Mr_Sandman
Bluelighter
*Successful Recovery Story*
Hey all, I used to post on this forum regularly while recovering from Invega. However, there were no success stories for me to read and it was ultimately just making me feel worse, I felt sorry for myself and for everyone else suffering.
I received two shots of invega in September of 2015. The first 3 months I felt unbelievably depressed and negative. The one thing that got me out of bed was having a Rottweiler who was sick and I needed to take care of her. Giver her meds, take her for walks/rides and to vet appointments regularly. I had to force myself. It wasn’t fair for her to suffer just because I was suffering. For the first 12 years of her lif I always helped her when she needed it. And unfortunately, I was going through recovery from Invega during the times when she needed the most help. It was a tough combination but we got through it. The vet recommended I put her down because he didn’t think I could take care of her. He was wrong. She lived for another 18 happy months from the day he said that.
It’s important to have something worth fighting for during this process. Wife, family, kids, pets, YOURSELF, etc.
One thing I always searched for were dates when I would feel better. By month 6 I had begun to work with a friend for 2-3 hours per day, twice per week. It wasn’t much but I was easing back into it. I was helping him with upholstery even though I’m actually a career mixed martial arts coach. Teaching and sparring with students was something that felt unbearable to do until about a full year post-shots.
By month 13, I did a full 8 week Mixed Martial arts training camp to prepare for a liv mma fight. You can look on my Facebook for proof. There is a poster dated February of 2017 with me on it for the PA Cage Fight event. So, September of 2015 until February of 2017 was how long it took for me to compete in mma again. But I started the training camp in December of 2016.
So, it was approximately 15 months until I was able to train Mma the way I was able to train before the invega shot.
As of March, 2019, I opened my own MMA and Fitness gym and started a Charity to support people with mental health issues. The online website is Patreon.com/MMAforCharity if anyone is interested in seeing what we do. Maybe it can help you see that there is tangible evidence of people who got better.
I am posting a long reply here because over 10 people have contacted me on Facebook asking about how I dealt with recovering from the invega shot. It is difficult to talk to everyone 1-on-1 daily, so I’m posting in the group.
2 of the 10+ people that contacted me said they feel fully recovered.
I need to point out that I STILL receive psychiatric treatment in the form of daily medications and pdoc appointments. I do NOT take invega anymore though.
This is the list of medications I am currently on.
Lamictal: 400mg
Prozac: 60mg
Adderall XR: 30mg
Klonopin 0.5 mg 3x per day or as needed.
Wellbutrin: 450mg per day.
Adderall: 20mg
I also take Kratom daily. Usually green and white stimulation strains. Even while going through recovery, Kratom was able to help me feel at least a little bit better.
Feel free to email me if you have questions. [email protected] or hmu on Facebook. My full name is a Justin Koslosky.
Stay strong. Invega recovery was the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with and it seemed like it was never going to end. And that’s because you ARE getting better with every passing day, but the progress takes place in such tiny increments that it’s almost unnoticeable until a long period of time has passed.
Keep an open mind to the possibility that you might need treatment. I’m sure some of you were misdiagnosed. Maybe you went into psychosis from a drug overdose or sleep deprivation. But even if that is the case, it is possible you may have a mental health condition now that will require treatment. If you have been off for over a year and don’t feel any better but are not receiving treatment then you should consider looking into getting some. In my opinion.
Everyone OUTSIDE OF THIS FORUM has been extremely understanding and kind to me about having mental illnesses. The cruel and insulting comments have come from people on this forum and patients in psychiatric hospitals who deny that they are “one of those crazy people.” It doesn’t make you crazy. And please realize you are insulting people who are simply trying to help you by explicitly calling people like them crazy. Even though you probably don’t realize it. It’s not really something to be embarrassed about anymore. There’s no shame in getting treatment.
YOU WILL RECOVER.
Regards,
Justin
P.S. Life isnt the movie V for Vendetta. Doctors didn’t secretly plot to ruin your life by spending 8-12 years in medical school and 200,000+ dollars just to shoot you up with poison and destroy your life. Tbh, that type of thought is the same type of irrational paranoia that Schizophrenia can cause.
Beautiful recovery story and an uplifting message. You're an inspiration to all of us on this forum, Koz.