got to wait it out and not resort to smoking weed again for a bit because I can see myself having a relapse if I don't let my brain heal properly and give the testo gel a chance to work, or get a dopamine agonist off the doctor to fix the prolactin.

 

[iridescentblack]

^^
That sounds kinda rough. Glad you're doing okay, though. Don't overdo it with the drugs. I know sometimes that's easier said than done.

I figured I might as well go ahead and give another update. Hopefully and ideally I'll only have one more update after this.
The release of this medication is kind of messing with my head. I know it's probably not right to assume the medication should be released consistently all day, every day... for the duration that it's inside one's body, but here I am, sleeping 11 hours or so per night...

I thought I was closer than this to it being out of my system. But how the hell could I ever tell - with how inconsistent it's been?
My patience is surely being tested right now, because I had a taste of what it was like shortly before antipsychotics were (re)introduced to my system in 2011 and I had a taste of the same thing just a week ago. I've noticed at this point - ever since half life 6 (I'm just past 7 now) - the waves are kind of weekly. i.e. I'll go one week sleeping 10-12 hours a night with barely any imaginative or creative capability... then, for about a week, I'll have creative and imaginative juices flowing in all sorts of vibrant colors... not to mention sleeping 6-8 hours a night.

 

[Bad Robot]

Yeh the weed smoking is not my smartest move, only touched it once this year and am trying to get my head round not smoking it again, its hard when I've been addicted to it for over ten years and I do miss getting high, although its not the same when you've still got this poison in your system. It did send me mental though and it frightens me these days, especially the thought of being injected with the poison again. Just got to get my head round the fact that i cannot handle it at the moment and I really shouldn't be touching it again or at least give my brain a chance to heal first.
On a positive note I've managed to get a buzz from a couple of cans of beer the last few nights and it at least gives me something to look forward to each day, just wish I didn't feel slightly pannicky throughout the day and was able to just chill out and watch tv or have the energy to get jobs done around my house, I'm hoping this testo gel starts working soon.
Had another blood test for my prolactin levels and will get the results next week, its got to be low dopamine and testosterone thats making me feel this way, I just wish the doctors had given me a dopamine agonist when I asked for one months ago.
You've got to worry slightly about your brain being shrunk by the poison according to reports and I definitely feel slower and not as smart as I felt before getting these injections, what can you do though, there's no way to turn the clock back and the doctors don't want to acknowledge how dangerous AP's are and want to dish them out like candy to unsuspecting patients or even worse inject you with them against your will.

 

[NotAPsycho]

I haven't read through all of the posts. But I don't see anyone saying they've gotten better after being on the invega sustenna. Has anyone gotten they're emotions, happiness, and motivation back? and back to your old self before this shot of death? I feel like dying every day. It's been over 4 weeks since I was injected with only one shot (240 mg). I can barely function normally.

 

[swisscurrie]

Is there anyone who took the shot voluntarily? I can't understand why anyone would be given a long acting highly potent neuroleptic like Invega Sustenna unless they were extremely dangerous. From reading the first few pages it seems like its basically a long acting chemical straitjacket/lobotomy.

 

[NotAPsycho]

I was tricked by a doctor into taking it. So technically that's voluntary. I had no idea it would make me feel this bad.

 

[iridescentblack]

I haven't read through all of the posts. But I don't see anyone saying they've gotten better after being on the invega sustenna. Has anyone gotten they're emotions, happiness, and motivation back? and back to your old self before this shot of death? I feel like dying every day. It's been over 4 weeks since I was injected with only one shot (240 mg). I can barely function normally.

This might be helpful.

This is my reply to someone who PM'd me.

Hi [redacted], thanks for the message. FYI, I generally hate this website because of the way the admins run it (insecurely) and so I would encourage you to not depend on me as a resource. It would also be better for you to ask these questions in the invega sustenna public thread (if you haven't already); I will copy/paste my response to you into the public thread so that other people in similar situations can benefit from the answers.

I don't know what "xeplion" is, but I was given something called invega sustenna.

After about 10 months or so I started to notice the effects to noticeably wear off. After two years the effects were mostly gone.

I was also given anti-depressants because Invega made me suicidal (first Effexor, then Welbutrin in addition to Effexor). I am convinced that anti-depressants are pretty much just placebo in terms of fixing depression, but I mention it because they do mess with your head and do come with side effects.

As far as getting better, if you had only two shots well that's good news because that's exactly how many they gave me and I was able to recover.

My recommendations for getting better are:

1. Take time off to relax and do simple exercise like walking, biking, swimming. As much as you need. I took all of 2012 off.
2. Eat healthy. That means: avoid all fast food. Try going vegetarian. Eat plenty of vegetables. Explore foods you've never tried before at Whole Foods and see how they make you feel. Make sure to take Vitamin B Complex. Avoid all junk food.
3. Take care of yourself. Pamper yourself. If you want to watch things on YouTube for several hours then watch things on YouTube for several hours, or whatever else appeals to you.
4. Make sure you are surrounded by people who love you.
5. Try experimenting with nootropics, but make sure to do them right (common mistake for example is to take piracetam without proper amount of choline). If you decide to try this, do plenty of research first. I did take nootropics as a way of self-medicating after the imbecile "professionals" nearly killed me.
6. If you consider yourself intelligent, don't let people make you doubt yourself and become subservient to an imbecile psychiatrist. Those people are way over-valued in our society. Especially in some parts of the country, they think they know more than they actually do, and this arrogance and ignorance causes them to either kill or maim people. Pity them. Good psychiatrists do exist, but depending on where you are you may find it better to go to a General Practitioner.
7. Be patient. Force your perspective and interpretation to change so that you view the whole thing as a forced vacation.

Hope that helps!

Much love,
Starkid

 

[LookingForSelf]

So for those of you labeled schizophrenia/bipolar and have decided to stop this drug, are you still going to stay on an antipsychotic medication and if so which one? Is the consensus that antipsychotics give users this zombie feeling or just Invega?

 

[niocw]

HI LookingForSelf, I am currently on abilify 10mg. i was on invega sustenna 100mg for 11 months. i was diagnosed with drug induced psychosis and a second diagnoses of bipolar type 1 (with much dispute between doctors). they still think it may be drug induced. However i have been on seroquell as well. I have found that invega had no "zombie" feeling although it has given me sexual dysfunction which i am still waiting to lift after 4 months and i dont know when i will be normal.
seroquell made me like a zombie though, it made me sleepy anytime after 4pm. anti social and depressed.

so far on a positive note abilify is going well. i have no "zombie" or sleepy or depressed states. No weight gain and it hasnt made my sexual problems any worse. Im hoping that things will clear up and i also hope if you have to make a choice on medications this helps.

Nioc

 

[iridescentblack]

So for those of you labeled schizophrenia/bipolar and have decided to stop this drug, are you still going to stay on an antipsychotic medication and if so which one? Is the consensus that antipsychotics give users this zombie feeling or just Invega?

Reportedly the zombie-effect happens only with invega, though I felt it was somewhat prevalent in Risperdal as well. I am currently switching to abilify, from invega 6mg/day and if I recall, abilify is pretty good overall... not many side effects and not very mind-numbing.

HI LookingForSelf, I am currently on abilify 10mg. i was on invega sustenna 100mg for 11 months. i was diagnosed with drug induced psychosis and a second diagnoses of bipolar type 1 (with much dispute between doctors). they still think it may be drug induced. However i have been on seroquell as well. I have found that invega had no "zombie" feeling although it has given me sexual dysfunction which i am still waiting to lift after 4 months and i dont know when i will be normal.
seroquell made me like a zombie though, it made me sleepy anytime after 4pm. anti social and depressed.

so far on a positive note abilify is going well. i have no "zombie" or sleepy or depressed states. No weight gain and it hasnt made my sexual problems any worse. Im hoping that things will clear up and i also hope if you have to make a choice on medications this helps.

Nioc

Sexual dysfunction, for you, should go away between the 6th and 7th month (after last injection)... maybe a little later, depending. I'm still dealing with it to some degree, but I've been able to get full erections on some days.

 

[Ozle]

So for those of you labeled schizophrenia/bipolar and have decided to stop this drug, are you still going to stay on an antipsychotic medication and if so which one? Is the consensus that antipsychotics give users this zombie feeling or just Invega?

No, an antipsychotic that's suited to a patient and is dosed correctly shouldn't leave them feeling sedated all day. For me, the most successful strategy has been a single medium dose at night, which has the dual effect of emptying my mind of emotion and putting me to sleep (I have terrible insomnia, and am usually overcome by intrusive thoughts/memories/flashbacks at night), and providing a residual mild mood-dampening effect throughout the next day.

Officially, I'm neither schizophrenia or bipolar, I'm BPD. But IMO that's closely enough related to both of them that it should respond to similar symptomatic treatments.

 

[Bad Robot]

It looks like redmanone has recovered at about the nine month stage according to the surviving antedepressants forum. He had two injections. With a bit of luck he might return here with an update.
At least people are recovering from the poison, its now looking like it takes between six to nine months, I think he was still suicidal at the four month stage, those of you at the one month stage are just going to have to battle it out, get to your doctors for blood tests and see what deficiencies the poison has caused and just try and chill out and not panic.

 

[Decisive]

It looks like redmanone has recovered at about the nine month stage according to the surviving antedepressants forum. He had two injections. With a bit of luck he might return here with an update.
At least people are recovering from the poison, its now looking like it takes between six to nine months, I think he was still suicidal at the four month stage, those of you at the one month stage are just going to have to battle it out, get to your doctors for blood tests and see what deficiencies the poison has caused and just try and chill out and not panic.

He just said "There is hope" (http://survivingantidepressants.org...anone-withdrawing-from-invega-sustenna/page-6)
He didn't say that he fully recovered and didin't write a success story, I hope he will come back here to write an update...
I know a guy who only had 2 injections and he recovered after 6 months, others recovered within 8 months or a year, so I think recovery is between 8-12 months.