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Mental Health Coming off Invega Sustenna (Paliperidone) v3

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How many months are you? I can’t make it another 3 months. I mean how did you lose weight? What is your weight?
 
Kaatrina said:
I'm 14 months off. Recovery is at 85-90%. I got a lot of my sexual function back, but I don't think I ever will fully. It's kind of like when you dye yourhairforthefirst time....your hair will still be pretty, but it will never again have that special thing that virgin hair has. Thats just the reality of invega. I don'mean to be discouraging, but I think both things are true: you can recover, but at the same time you will never recover. Some things you just cant put back in the box once they're out. conversely, as johnnyhalo said, losing and regaining basic function gives you an appreciation for it that you wouldn't otherwise have. In that way, going through invega gives you valuable wisdom.

Even though I feel there are intangible things I've lost that wont return, I still consider myself recovered. I can make new friends, enjoy conversation, be spontaneous in a positive way, study, learn, and care deeply about things. The things that make life worth living are back. I am a good mother again. I can feel deep emotion. Recently, I can feel 80% of the effects of alcohol, which is pretty good. I can feel good and strong at the gym. I notice that my mind seeks out simple dopamine spikes like food and alcohol rather than complex pleasure which may be an effect of returning from dopamine starvation? I have to be wary of that. I still have an extra 10 lbs and a belly that seems to be hormonal. Will update when I get rid of it.

I hope to recover even more. Don't give up. One of the worst things is that for all the hell you go through on invega, you are unable to put your thoughts together enough to articulate exactly what you're going through. You will recover.
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Katrina
How were you able to care for your husband and kids?
I need to know how you were able to cope with the change
 
Feeling like I'm just going through the motions, like everything I do just blends into itself and it all feels the same. I'm guessing this has something to do with the way invega blocks serotonin and dopamine receptors in the brain. Trying not to let the effects of invega stop me from completing basic necessities like exercise, socializing, eating and sleeping healthily. I feel like as time goes on these are the kinds of things that will help to recover a sense of capability and wholeness.

Every day all I want to do is sleep through the day but I know that it's not a solution. It just offers some sense of respite sometimes.
 
How is everyone's social lives going? I'm only really able to have relationships with people one on one, any kind of complexity just goes over my head. I find it especially hard when someone makes a joke or something, I can kind of have a laugh but i dont have any kind of wit or quick response and it makes me feel really awkward.
 
Fodium said:
How is everyone's social lives going? I'm only really able to have relationships with people one on one, any kind of complexity just goes over my head. I find it especially hard when someone makes a joke or something, I can kind of have a laugh but i dont have any kind of wit or quick response and it makes me feel really awkward.
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Does anyone think a neurologist can help your brain? I’m going tomorrow to see one.
 
PhucInvega said:
I’ve been waiting so much for this; I can finally say I’m recovered! I was injected twice, 150(234)mg and 100(156)mg shots of Xeplion, which they call Invega in Europe so basically the same shit. First injection was 8 months ago and second two weeks later.

I no longer suffer from any side effects or anything else caused by paliperidone. I’ve managed to lose some weight which is the only thing that bothers me anymore and I still have some left that I need to get rid of. I can sleep normally, think normally, I no longer suffer from anhedonia, loss of libido or any other problem regarding sexuality, no more nightmares, no more anxiety nor depression/suicidality, no more muscle spasms or headaches, no more racing and uncontrollable thoughts or earworms and the list goes on. I even lost my interest in music while on Invega and I’m a musician. But now good songs give me shivers and oh boy I love that feeling !And after this horrible experience I’ve started to appreciate life and small things I used to take for granted a lot more than pre-invega.

I just feel good man, once you think your life has been taken away from you and you get it back, oh boy I love this, to be able to live life again! To feel happy and motivated to do things that I loved to do, this is great!

To anyone thinking that recovery isn’t possible; I can tell you from personal experience that it definately is. At least if you had the same dosage as I did.

I’ve been taking supplements this whole time like vitamin C, D, B-complex, magnesium, zinc, fish oils and I’ve been drinking a lot of water because Invega is mostly excreted renally. I have pretty fast metabolism as well.

I had a drug-induced psychosis from amphetamines/designer drugs which were sold as speed. I was awake for too long and I didn’t eat/drink enough. I have been smoking a lot weed like past 4-5 months and I haven’t seen any signs of a relapse. Cannabinoids such as THC and CBD activate a p-gprotein, which shuttles drugs away from brain cells and into the bloodstream so that will speed up the recovery. I don’t suggest anyone who had a psychosis to use THC because there’s always the chance for a relapse. CBD is far more safer to use if you want to try it. CBD doesn’t have any intoxicating properties, and it acts as an anti-psychotic/-anxiolytic. CBD also makes your immune system stronger and promotes adulthood neurogenesis. If you want to read more about CBD and such head over to https://leafly.com , you can find tons of interesting, source-backed information there!

I personally think, at least if your psychosis was drug-induced, that using antipsychotics is necessary for like a month or so, not continuous administration of depot injections. And in paliperidone’s case, once-a-month administration will slowly build up the concentrations of the drug in the body. Invega should be administered once a year, not once a month.

My lifegoal is to make a company which promotes, grows and sells hemp/cannabis-based goods such as new generation antipsychotics made/derived from CBD. That is my main goal. To get rid of modern day antipsychotics which do more harm than good. I’ve already registered my company and now I just need to find some funding for this. A good example, Invega being used as an antipsychotic is the same as you would take your car to maintenance because of a crack in the windshield. The guy fixes your windshield by smashing the whole glass into pieces. The crack is gone like the customer wanted but now he faces more problems which are even worse than the problem was at first. Fix one thing, just to get 20 new problems.

Anyway here are my tips for recovery;
1. Don’t browse this forum daily, it just reminds you of your situation
2. Eat healthy, take supplements, drink water
3. Do what you liked to do pre-invega and eventually you’ll notice that you enjoy it again. I watched a lot of different series and played games with my friends, read stuff online, spent time with my girlfriend and friends and so on
4. Have a positive mindset, the feelings you feel now aren’t going to last forever
5. I found that alcohol relieved some anxiety even though it didn’t work properly, I drank almost on a daily basis for the first 3-4 months, I don’t suggest using neurotoxins but in this case I actually do
6. If you suffer from insomnia, low-dose (12,5mg) of quetiapine helped me. Even though it’s an antipsychotic aswell, at small doses it only acts as an antihistamine
7. If you suffer from akathisia/restlessness which I did for the first two months, then Akineton (biperiden) is the drug you want
8. Personally for me, Wellbutrin (bupropion) was a life saver. It blocks the uptake of dopamine so your receptors which are blocked by invega have a lot more dopamine available, so even though they are partly blocked, the dopamine will find it’s way through.

If you have any questions or such, feel free to send me a private message. I won’t be browsing this thread that much anymore, maybe once a month so PM will be better.

To anyone suffering, I’ve been there. It’s hell on Earth. Even worse. But it WILL get better, trust me.

And I’m sorry for my English, I’m from Finland ?

Take care everyone and have a quick recovery! May Mother Nature bless you all ;) And Fuck Invega!


- Phuc
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I need to really speak to you about invega.
I’m scared and lost.
Did you lose the weight fast?
 
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Please don't post your personal contact information on this website. If you have to talk to someone personally, you might try sending them a private message.
 
Just realized that I have been given the maximum dose (234mg) for 9 months and the step down from that (156mg) for three months after that. I was always thinking that there were differences between America and New Zealand for some reason as I knew my dosages as 150mg and 100mg.

This explains why I'm fucked.
 
Paula10, it seems you are quite worried about recovery from paliperidone. It seems to me that reading through this thread, that most people do indeed recover from the long-acting antipsychotic, given enough time.

I personally believe that a big part in recovery is making the life you want to live for yourself into a reality. Focus your efforts on making positive improvements in your life, even if they are little bitty ones, like tidying up a corner of your room, or preparing a meal you like. I also strongly reccomend keeping a journal - even if nobody but yourself reads it, it can be useful to help show yourself that you can improve things and you are getting better. It sounds simple but the act of putting your emotions and thoughts on paper can really help.

You should also try to get the happiness center of your brain working as it should again. Antipsychotics can greatly disrupt your lifestyle patterns, maybe just as badly as your mind. Sitting around and ruminating all day has never helped anyone feel better. Treat yourself and try to find a recreational activity you can get distracted by for a little while. A physically, creatively, or mentally engaging one is best. Maybe try expressing your frustrations and fears in some form of art? If you are worried about your physical image, try to start a simple daily exercise routine, and reward yourself for doing it regularly. You don't even have to go to a gym, there are quite a few simple exercises you can do at home. Music is another tool that can help mentally heal - it pairs well with exercise too!

Whatever you do, try to adopt an attitude that you WILL get better. You are the end product of millions of years of human evolution, and every single one of your ancestors survived to produce YOU! You're special and you have the power to conquer any problem, I know that :)

I don't think I would reccomend anything like a "water fast", especially not for an entire month. I understand the weight gain is probably concerning for you, but rushing into a quick fix may not be smart. Your body needs food energy to function correctly, and if you are feeling low and have no desire to do anything now, then cutting your body's supply of energy and amino acids (which it needs to make your brain work correctly!) will not do anything good for your mental state, and could make you feel even worse or even put you in medically dangerous territory. Drinking too much water to the exclusion of everything else can be toxic.

Antipsychotics are pretty major drugs to deal with. I have never had long acting depot injections, but I do remember my experience with IM haloperidol. Knocked out my ability to move any muscles - I could barely breathe. I can understand why someone might need to use drugs of that sort - they are arguably better than straightjackets and restraints - but still, what an awful experience. I completely emphasize with anyone who would be cursed to suffer through months of the same.
 
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Someone experience itching all over the body from time to time? Maybe this is part of the recovery process. The itching is at the most level when I’m outside in the sun for more than 20 minutes I think, when I run or do exercise but dissapears after a few minutes..hope this will go away too because it’s f***ing annoying
 
Recovery will happen. I recovered in 7 months. I’m back to smoking weed but I think it’s best to put it down because I don’t want to relapse. I recently took the 3 drugs that psychosis relapse people say not to do. Amphetamines (adderall) LSD, and the. I took 100-200ug lsd smoked a ton of weed then took adderall after the trip. Stayed awake for 24 hours not healthy at all for my brain. I’m doing fine now, no major thoughts, grandiose or, psychotic thinking. One of my main reasons of posting this update is that I saw a MAJOR increase in my overall sex drive. I’m sure the three substances at once created more serotonin and dopamine, which is said that both chemicals have a major role in sex drive and emotions. My first months on Invega completely 0 sex drive and no desire. After two months I forced myself to and I couldn’t even produce sperm. That is so unnatural for a man to experience. Such a huge blow to the ego. After 4-5 months it healed about 70%. Completely off of Invega 7 months I was at a solid 92% of previous I was very happy with that. But ever since I took that adderall and lsd together I’ve been able to produce huge amounts of semen many times 10-15 mins after one. I screwed my gf like 8 times in 5 hours and came a lot each time (sorry if I’m getting too personal) but my main point is that your sex drive can and will come back. I’m not recommending these substances but there are so natural ones out there known to help you brain produce dopamine and serotonin, I just don’t trust them.
TL;DR My sex drive is like teenage years again, I’m 22
 
sekio said:
Paula10, it seems you are quite worried about recovery from paliperidone. It seems to me that reading through this thread, that most people do indeed recover from the long-acting antipsychotic, given enough time.

I personally believe that a big part in recovery is making the life you want to live for yourself into a reality. Focus your efforts on making positive improvements in your life, even if they are little bitty ones, like tidying up a corner of your room, or preparing a meal you like. I also strongly reccomend keeping a journal - even if nobody but yourself reads it, it can be useful to help show yourself that you can improve things and you are getting better. It sounds simple but the act of putting your emotions and thoughts on paper can really help.

You should also try to get the happiness center of your brain working as it should again. Antipsychotics can greatly disrupt your lifestyle patterns, maybe just as badly as your mind. Sitting around and ruminating all day has never helped anyone feel better. Treat yourself and try to find a recreational activity you can get distracted by for a little while. A physically, creatively, or mentally engaging one is best. Maybe try expressing your frustrations and fears in some form of art? If you are worried about your physical image, try to start a simple daily exercise routine, and reward yourself for doing it regularly. You don't even have to go to a gym, there are quite a few simple exercises you can do at home. Music is another tool that can help mentally heal - it pairs well with exercise too!

Whatever you do, try to adopt an attitude that you WILL get better. You are the end product of millions of years of human evolution, and every single one of your ancestors survived to produce YOU! You're special and you have the power to conquer any problem, I know that :)

I don't think I would reccomend anything like a "water fast", especially not for an entire month. I understand the weight gain is probably concerning for you, but rushing into a quick fix may not be smart. Your body needs food energy to function correctly, and if you are feeling low and have no desire to do anything now, then cutting your body's supply of energy and amino acids (which it needs to make your brain work correctly!) will not do anything good for your mental state, and could make you feel even worse or even put you in medically dangerous territory. Drinking too much water to the exclusion of everything else can be toxic.

Antipsychotics are pretty major drugs to deal with. I have never had long acting depot injections, but I do remember my experience with IM haloperidol. Knocked out my ability to move any muscles - I could barely breathe. I can understand why someone might need to use drugs of that sort - they are arguably better than straightjackets and restraints - but still, what an awful experience. I completely emphasize with anyone who would be cursed to suffer through months of the same.
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Thanks for the advice. I will try my best to survive this horrible nightmare. It’s extremely hard from being energetic to a lifeless soul. Hope we recover sooner.
 
If you need some further inspiration try going through this thread and seeing how many people have posted that they are doing better! It's amazing to me to see how common it is, even if it does take time.
 
I'm about 4 months off of Invega and I was wondering if someone could chime in on whether or not alcohol is safe to drink at this point?
 
I don't see any reason that drinking in moderation would hurt you, just don't overdo it.
If it can help inspire a little joy and relaxation, maybe worth a try.
 
ihateinvega said:
I'm about 4 months off of Invega and I was wondering if someone could chime in on whether or not alcohol is safe to drink at this point?
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Four months isn't much time...

Do you take other medications? Drugs?

I'd give it a good couple years to get back to baseline. You don't need anything messing with your chemistry as you find your center again.
 
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