Mental Health Coming off Invega (paliperidone) injections, v 5.0

[n3ophy7e]

This thread is for the discussion of recovery from paliperidone injections including Invega Sustenna, Xeplion and Invega Trinza.
Topics of discussion include side effects, length of recovery time, ways to reduce recovery time and/or ease unwanted side effects, discussion of court-ordered treatment, etc.
Please note that this thread is designed for people to vent about their situation and to offer support to each other. When posting, please adhere to the Bluelight User Agreement and the Mental Health forum posting guidelines at all times. This thread is closely monitored by the moderators and any disrespectful or disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated.

This thread is continuing on from the version 4 thread which can be found here:
Coming Off Invega Sustenna (Paliperidone) v4

And the one before that can be found here:
Invega thread v3

 

[antiinvega]

Why did you close the thread I can’t believe it oh well

 

[n3ophy7e]

Why did you close the thread I can’t believe it oh well

I explained it in the old thread The thread was getting too big so we started a new, fresh one. But as you can see, I've posted the links to the previous two invega threads, so you can always refer back to them if you need to.

But just continue on the discussion in this new one

 

[t_xeplionhell]

This thread is for the discussion of recovery from paliperidone injections including Invega Sustenna and Invega Trinza.
Topics of discussion include side effects, length of recovery time, ways to reduce recovery time and/or ease unwanted side effects, discussion of court-ordered treatment, etc.
Please note that this thread is designed for people to vent about their situation and to offer support to each other. When posting, please adhere to the Bluelight User Agreement and the Mental Health forum posting guidelines at all times. This thread is closely monitored by the moderators and any disrespectful or disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated.

This thread is continuing on from the version 4 thread which can be found here:
Coming Off Invega Sustenna (Paliperidone) v4

And the one before that can be found here:
Invega thread v3

Mention its also for xeplion since lot of people dont know xeplion is same as invega susutenna just different brand name.

 

[Mick04]

I went to hospital today and they said that it’s possible that one side of my brain it’s literally off. I have to do another exam to confirm that but I think it’s just so.. if it so my life it’s totally destroyed forever.

 

[0.o_LaCuNa_o.0]

I went to hospital today and they said that it’s possible that one side of my brain it’s literally off. I have to do another exam to confirm that but I think it’s just so.. if it so my life it’s totally destroyed forever.

No don't worry. Don't get me wrong, Invega is horrible, but I don't think it has the ability to shutdown half your brain

 

[n3ophy7e]

Mention its also for xeplion since lot of people dont know xeplion is same as invega susutenna just different brand name.

Done. Thanks man, appreciate it

 

[Jabberwocky]

I went to hospital today and they said that it’s possible that one side of my brain it’s literally off. I have to do another exam to confirm that but I think it’s just so.. if it so my life it’s totally destroyed forever.

people naturally have a dominate left or right brain hemisphere, just like left or right handedness

Antipsychotics can't cause this

What specifically did they tell you?

 

[t_xeplionhell]

people naturally have a dominate left or right brain hemisphere, just like left or right handedness

Antipsychotics can't cause this

What specifically did they tell you?

She feels smth like stone in her right side of brain and says that she doesnt feel heat also she can feel preasure(and sensitivity) on her right hand less than in left. She got xeplion cuz of anxiety and never had such problems before. I also saw this happening multiple times that people lose feeling of heat, me personaly lost it and people also lose sensitivity in hands and pain sensitivity, me also lost it mildly but I dont complain cuz it could be worse. My eye vision also got worse from xeplion.

 

[t_xeplionhell]

people naturally have a dominate left or right brain hemisphere, just like left or right handedness

Antipsychotics can't cause this

What specifically did they tell you?

There is also no way to see is receptors turned off or neurons are unfunctional so if its just receptors there is more hope.

 

[Mick04]

She feels smth like stone in her right side of brain and says that she doesnt feel heat also she can feel preasure(and sensitivity) on her right hand less than in left. She got xeplion cuz of anxiety and never had such problems before. I also saw this happening multiple times that people lose feeling of heat, me personaly lost it and people also lose sensitivity in hands and pain sensitivity, me also lost it mildly but I dont complain cuz it could be worse. My eye vision also got worse from xeplion.

*left side yes

 

[Mick04]

people naturally have a dominate left or right brain hemisphere, just like left or right handedness

Antipsychotics can't cause this

What specifically did they tell you?

They told me that I have to do a magnetic resonance to understand better but from what I feel it’s possible that there is this problem because I can’t feel lot of things as the weather, I can’t watch tv, I can’t read, I’m having a lot of problems and I can feel my left side of the brain it’s like off

 

[apsucks]

Wouldn't surprise me if its braindamage...

3th shot i got severe crackling sounds in my brain, colours were changing almost like hallucinations and severe depression hit me in waves accompanied with orthostatic intolerance. Back home my muscles over my whole body started twitching from toe to head like really fast. This shit causes braindamages i don't care if its macro or micro it completely ruins your brain. I don't believe in the half life theory and such low amounts of paliperidon still can have any significant impact. Month 2 my blood lvl was 5ng/ml which is low (most people have these levels after 4 months, the other dude had one shot and had 5ng after 4 months). It will probably be lower now going in the 3th month...therapeutic range is above 20..

First 1.5 months my armpits literally smelled like paliperidon..i could smell it in my nose as well that scent has been replaced by another weird chemical smell probably additives which are just as poisonious and fuck you up as well.

Its brain damage and it takes a long time to recover. This drug nukes your striatum/reward centre is why people cannot get high...some people still unable to get high or drunk 1.5 years later after one shot is just completely disgusting and got nothing do with blood levels of paliperidon. It tapers slowly so these aren't withdrawals either. I don't believe its a simple antagonist which will go back to homeostasis these drugs arent even tested for neurotoxicity. There is no sensitivity in nerves anymore everything feels muted or nerfed, i don't feel hot water in my mouth (literally)

I'm sick and tired of this whole situation im on the verge of killing myself...press the reset button and reincarnate somewhere else.

 

[Heather01]

It’s been a long time since I posted. Well I’m here to tell you it does get better. But please be careful. I ended up getting another shot of invega in June. One dose didn’t do much to me. So I went on with my life. Unfortunately I went off all my meds because I was sick of weight gain. Big mistake. I needed up relapsing and ended up back in the hospital. They were really cool and put me on invega the pill and effoxer. Best hospital experience of my life. It was a brand new hospital with really awesome nurses. Yes I’m gaining weight but my doctor says she has medication that can help that. I almost died this time. Im really lucky to be alive. So it does get better and I promise your quality of life will be better if u take your medication. Not 100% we’re I was pre invega but not sure if I ever will be. My love for life is not the same, my personality is definitely not the same and I have changed my eating habits and that causes me to gain weight very easily. But all and all I don’t suffer every day like I did. I guesss I had two shots the starter dose and the second one. Didn’t do nearly the amount of damage the 8 shots did that I had a few years ago. Honestly the two shots didn’t really phase me. Be careful stay on your meds they help you and there not going to cause u not to heal. Thanks and merry Christmas

 

[Heather01]

Also I just finished an hour of step aerobics which would have been impossible before. Hang in there it does get better

 

[level_select]

Hi everyone, I thought I'd post with an update too:
I'm over six months off now and I have improved quite a lot. I've lost all the weight I gained (I gained over 20 pounds when I was on Invega) through intermittent fasting (which was difficult, but I was very motivated) and exercise. I've stopped fasting now that I've reached my goal weight, but I'm still eating less than I was when I was on Invega, because I'm not as hungry as I was. I eat healthily and my energy levels are good.
I started running again and ran my first 5k (in a few years) a couple of weeks ago. And I ran it in an above average time. I'm aiming to get to 10k by Christmas. I think it will be quite difficult, but I'm determined. I listen to audiobooks when I'm running.
My sleep is fine - similar to how it was before Invega, which means that occasionally I wake up in the night with lots of thoughts and do some reading, and then I go back to sleep after a little while. I often have a nap around lunchtime too - I don't always sleep during this time but the rest energises me anyway.
I got a pet a couple of months ago, which has probably helped too. She gets me out walking three or four times every day. I also walk across town a few times a week to visit family. I've read that having a pet can help with neurogenesis - because of oxytocin, which boosts neurogenesis, memory and learning.
I've started adding turmeric powder (and black pepper - which helps its absorption, as does fat) to my porridge every morning - I've read that turmeric helps with neurogenesis too. I take it primarily for cancer prevention though.
My period came back after 5 months.
I'm not working yet, but I'm hoping to begin voluntary work after Christmas. I spend my days reading and researching things (along with walking and visiting family). My interest in things has come back completely. Time doesn't drag anymore, in fact, there aren't enough hours in the day to read all of the things that I want to read.
I'm not sure if my emotions are back completely, I get emotional and cry easily, but I don't cry a great deal. Even on invega, I could cry, so I'm not sure how much this effected me. Before invega however, I would regularly cry buckets, so I think that my emotional intensity was probably reduced by invega. But I definitely don't feel so flat anymore. I think my intensity has already recovered or will do.
I'm not taking any other antipsychotics or psychiatric medications now and my mental health is stable. I had psychotic delusions, which lasted a few years, before starting invega. They haven't come back. I hope that I will be able to recognise it if they ever return. I think I've learned to think more critically and to definitely not just believe a thought because I *feel* it to be true. I am less spiritual, but this is actually a good thing, because my spirituality and imagination were deeply emneshed when I had delusions and I could not differentiate between real and imagined.
I have really good family support, which I'm very grateful for. We've talked a lot about what we'll do if I become unwell again (hint: no injections! and antipsychotics only for a short time...).
I wish you well, everyone

edit: I do actually take a supplement - vitamin C and I've been taking it for a long time. I take about 4 - 5 grams each day.
I've just read that it has important roles in neurological functioning and it can protect brain cells from neurotoxins and facilitate dopamine neuron differentiation (the final stage in the development of neurons).

 

[n3ophy7e]

It’s been a long time since I posted. Well I’m here to tell you it does get better. But please be careful. I ended up getting another shot of invega in June. One dose didn’t do much to me. So I went on with my life. Unfortunately I went off all my meds because I was sick of weight gain. Big mistake. I needed up relapsing and ended up back in the hospital. They were really cool and put me on invega the pill and effoxer. Best hospital experience of my life. It was a brand new hospital with really awesome nurses. Yes I’m gaining weight but my doctor says she has medication that can help that. I almost died this time. Im really lucky to be alive. So it does get better and I promise your quality of life will be better if u take your medication. Not 100% we’re I was pre invega but not sure if I ever will be. My love for life is not the same, my personality is definitely not the same and I have changed my eating habits and that causes me to gain weight very easily. But all and all I don’t suffer every day like I did. I guesss I had two shots the starter dose and the second one. Didn’t do nearly the amount of damage the 8 shots did that I had a few years ago. Honestly the two shots didn’t really phase me. Be careful stay on your meds they help you and there not going to cause u not to heal. Thanks and merry Christmas

Hi everyone, I thought I'd post with an update too:
I'm over six months off now and I have improved quite a lot. I've lost all the weight I gained (I gained over 20 pounds when I was on Invega) through intermittent fasting (which was difficult, but I was very motivated) and exercise. I've stopped fasting now that I've reached my goal weight, but I'm still eating less than I was when I was on Invega, because I'm not as hungry as I was. I eat healthily and my energy levels are good.
I started running again and ran my first 5k (in a few years) a couple of weeks ago. And I ran it in an above average time. I'm aiming to get to 10k by Christmas. I think it will be quite difficult, but I'm determined. I listen to audiobooks when I'm running.
My sleep is fine - similar to how it was before Invega, which means that occasionally I wake up in the night with lots of thoughts and do some reading, and then I go back to sleep after a little while. I often have a nap around lunchtime too - I don't always sleep during this time but the rest energises me anyway.
I got a pet a couple of months ago, which has probably helped too. She gets me out walking three or four times every day. I also walk across town a few times a week to visit family. I've read that having a pet can help with neurogenesis - because of oxytocin, which boosts neurogenesis, memory and learning.
I don't take any supplements, but as I said, I eat healthy. I've started adding turmeric powder (and black pepper - which helps its absorption, as does fat) to my porridge every morning - I've read that turmeric helps with neurogenesis too. I take it primarily for cancer prevention though.
My period came back after 5 months.
I'm not working yet, but I'm hoping to begin voluntary work after Christmas. I spend my days reading and researching things (along with walking and visiting family). My interest in things has come back completely. Time doesn't drag anymore, in fact, there aren't enough hours in the day to read all of the things that I want to read.
I'm not sure if my emotions are back completely, I get emotional and cry easily, but I don't cry a great deal. Even on invega, I could cry, so I'm not sure how much this effected me. Before invega however, I would regularly cry buckets, so I think that my emotional intensity was probably reduced by invega. But I definitely don't feel so flat anymore. I think my intensity has already recovered or will do.
I'm not taking any other antipsychotics or psychiatric medications now and my mental health is stable. I had psychotic delusions, which lasted a few years, before starting invega. They haven't come back. I hope that I will be able to recognise it if they ever return. I think I've learned to think more critically and to definitely not just believe a thought because I *feel* it to be true. I am less spiritual, but this is actually a good thing, because my spirituality and imagination were deeply emneshed when I had delusions and I could not differentiate between real and imagined.
I have really good family support, which I'm very grateful for. We've talked a lot about what we'll do if I become unwell again (hint: no injections! and antipsychotics only for a short time...).
I wish you well, everyone

Thank you both so much for sharing your positive updates!

 

[iridescentblack]

EDIT: Trigger warning:

Only thing I can think of for some of the above comments is taken mostly from the Einstein Factor.

Win Wenger and friends apparently found out that the right brain is more capable of understanding than its brother the left. His efforts pointed in the direction of the left brain being more of a thinking instrument than one of profession, altruism, understanding, knowledge and things like that. The idea, from his book, was to take information from the left brain and - using a series of techniques - short circuit information on the left hemisphere in order to supplant it on the right hemisphere.

In metaphysics and such, the left hemisphere is also associated with the shadow (see Carl Jung's works for more information) and shadow work. The shadow is also kind of like that part of the human animus that is rejectable and dark, and in our inability to relate and accept parts of our shadow -through growing up and experiencing trauma and hardships- the shadow gets altogether rejected and essentially thrown out.

I'm also recently coming across information that seems to suggest that rejecting the shadow aspects of the psyche has a strong impact on mental wellness; specifically memory health (i.e. things like Huntington's Chorea [caused by invega] and Dementia). Deductive reasoning would have me believe that since Win Wenger's Einstein Factor techniques are specifically designed to help improve memory that there is some clue as to what might cause atrophy in the left hemisphere.

For anyone suffering cognitively on invega, I would highly recommend keeping your mind up to par by practicing image streaming. I know that while on invega sustenna it was very difficult for me to imagine anything at all. My recurring example was the inability to create the image of a paper clip inside my own mind. Verily, it was difficult at first, but I eventually accepted it for what it was and gleaned over images in the mind rather than trying to hold them in place greedily.

In conclusion, I'm actually somewhat surprised to learn that Invega has that capability.

If anyone wants to PM me for more information on image streaming and more advanced mental techniques to improve focus, I'm available sometimes.

 

[t_xeplionhell]

Wouldn't surprise me if its braindamage...

3th shot i got severe crackling sounds in my brain, colours were changing almost like hallucinations and severe depression hit me in waves accompanied with orthostatic intolerance. Back home my muscles over my whole body started twitching from toe to head like really fast. This shit causes braindamages i don't care if its macro or micro it completely ruins your brain. I don't believe in the half life theory and such low amounts of paliperidon still can have any significant impact. Month 2 my blood lvl was 5ng/ml which is low (most people have these levels after 4 months, the other dude had one shot and had 5ng after 4 months). It will probably be lower now going in the 3th month...therapeutic range is above 20..

First 1.5 months my armpits literally smelled like paliperidon..i could smell it in my nose as well that scent has been replaced by another weird chemical smell probably additives which are just as poisonious and fuck you up as well.

Its brain damage and it takes a long time to recover. This drug nukes your striatum/reward centre is why people cannot get high...some people still unable to get high or drunk 1.5 years later after one shot is just completely disgusting and got nothing do with blood levels of paliperidon. It tapers slowly so these aren't withdrawals either. I don't believe its a simple antagonist which will go back to homeostasis these drugs arent even tested for neurotoxicity. There is no sensitivity in nerves anymore everything feels muted or nerfed, i don't feel hot water in my mouth (literally)

I'm sick and tired of this whole situation im on the verge of killing myself...press the reset button and reincarnate somewhere else.

Bro it needs 8 half lifes for you to have paliperidone amount which by docs is equal to 0.08mg risperidal oral daily. Initial dose is equal to 21mg risperidal oral daily that month by docs of J&J. 2mg risperidal daily after 1 month use disables you 70%-90%. Every half life you /2 starting from 21mg and you get 0.08 at 8th division.

This is what you get from Initial dose: (250mg paliperidone)
start: 21mg (risperidal oral)
1 half life: 10.5mg
2 : 5.25mg
3 : 2.625mg
4 : 1.3125mg
5 : 0.66mg - they say this is minimal "therapeutic dose" for risperidal oral - means it still disables you
6 : 0.33mg
7 : 0.16mg - know person who was at 0.25mg dose and still it makes effect but its not that hard
8 : 0.08mg

 

[n3ophy7e]

EDIT: Trigger warning:

Only thing I can think of for some of the above comments is taken mostly from the Einstein Factor.

Win Wenger and friends apparently found out that the right brain is more capable of understanding than its brother the left. His efforts pointed in the direction of the left brain being more of a thinking instrument than one of profession, altruism, understanding, knowledge and things like that. The idea, from his book, was to take information from the left brain and - using a series of techniques - short circuit information on the left hemisphere in order to supplant it on the right hemisphere.

In metaphysics and such, the left hemisphere is also associated with the shadow (see Carl Jung's works for more information) and shadow work. The shadow is also kind of like that part of the human animus that is rejectable and dark, and in our inability to relate and accept parts of our shadow -through growing up and experiencing trauma and hardships- the shadow gets altogether rejected and essentially thrown out.

I'm also recently coming across information that seems to suggest that rejecting the shadow aspects of the psyche has a strong impact on mental wellness; specifically memory health (i.e. things like Huntington's Chorea [caused by invega] and Dementia). Deductive reasoning would have me believe that since Win Wenger's Einstein Factor techniques are specifically designed to help improve memory that there is some clue as to what might cause atrophy in the left hemisphere.

For anyone suffering cognitively on invega, I would highly recommend keeping your mind up to par by practicing image streaming. I know that while on invega sustenna it was very difficult for me to imagine anything at all. My recurring example was the inability to create the image of a paper clip inside my own mind. Verily, it was difficult at first, but I eventually accepted it for what it was and gleaned over images in the mind rather than trying to hold them in place greedily.

In conclusion, I'm actually somewhat surprised to learn that Invega has that capability.

If anyone wants to PM me for more information on image streaming and more advanced mental techniques to improve focus, I'm available sometimes.

That's really cool to read dude, thanks for sharing!