Coming off Invega/Xeplion (paliperidone) injections v 12

[paliperidonevictim2005]

hey guys.
12 months and 9 days since my last injection now and i am doing very well.
i’ll be returning to my studies in july and have been doing short courses in the meantime to keep busy… early on in recovery i couldn’t even imagine being able to go back to my studies and even bailed on something as simple as renewing my first aid cert because invega had me so messed up but that is no longer the case, i’m good.
experienced some heart break about a month ago and cried my heart out but have also felt immense joy so my emotions are definitely recovered, might even say i feel things deeper than i did pre invega.
most weeks i’m doing 50+ kms on foot playing pokemon go which has definitely helped with my mental heath - don’t ever doubt how much of a positive impact exercise can have on you especially while recovering from these injections. have also made friends with some local players on pokemon go which has been awesome, cannot stress how important it is to be connecting with people during recovery so please don’t isolate yourself.
i had sex last week for the first time since november 2024 (2 months before my psychosis) and it was amazing so i’m definitely 100% recovered in that regard too.
i don’t think too much about the injection anymore and when it does cross my mind i simply just acknowledge how hard it was to go through but making it through just makes me more confident to face hard times in life and get through it.
sending you all love, you will get through this, you just need to give it time.

Wonderful can’t wait to see you feel more and more amazing stay happy and healthy

 

[paliperidonevictim2005]

Just thought I'd add my personal experience. I had several shots altogether. I stayed busy and switched to a pill form of another ap and was good after a few months. I don't even remember having to really recover from it. They say the best thing you can do for your brain is physically move a lot. Dunno.

Hell yeah and eating as healthy as possible

 

[Chanel_monster]

I was able to cry after four months of being off of invega. Then, the emotional bluntness came back. When I woke up this morning, I managed to shed a few tears. It sorta felt good.

 

[blanch116]

I was able to cry after four months of being off of invega. Then, the emotional bluntness came back. When I woke up this morning, I managed to shed a few tears. It sorta felt good.

Have you managed to recover any of your emotions?

 

[Chanel_monster]

Have you managed to recover any of your emotions?

I guess so. For the first four-five months, I couldn't feel any emotions. The only thing i felt was suicidal. But after that, I started to feel anger and anxiety again.

 

[Invegatorture]

Hello everyone I have not posted on here for a while and thought I would make an update on my recovery.

I am currently 259 days which is about 8.5 months off 9 x 400mg abilify injections.

I am not fully recovered but doing well. My main improvements since my last post have been better sleep, higher libido and music sounding a lot better.

I still can't feel normal levels of sexual pleasure and my cognition is not the same as before the injections. I have poor short term and working memory. I find it difficult to find the right words to use in converstations, my mind goes totally blank.

While I was on the injections I had severe anhedonia, inner restlessness, poor social skills, akathisia, low energy, could not feel tired and all I could think about was the medication that was being forced upon me. I don't have these symptoms anymore so I am grateful.

I used to take vyvanse every now and then to give me relief from side effects, but I don't take it anymore because I no longer need it and did not want to become addicted.

I hope I can make a full recovery but only time will tell. I have managed to recover from invega before so I am remaining positive.

I wish everyone here going through this strength and healing, antipsychotic injection recovery is no joke and I feel for you all.

 

[Invegatorture]

Hey guys I’m new hear, currently forced abilify injection on a CTO, 4 months in and suicidal, is there a good chance when I get off these shots that I’ll recover, any help would be appreciated fr

Hi I was on a CTO forced to take abilify injections. I was very lucky and it only lasted 6 months once I left hospital. I took 9 shots total and I am doing well currently. It's been about 8.5 months since my last injection. Abilify injections are very similar to invega from my experience.

 

[Ghostv2314]

Hey everyone! It's been forever since I posted here. I used to post back in 2020, all the way back in the V3-4 versions of this thread. I just randomly thought about this place, and decided I should post a long term recovery update. I've fully recovered and surpassed my previous self. Since I recovered and left, I got married and I got a job making more than I made pre-Invega. I also go to the gym, and surpassed my pre-Invega strength. Currently I'm 6ft, 230lbs, and I bench 305 lbs for 5 reps, and deadlift 405 for 5. I'm also able to feel smart, creative, and social again. I can feel the effects of weed, caffeine, alcohol, psilocybin, etc. However, once your brain heals, you should also more easily be content with your sober self. I was constantly attempting to feel alcohol while on Invega, just to get my dopamine receptors going. But I would drink and feel nothing. These days, I can feel all the expected effects of alcohol. However, I also did dry January this year and felt great doing it.

Feel free to go through my post history if you want to get caught up on everything I went through. Poverty of thought, major anhedonia, complete removal of emotions, erectile dysfunction, you name it. This was definitely one of the hardest challenges of my life, and there were periods where I was extremely suicidal and hopeless. I can see why people leave and never look back, or even come back and delete their old posts. It's pretty embarassing. However, I remember that when I was going through it, seeing recovery stories was one of the only things that kept me going. I'll try and stick around for a bit to answer questions.

Overall, it took me about a year and a half to get to a point where I felt recovered. Five years later, I'm thriving. Making it through the experience really gave me a new perspective and appreciation for life itself. And taught me to not take a functional brain and dopaminergic system for granted. Being on invega felt like a chemical lobotomy where my mind and soul were in a prison. When you finally recover, it truly feels like you get a second chance at life.

 

[recovery100£]

Hey invegatorture, how did you get off the CTO in 6 months as their saying it’ll be 12 months for me, glad you’re doing well man!

 

[InnerReturn]

Today I finally saw an endocrinologist. She ordered several tests, including thyroid hormones (TSH), a complete blood count, prolactin, vitamin D3, insulin, glucose, ferritin, and a few others (I can't quite make out the doctor's handwriting)

I'm going to the lab tomorrow. The doctor said that if my prolactin level turns out to be significantly elevated, she will refer me for a brain MRI

 

[lostsoulowen]

Hey everyone! It's been forever since I posted here. I used to post back in 2020, all the way back in the V3-4 versions of this thread. I just randomly thought about this place, and decided I should post a long term recovery update. I've fully recovered and surpassed my previous self. Since I recovered and left, I got married and I got a job making more than I made pre-Invega. I also go to the gym, and surpassed my pre-Invega strength. Currently I'm 6ft, 230lbs, and I bench 305 lbs for 5 reps, and deadlift 405 for 5. I'm also able to feel smart, creative, and social again. I can feel the effects of weed, caffeine, alcohol, psilocybin, etc. However, once your brain heals, you should also more easily be content with your sober self. I was constantly attempting to feel alcohol while on Invega, just to get my dopamine receptors going. But I would drink and feel nothing. These days, I can feel all the expected effects of alcohol. However, I also did dry January this year and felt great doing it.

Feel free to go through my post history if you want to get caught up on everything I went through. Poverty of thought, major anhedonia, complete removal of emotions, erectile dysfunction, you name it. This was definitely one of the hardest challenges of my life, and there were periods where I was extremely suicidal and hopeless. I can see why people leave and never look back, or even come back and delete their old posts. It's pretty embarassing. However, I remember that when I was going through it, seeing recovery stories was one of the only things that kept me going. I'll try and stick around for a bit to answer questions.

Overall, it took me about a year and a half to get to a point where I felt recovered. Five years later, I'm thriving. Making it through the experience really gave me a new perspective and appreciation for life itself. And taught me to not take a functional brain and dopaminergic system for granted. Being on invega felt like a chemical lobotomy where my mind and soul were in a prison. When you finally recover, it truly feels like you get a second chance at life.

How did you feel by 10 months mark?
I'm almost 10 months and i still feel disabled can't feel dopamine am i cooked?
My brain feels like it's burning all the time.

 

[pigeonanon]

Hi,

I haven't been on injections, but I have been on oral route invega daily for almost 10 years now. I had mood problems as a teenager that my psychiatrist prescribed invega for despite having no schizophrenic symptoms. I have bipolar, which it helps for, but after reading stories here I can't help but wonder if I've been affected by the same thing sustenna users have

My brain barely works, I forget things as soon as I'm told them. I can walk out of a movie theatre and forget the entire content of the movie aside from a vague outline. I feel like my brain is constantly cooked, like if you were always high but with none of the good feelings from it. I can't remember almost any events in my life, even things that happened relatively recently. I have no more energy for any of my hobbies or passions, no ability to focus, blurred vision, it's awful

The problem is, I don't know how many of these symptoms are due to other disorders. I have a family history of chronic illness that I seem to be inheriting, making it hard to walk without a mobility aid. I have a dissociative disorder caused by childhood trauma that me and my therapist have confirmed is not just because of the medication, as i started taking it after the disorder manifested. They have overlapping symptoms which makes things confusing and hard

Seeing no other accounts from people on the pill, or from people taking it as long as me, I don't know my prognosis. I'm worried that I'm doomed to feel like this forever. I've lived like this this long, but if my life is doomed because of a doctor who didn't know what they were doing I don't know what im going to do with myself

 

[invegaloner]

Hi,

I haven't been on injections, but I have been on oral route invega daily for almost 10 years now. I had mood problems as a teenager that my psychiatrist prescribed invega for despite having no schizophrenic symptoms. I have bipolar, which it helps for, but after reading stories here I can't help but wonder if I've been affected by the same thing sustenna users have

My brain barely works, I forget things as soon as I'm told them. I can walk out of a movie theatre and forget the entire content of the movie aside from a vague outline. I feel like my brain is constantly cooked, like if you were always high but with none of the good feelings from it. I can't remember almost any events in my life, even things that happened relatively recently. I have no more energy for any of my hobbies or passions, no ability to focus, blurred vision, it's awful

The problem is, I don't know how many of these symptoms are due to other disorders. I have a family history of chronic illness that I seem to be inheriting, making it hard to walk without a mobility aid. I have a dissociative disorder caused by childhood trauma that me and my therapist have confirmed is not just because of the medication, as i started taking it after the disorder manifested. They have overlapping symptoms which makes things confusing and hard

Seeing no other accounts from people on the pill, or from people taking it as long as me, I don't know my prognosis. I'm worried that I'm doomed to feel like this forever. I've lived like this this long, but if my life is doomed because of a doctor who didn't know what they were doing I don't know what im going to do with myself

Invega isn’t for schizophrenia specifically, it’s for psychosis which is a side effect of bipolar (usually during mania).
I personally don’t have a dissociative disorder (that I know of), but I’ve seen many accounts from other people who do (but have not taken invega) and what you describe sounds like heavy dissociation unfortunately. Invega could be making some symptoms worse due to the nature of the drug but if you stop taking it you won’t stop dissociating. I’ve seen some people say that they constantly take notes on what they’re doing, they don’t remember writing down these notes at all, but at least they have physical evidence of something happening so they can try to remember.
How long have you been seeing your therapist? Are you able to ask them about yourself? They should have notes on all your sessions. My memory of the past is spotty because of my psychosis and I had to ask my therapist about things I talked about a year before it because I couldn’t even remember the problems I had outside of psychosis.

 

[Invegatorture]

Hey invegatorture, how did you get off the CTO in 6 months as their saying it’ll be 12 months for me, glad you’re doing well man!

Thankyou mate.

My advice to get off the CTO is to go along with it and give them zero reasons to keep you on it.

I don't know where you are located, but in England they review your CTO after 6 months.

A person is more likely to remain on a CTO if clinicians believe they will stop taking medication once discharged, have a history of non-compliance with treatment, are at high risk of relapse, or may pose a risk to themselves or other people.

I played the game.

This is what I did:

- I did not refuse any injections.

- I stated I am grateful the medication worked to manage my psychosis.

- I did not constantly complain about side effects.

- I stated I believe the benefits of the medication out weigh the negatives that come with side effects.

- I showed the psychiatrist respect and gave him the impression I believed everything he said.

- I never let the psychiatrist know my opinions on forced medication and medication in general were different to his.

- I would talk about plans for the future that included medication, I specifically asked about what my maintenance dose would be when I reach greater stability.

- I specifically stated I plan to stay on medication for as long as recommended because I never wanted to become unwell again.

- I never argued with him.

- I stayed obedient and did everything they told me to do.

- I did not miss any meetings.

- I did not give them any reason to believe I would relapse again and that I was taking recovery seriously.

- Never talked about suicidality.

- I talked about how I noticed myself improving in terms of mental health and my daily life.

- I stayed well groomed and kept good hygiene.

- I created an illusion I was functioning well even though I was not.

- I never pushed for a lower dose. Instead I only asked if it was worth going to a lower dose to reduce side effects.

- I never asked about how long my CTO could last, I gave the impression I was completely content while on it and it made no difference to me whether it ends or not.

- I stated I prefered injections to oral meds because it was more convenient. (To reinforce the impression of being content on the CTO).

- I never asked for a tribunal or contested the CTO.

My psychiatrist took me off the CTO after just 6 months, even though I had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, had a history on medication non-compliance and this was my second CTO. He told me he did not have enough reason to keep me on it. He asked me if I would take my next injection once the CTO ended, I answered "yes". I never took it. Once I was free, they had no power to force me to take anymore.

A friend of mine I met in hospital gave me some very valuable advice for when you are locked in a ward or being forced to take medications you don't want. He told me you must "lie and comply".

This was my strategy to get off it as soon as possible.

I could potentially have switched to oral medication, but they told me for the first 3-4 weeks they would have a nurse come to my house to watch me take it. There was also the possibility for regular blood tests to measure levels of the drug in my body. For me personally it was not worth the stress or hassle, and I did not want them thinking I may want to switch to orals to be non-compliant.

However if you want to switch to orals, this can be used as a reason for them to no longer enforce the CTO as well. As CTOs are typically for injections, not pills. This happened during my first treatment order, so this is also a way of getting off it. Maybe work towards this if you know the CTO will certainly last more than 6 months. I believe injections are harder to recover from than pills. Reasons you can use for wanting to switch to oral meds is fear of needles, pain at the injection site, the desire to have more independance/responsibility over your treatment and wanting too feel more normal as injections can be seen as socially taboo with a stronger stigma attached to them compared to pills.

A CTO can last many years. Hopefully you don't experience more than 12 months of this. If you don't give them any problems I would say it's unlikely and it may even be cut short.

I know this reply was long but I did not want to leave anything out. Getting off a CTO is not easy and you should be aware of what is going on.

Good luck and keep your head up, this won't be forever.