Inveva sustenna
Hi everyone.
I'm coming off of invega sustenna, quite a potent drug that may have helped me but has definitely caused some harm.
I have been on injections for about 10 months now and have been slowly tapering successfully. There is a part of me that just wants to abruptly stop but an expert I've been seeing told me it is better to be patient and come off slowly and he has a lot of experience helping people come off of pharmaceutical drugs so I trust him.
This expert has told me that 1-2 years is OK but 3-5 years is when you start to get into bad territory. The longer you stay on the medication, the more benefit (or harm) it can cause, and the harder it will be to come off. That doesn't mean that if you've been on it for 4 years you can't come off of it, I think that nobody should be taking this drug unless it is really necessary (risk of harming self or others). For me it is not necessary.
I like most others am worried about the potential damages of this drug (and other antipsychotics). I am experiencing negative side effects which are affecting my life heavily but I am confident that once I successfully come off completely and after the half life reduces that I will be back to normal with healthy food, exercise, and some natural supplements. I have read many successful stories of people who have come off this medication and have completely recovered from anhedonia and other symptoms. I hope this makes you feel encouraged in your journey.
Points of interest that I have looked into are L-Tyrosine and CBD, which I will probably both be starting once I come off the medication. A short exposure to a dopamine agonist (1-2 months) like L-Tyrosine has been studied to reverse detrimental antipsychotic effects. It is best taken in the morning on an empty stomach, with a B complex vitamin. Keep in mind you should do lots of research and start on a low dose if you are going to do this (250mg or less), and tell your doctors/care team. CBD on the other hand has been studied to be a natural antipsychotic to treat schizophrenia (not saying you have schizophrenia), as well as something that can help with anxiety, depression, and sleep. So definitely something I am going to be looking at coming off of this medication. Keep in mind neither of these things will be of much effect while you are on a high dose of psychiatric medication and should only be used when you are off medication (in my opinion, don't mix and match drugs). Stop immediately if these things affect you in a bad way.
You should be on a multivitamin if you are not, it will help you. Go to a health food store and see what they have to offer. Look for something with B, C, D, E, oils, extracts, etc.
Also psychotherapy may help you out, see if you can book an appointment with a psychotherapist who is psychodynamic.
I am feeling better every time I reduce my dose. I will keep you updated on how I am doing and what other helpful information that I find.
And another thing, if you come off medication and are OK without it, any diagnosis should be removed from your record (at least where I'm from).
So keep truckin', and be healthy! I know the evil doctors have made you feel worthless and incapable, but you need to believe in yourself! It will get better.