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

[Kaatrina]

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

Learning to think critically and the simple advice "just because you think something doesn't mean it's true" from my therapist was key for me as well. You can also get a paper signed with your therapist detailing what treatment you want in case of relapse that can be released to your doctor if that time ever comes. Do watch out for relapse - I was fine at six months off with no delusions and didn't have a psychotic relapse until 12 months off. I was not able to be spiritual at all at six months off. At two years off I felt able to explore my feelings of spirituality separate from delusions of grandeur. I can even read the book of Revelation safely without thinking it means anything to me personally or that I have special "deciphering" capabilities.

Someone in the closed thread asked how many episodes of psychosis I had. I had one in October 2018, which stemmed from delusions I had built up over that year. My last shot of Invega was in January of 2019. I had another episode of psychosis in March 2020. After that, I decided that I had to do something proactive besides waiting and hoping that I could spot my telltale thoughts before they resurfaced (I thought numbers on the clock, dates, and acronyms had special meaning when added in the right ways and attributed to certain numbers, for example). I started work with a therapist over the phone in April of 2020 and dealt with a lot of issues that I didn't know I had. That helped immeasurably. I've had no issues with psychosis since then. I think it's interesting to read about people who were never psychotic before AP's who then experienced it after getting off of them-- sometimes I do wonder if there is some sort of boomerang effect when the brain receives the ability to process dopamine again.

Someone who has been off Invega from more than 12 months? Anyone recovered or to close to recovery?

I've been off for almost three years and I'm fully recovered

 

[Skippwiggins]

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.

why would anyone take this? why can't we give people wil bipolar and schiz valium daily?

reincarnate you will. thats a promise.

when I got off methadone. 16 months of hell. I couldn't live like that. exercise was the cure. healthy living to reverse damage was the cure.

bless you man I am sorry.

 

[Hopton09]

You are almost 7 months off..any improvement..

Jezus 5.5 i'm 3.5 months off and i'm in bed all day feeling miserable..this whole situation is so fucked up

Yeah there are some mild improvements. If I get enough good sleep I even have dopamine for the first 30 mins of being awake. I almost feel normal in that time period. It’s very nice and definitely that was not happening the last 6 months so that has to be a sign of some healing going on. I’m not sure if my highs are getting back to normal or not because I haven’t done many drugs recently. A subutex here and there which gives me energy and makes me feel a little better. Opiates had been keeping me up all night recently and the last time I did a sub I actually slept good. I’ll definitely post any future improvements in any area that I notice. It’s coming up on 7 months.

 

[Saiyana]

I missed my monthly injection of 150mg of Invega Sustenna and already feel so much better. I don't wake up feeling groggy or like I just got up from being punched in the face, I can focus better and my head doesn't feel like its being weighed down. Hope I have a full recovery in under a year.

 

[Peroune]

Our psychiatrist accepted to discontinue Invega Sustenna after we took our first shot of 150 mg injection this last October 2021.

We are due for an injection of 750 MG of Abilify.

Should we pursue daily doses of 10 mg of Abilify instead ?

The abilify product is listed to stabilize dopamine levels in our brain.

Will it restore our dopamine levels to normal levels ? Will it reverse the adhehonia side effect and will it reset our libido deficiency?

Most importantly, how long will it take for everything to be back to equilibrium?

Can anyone inform us if the Abilify product is beneficial or detrimental with regards to restoring our mental abilities/ faculties post-Invega.

We would like to experiment with Latuda but it causes severe heart palpitations/ Akathesia.

We are relying on stimulants in order to mitigate the side effects of anti-psychotics therefore we are recommending a responsible regiment in accordance with your health profile and your lifestyle.

We don't like the idea of living on second gear and we hope that we will all find a pathway to be productive & functional again.


Regards,

 

[antiinvega]

Our psychiatrist accepted to discontinue Invega Sustenna after we took our first shot of 150 mg injection this last October 2021.

We are due for an injection of 750 MG of Abilify.

Should we pursue daily doses of 10 mg of Abilify instead ?

The abilify product is listed to stabilize dopamine levels in our brain.

Will it restore our dopamine levels to normal levels ? Will it reverse the adhehonia side effect and will it reset our libido deficiency?

Most importantly, how long will it take for everything to be back to equilibrium?

Can anyone inform us if the Abilify product is beneficial or detrimental with regards to restoring our mental abilities/ faculties post-Invega.

We would like to experiment with Latuda but it causes severe heart palpitations/ Akathesia.

We are relying on stimulants in order to mitigate the side effects of anti-psychotics therefore we are recommending a responsible regiment in accordance with your health profile and your lifestyle.

We don't like the idea of living on second gear and we hope that we will all find a pathway to be productive & functional again.


Regards,

Both cause the brain to be destabilized with likely permanent effects. Discontinue the medication and maybe the brain will return to normal functioning.

 

[0.o_LaCuNa_o.0]

@Peroune if you have to choose a new med, I recommend the abilify pills over the injection. 750mg injection is alot and will most likely leave you feeling heavily sedated and tired.

Abilify however, is better than Invega IME.

 

[Peroune]

According to the product description, Abilify looks like a miracle drug but we need your feedback in order to fully appreciate it's value.

Which one is better: 10 MG olanzopine or 10 MG abilify ?

Our psychiatrist has actually prescribed 400 MG Abilify but we are going probably going to face a court order in order to fight this.

On a side note, we are not pleased that these antipsychotic medications causes or worsens diabetes.

We will consider discontinuing all medications after a proper detox.

Thank you guys for your input.

 

[0.o_LaCuNa_o.0]

Olanzopine is pretty mild without any permanent side effects IME, but, it makes you gain weight usually, more than the other AP's.

 

[Runawayfar]

Olanzopine is pretty mild without any permanent side effects IME, but, it makes you gain weight usually, more than the other AP's.

Well I've been a vegetable on both Olanzapine and abilify injections experiencing all the same things as people on invega, I've been on nearly all antipsychotics throughout my life usually getting off them after two weeks and getting back to my normal life, but this time they got me by putting me on a treatment order with forced injections, in my opinion all antipsychotics are as bad as each other and all disable your brain and ruin your life. I'm not happy that my family have repeatedly put me in psychiatric institutions when they should know psychiatry ruined my life in the first place. I forgive my family but I don't forgive psychiatrists

 

[gt_shadow]

I'm with you bro. Fuck living a miserable life.

you mentioned taking mdma, how long have you been off? i thought based on the receptor agonism that mdma would be a good counter to paliperidone, but i guess it just doesnt have the binding profile of paliperidone in the single fucking digits.

 

[Koolio254]

you mentioned taking mdma, how long have you been off? i thought based on the receptor agonism that mdma would be a good counter to paliperidone, but i guess it just doesnt have the binding profile of paliperidone in the single fucking digits.

Yeah invega is way too powerful in locks onto the the receptors and let's go.

 

[apsucks]

Abilify is just as worse as other APs i would say its even worse because it gives restlesness..this partial dopamine agonist nonsense it blocks dopamine just like any other matter in fact abilify is known for causing akathesia.
They all mess up your brain. Abilify did nothing for my psychosis whatsoever even not in max dose leading up to my injection

 

[paranoid android]

Our psychiatrist accepted to discontinue Invega Sustenna after we took our first shot of 150 mg injection this last October 2021.

We are due for an injection of 750 MG of Abilify.

Should we pursue daily doses of 10 mg of Abilify instead ?

The abilify product is listed to stabilize dopamine levels in our brain.

Will it restore our dopamine levels to normal levels ? Will it reverse the adhehonia side effect and will it reset our libido deficiency?

Most importantly, how long will it take for everything to be back to equilibrium?

Can anyone inform us if the Abilify product is beneficial or detrimental with regards to restoring our mental abilities/ faculties post-Invega.

We would like to experiment with Latuda but it causes severe heart palpitations/ Akathesia.

We are relying on stimulants in order to mitigate the side effects of anti-psychotics therefore we are recommending a responsible regiment in accordance with your health profile and your lifestyle.

We don't like the idea of living on second gear and we hope that we will all find a pathway to be productive & functional again.


Regards,

For me abilify only sucked abit less then invega. Id suggest saying fuck abilify and just get switched to latuda. I don't get any side effects from it at all really.

 

[Hopton09]

According to the product description, Abilify looks like a miracle drug but we need your feedback in order to fully appreciate it's value.

Which one is better: 10 MG olanzopine or 10 MG abilify ?

Our psychiatrist has actually prescribed 400 MG Abilify but we are going probably going to face a court order in order to fight this.

On a side note, we are not pleased that these antipsychotic medications causes or worsens diabetes.

We will consider discontinuing all medications after a proper detox.

Thank you guys for your input.

Why do you say “we” it sounds so robotic and weird lol No offense

 

[level_select]

Learning to think critically and the simple advice "just because you think something doesn't mean it's true" from my therapist was key for me as well. You can also get a paper signed with your therapist detailing what treatment you want in case of relapse that can be released to your doctor if that time ever comes. Do watch out for relapse - I was fine at six months off with no delusions and didn't have a psychotic relapse until 12 months off. I was not able to be spiritual at all at six months off. At two years off I felt able to explore my feelings of spirituality separate from delusions of grandeur. I can even read the book of Revelation safely without thinking it means anything to me personally or that I have special "deciphering" capabilities.

Someone in the closed thread asked how many episodes of psychosis I had. I had one in October 2018, which stemmed from delusions I had built up over that year. My last shot of Invega was in January of 2019. I had another episode of psychosis in March 2020. After that, I decided that I had to do something proactive besides waiting and hoping that I could spot my telltale thoughts before they resurfaced (I thought numbers on the clock, dates, and acronyms had special meaning when added in the right ways and attributed to certain numbers, for example). I started work with a therapist over the phone in April of 2020 and dealt with a lot of issues that I didn't know I had. That helped immeasurably. I've had no issues with psychosis since then. I think it's interesting to read about people who were never psychotic before AP's who then experienced it after getting off of them-- sometimes I do wonder if there is some sort of boomerang effect when the brain receives the ability to process dopamine again.

I've been off for almost three years and I'm fully recovered

Hi Kaatrina, thanks for your post. I'm happy to read that you've fully recovered - that's brilliant and it gives me a lot of hope that my emotional intensity and creativity will come back in full. Although I already feel that I'm quite far along in my recovery, I still don't think that I'm as creative as I was before invega.
When you had psychosis in March 2020, how did you treat it and how long did it last? Did you take any antipsychotics for that episode? And did the people around you notice?
Also, how did you find a therapist for psychosis? Were they a part of your regular mental health team?
I did see a psychotherapist, but I was very guarded throughout, so it was of limited use. I was a lot more open (with psychotherapists) before invega, but I'm much more reserved with all mental health professionals now. Unless a therapist was independent from my mental health team, I think I'd struggle to talk about any psychotic symptoms (because I fear being hospitalised again that much).

 

[iridescentblack]

@Peroune if you have to choose a new med, I recommend the abilify pills over the injection. 750mg injection is alot and will most likely leave you feeling heavily sedated and tired.

Abilify however, is better than Invega IME.

I second that. I take Rexulti (nicknamed the granddaughter of abilify). A very benign drug imo

 

[Gdvffh]

Hi guys. There releasing some new antipsychotics that dont antagonize dopamine and serotonin receptors. As someone who is community treatment ordered to take these drugs for the rest of his life. My only saving grace is in new drugs coming out that dont have these negative side effects.

 

[iridescentblack]

Hi guys. There releasing some new antipsychotics that dont antagonize dopamine and serotonin receptors. As someone who is community treatment ordered to take these drugs for the rest of his life. My only saving grace is in new drugs coming out that dont have these negative side effects.

The thing is, my former psychiatrist said something about how there are a lot of hoops a person has to jump through before getting onto the newer drugs. This is what happened to me. I didn't respond well to any of the dated drugs and they finally put me on Rexulti. Most psychiatrists, however, won't want to put people on newer drugs it would seem.

 

[Mick04]

I feel disabled something is wrong with my brain after this injections