Mental Health Coming Off Invega Sustenna (Paliperidone) v4

[loosewheelnut]

Sorry, I'm just letting you know that it should be out of your system. Unless you've taken something else or took it for a long time and 350mg was your last dose, I don't know what to tell you. For people that took it for a long time it has taken sometimes 2 years to feel better from what I've read.

Yes when your sleeping is bad if fuckn sucks, I don't remember actually being able to help the sleeping issues. I just rode with it and now I can sleep fine 7 months on. In fact now I sleep 12 hours a night because I can feel I'm still sedated and it makes me depressed and want to sleep all the time. I would explain it like, when I'm awake it's like I'm running a marathon and when I'm sleeping I'm taking a breath. Not good but better than not being able to sleep at all. And the restlessness that goes along with it, I remember that being terrible as well.

 

[LostVirgo]

Hello LostVirgo,

I am just over 7 months into recovery and I feel better for the most part. The thing that really does me at the moment is that I still can't get high or drunk. But in terms of my emotions and stuff, I feel pretty decent. You gotta give it time most people recover between 6-12 months. It's an absolutely torturous time but you just gotta ride out the pain. Feel free to ask me any more questions

Yea okay. I’m too preoccupied with recovery. I can obsess over little things. I took Ativan but couldn’t feel it and got scared that by having done that it would harm my recovery in some way, drug interactions etc.

Being preoccupied with it also kind prevents you from seeking out somewhat enjoyable activities. Do you get joy out of gaming?

I feel like writing this out is somewhat enjoyable. I also watch TikToks which are enjoyable to me. But I don’t know if I *could* have enjoyed more and this psychologically brings me down. And if I try to accept my path, the pain and what happened if I walk outside I can feel more like myself and alive and feel less drugged which is progress

The fact I was forced on the injection and didn’t know what it even was plays a role too in depressing me.

So when did you get normal sleep patterns back? sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night

 

[loosewheelnut]

Yea okay. I’m too preoccupied with recovery. I can obsess over little things. I took Ativan but couldn’t feel it and got scared that by having done that it would harm my recovery in some way, drug interactions etc.

Being preoccupied with it also kind prevents you from seeking out somewhat enjoyable activities. Do you get joy out of gaming?

I feel like writing this out is somewhat enjoyable. I also watch TikToks which are enjoyable to me. But I don’t know if I *could* have enjoyed more and this psychologically brings me down. And if I try to accept my path, the pain and what happened if I walk outside I can feel more like myself and alive and feel less drugged which is progress

The fact I was forced on the injection and didn’t know what it even was plays a role too in depressing me.

So when did you get normal sleep patterns back? sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night

There are a lot of drugs that won't work while you're on AP's. That counts Ativan (Lorazepam). The same way I said I can't get drunk or high is the same with sedatives. So I'm not surprised they're not working and it is really quite traumatizing I know it freaked me out.

To be honest with you the first 6 months I was couch ridden and couldn't do much but stare at the wall and try to watch tv (couldn't enjoy it like before but kinda forced myself). After that I was able to go for walks and browse reddit, facebook and youtube. Only in the last week have I been able to play computer games again and I still don't enjoy them like I used to but I'm able to hold concentration enough to do it. No I wouldn't imagine accepting your path will lesser the pain, these withdrawals are a straight up nightmare. However I do remember walking outside did make me feel more alive and was important for me. I think you get a nice natural dopamine kick from walking. Also exercise is a good way to sweat that shit out of your system.

I was forced too, most people don't know but you can always take them to court but my Dad convinced me to take it because he said I'd get out of the pysch ward quicker.

Normal sleep patterns have not yet returned but I have gone from your stage of under sleeping to now over sleeping and it'll probably happen to you to. I started over sleeping and not waking up during the night around 6 months off.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask me anymore questions you might have.

 

[fdup]

there's laws that protect doctors i believe, so sueing 'em won't go the way you want it to. it sucks haha.

what is the shot for

 

[LostVirgo]

There are a lot of drugs that won't work while you're on AP's. That counts Ativan (Lorazepam). The same way I said I can't get drunk or high is the same with sedatives. So I'm not surprised they're not working and it is really quite traumatizing I know it freaked me out.

To be honest with you the first 6 months I was couch ridden and couldn't do much but stare at the wall and try to watch tv (couldn't enjoy it like before but kinda forced myself). After that I was able to go for walks and browse reddit, facebook and youtube. Only in the last week have I been able to play computer games again and I still don't enjoy them like I used to but I'm able to hold concentration enough to do it. No I wouldn't imagine accepting your path will lesser the pain, these withdrawals are a straight up nightmare. However I do remember walking outside did make me feel more alive and was important for me. I think you get a nice natural dopamine kick from walking. Also exercise is a good way to sweat that shit out of your system.

I was forced too, most people don't know but you can always take them to court but my Dad convinced me to take it because he said I'd get out of the pysch ward quicker.

Normal sleep patterns have not yet returned but I have gone from your stage of under sleeping to now over sleeping and it'll probably happen to you to. I started over sleeping and not waking up during the night around 6 months off.

Hope that helps, feel free to ask me anymore questions you might have.

Thanks.
Do you think it was harmful to take Lorazepam while on AP’s? Or it doesn’t harm it just doesn’t work.

When should you be able to feel the effects of alcohol, etc again?

Tough that you were staring at the wall mostly during that time I’m in now. I feel like doing it but somehow trying to forget and trying to live sometimes and enjoy/socialise seems ok.

 

[loosewheelnut]

Thanks.
Do you think it was harmful to take Lorazepam while on AP’s? Or it doesn’t harm it just doesn’t work.

When should you be able to feel the effects of alcohol, etc again?

Tough that you were staring at the wall mostly during that time I’m in now. I feel like doing it but somehow trying to forget and trying to live sometimes and enjoy/socialise seems ok.

It won't harm you no, but yeh it just won't do anything it's really annoying.

I'm not sure, I'll let you know when it happens to me

Yeh for sure do what you can manage. I only did that because I was feeling messed up, like I wasn't capable of much else. I also was suicidal for a good part of that 6 months too. But yeh like I said as soon as I was able to I started getting out and about so if you can do it. Do it, it'll be good for your mentally as well

 

[John78]

I can't really answer that. I've been off of long-acting antipsychotics for a while now (over 6 years off Invega Sustenna and almost 2 years off Vraylar). I plan on going off AP's altogether, but the timing for it just sucks right now. I'm waiting for a clear indication that I won't need them, which is pretty much what the long-acting ones have been preventing.

Have you tried DBT? If you have schizophrenia then I guess it proves to be effective against it. You could try that while you're on meds, and then maybe wean off them and use the skills you've learned to try and manage it on your own once you're off the meds. Not here to tell you what to do though. Sorry that you were on shitty meds for awhile.. I was on bad meds for only like 7-8 months before switching back to a med that gave me the least amount of side effects. Can't imagine 6+ years. That's insane.

 

[John78]

I also feel less spiritual. I'm hoping that when I come off the drug, I'll feel better. But before I started APs, I was so spiritual that I thought I was psychic. I was extremely emotionally sensitive but my psychic ability was often just my imagination, but not always... I miss it though, even if it was just my imagination. I would often light a circle of candles and put a blanket inside the circle to sit on and meditate or talk to Spirit. I would also light candles just to listen to music. I haven't done either of those things since I've been on APs. I do still listen to music though, especially when I'm walking, but my intuition - my inner voice, isn't really there anymore. I'll be coming off the injection soon and I know that I will feel much better. I look forward to having my emotional intensity back. And to cleaning my house because since my motivation has been low, I haven't been cleaning as much. I intend to do a deep clean of everything as I recover.

I know how you feel. Personally I believe I'm (somewhat) psychic too. I've had moments where I sensed something bad was going to happen and then something bad happened, or I'd feel that someone was about to say something to me, and even have what they'd say pop into my head, and then they'd say exactly what I thought. My whole "psychosis" are just these thoughts getting out of control. It was bad in a time where all of my friends were talking shit about me and stuff and getting all confrontational over shit I've buried, and I got hospitalized because they wouldn't stop and I'd always snap in my room over it. Family called the cops on me for that.

 

[level_select]

I know how you feel. Personally I believe I'm (somewhat) psychic too. I've had moments where I sensed something bad was going to happen and then something bad happened, or I'd feel that someone was about to say something to me, and even have what they'd say pop into my head, and then they'd say exactly what I thought. My whole "psychosis" are just these thoughts getting out of control. It was bad in a time where all of my friends were talking shit about me and stuff and getting all confrontational over shit I've buried, and I got hospitalized because they wouldn't stop and I'd always snap in my room over it. Family called the cops on me for that.

Sorry to hear that your family called the cops on you. It sucks to be hospitalised. My family knew that I was ill before I did too. I didn't realise I had psychosis until after I started APs and a lot of things just stopped - I stopped getting cryptic messages from the tv, radio, conversations, car reg plates... And some things that I had been convinced were psychic turned out to be 100% my imagination. Some other things I just can't explain though. But to be completely honest, I preferred having psychosis to being on APs. At least my life was exciting when I had psychosis.

I guess the long half life of Invega is the reason why it takes so long for people to recover from it. It seems like people get better gradually too. I can't wait for this stuff to be out of my system.

 

[level_select]

Yea okay. I’m too preoccupied with recovery. I can obsess over little things. I took Ativan but couldn’t feel it and got scared that by having done that it would harm my recovery in some way, drug interactions etc.

Being preoccupied with it also kind prevents you from seeking out somewhat enjoyable activities. Do you get joy out of gaming?

I feel like writing this out is somewhat enjoyable. I also watch TikToks which are enjoyable to me. But I don’t know if I *could* have enjoyed more and this psychologically brings me down. And if I try to accept my path, the pain and what happened if I walk outside I can feel more like myself and alive and feel less drugged which is progress

The fact I was forced on the injection and didn’t know what it even was plays a role too in depressing me.

So when did you get normal sleep patterns back? sleeping without waking up in the middle of the night

Hi LostVirgo,

You will get better, it just takes time. My advice to you would be to keep doing whatever brings you joy and try not to obsess over it too much. I know it's easier said than done.

 

[Gdvffh]

yeah i can relate to preferring to have psychosis over being on antipsychotics, i mean i was hearing things all the time but i was very functional.

 

[n3ophy7e]

yeah i can relate to preferring to have psychosis over being on antipsychotics, i mean i was hearing things all the time but i was very functional.

I've never had psychosis so I can't relate to this from personal experience, but I have heard many people who have schizophrenia and other conditions with psychosis say something similar.

 

[n3ophy7e]

However I do remember walking outside did make me feel more alive and was important for me. I think you get a nice natural dopamine kick from walking. Also exercise is a good way to sweat that shit out of your system.

Yes!!! Getting outside in the sunshine can definitely boost your mood and motivation, and any form of exercise including walking releases endorphins in your brain which helps give you an immediate mood boost AND if you exercise every day it can help with mood stabilisation.

what is the shot for

Invega is an antipsychotic medication used to treat psychosis (mainly in people who have schizophrenia and similar conditions), and it can be given as tablets or as a long-acting injection (this injection is the "Sustenna" form that people are discussing in this thread). It's often used in situations where there might be some kind of doubt that the patient is going to comply with taking antipsychotic tablets every day, as prescribed, so a doctor will prescribe the long-acting injection instead. Because it is a slow-release form of the drug, it takes a very long time to clear out of your system, which is why people can have such long, harrowing withdrawals.

 

[fdup]

Yes!!! Getting outside in the sunshine can definitely boost your mood and motivation, and any form of exercise including walking releases endorphins in your brain which helps give you an immediate mood boost AND if you exercise every day it can help with mood stabilisation.


Invega is an antipsychotic medication used to treat psychosis (mainly in people who have schizophrenia and similar conditions), and it can be given as tablets or as a long-acting injection (this injection is the "Sustenna" form that people are discussing in this thread). It's often used in situations where there might be some kind of doubt that the patient is going to comply with taking antipsychotic tablets every day, as prescribed, so a doctor will prescribe the long-acting injection instead. Because it is a slow-release form of the drug, it takes a very long time to clear out of your system, which is why people can have such long, harrowing withdrawals.

sounds like it could be better than the 600mg of seraquill that turns me into a cast member of one flew over the cooku nest

 

[Mr_Sandman]

Took the shot back in 2019, but I've also had to take Zyprexa, Risperidone, and Abilify since then... have slowly weened off those drugs and replaced them with lithium. Do you think I can recover?

Lately, I've been super depressed. I want to add something like an SSRI or maybe something that increases dopamine to repair the past damage of the receptors.

Does anyone have any advice?

 

[loosewheelnut]

Took the shot back in 2019, but I've also had to take Zyprexa, Risperidone, and Abilify since then... have slowly weened off those drugs and replaced them with lithium. Do you think I can recover?

Lately, I've been super depressed. I want to add something like an SSRI or maybe something that increases dopamine to repair the past damage of the receptors.

Does anyone have any advice?

If you're still taking AP's then you probably won't feel good until you stop them. If you don't have schizophrenia then I'd suggest that.

I take an SSRI at the moment and I'm not sure it's doing much but I take them anyway, I'm on 100mg of Zoloft. I was also thinking about starting on Wellbutrin because that is a dopamine increaser but I smoke weed at the moment so that should be giving me enough dopamine. Btw none of those will repair damaged receptors the only thing that does that is time to heal. These things will just attempt to add more serotonin or dopamine but you'll probably find the AP's cancel it out.

 

[luchiss]

Sorry, I'm just letting you know that it should be out of your system. Unless you've taken something else or took it for a long time and 350mg was your last dose, I don't know what to tell you. For people that took it for a long time it has taken sometimes 2 years to feel better from what I've read.

Yes when your sleeping is bad if fuckn sucks, I don't remember actually being able to help the sleeping issues. I just rode with it and now I can sleep fine 7 months on. In fact now I sleep 12 hours a night because I can feel I'm still sedated and it makes me depressed and want to sleep all the time. I would explain it like, when I'm awake it's like I'm running a marathon and when I'm sleeping I'm taking a breath. Not good but better than not being able to sleep at all. And the restlessness that goes along with it, I remember that being terrible as well.

Ye I took the invega trinza for about 2 years but before that I took invega sustain for 4 years, Ive started to notice I’m able to smile now, so I hope this is over soon

 

[loosewheelnut]

Ye I took the invega trinza for about 2 years but before that I took invega sustain for 4 years, Ive started to notice I’m able to smile now, so I hope this is over soon

Okay so you took invega sustenna for 4 years then yes it will take longer, could take up to 2 years like I said. That's good, I found that everything is coming back slowly not all at once. Try going for some walks it's a good way to get some natural dopamine and I remember it used to make me feel good. Hope that helps

 

[Gdvffh]

hey guys so i had a meeting with my doctor, so out over here in ontario, apparently they make it that once your put on a CTO, community treatment order and the for expires in 6 months, they just renew it, so im not quite sure how to get out of forced injections. i thought it was for 6 months and then its done. Now it dosnt seem that way

 

[Jabberwocky]

hey guys so i had a meeting with my doctor, so out over here in ontario, apparently they make it that once your put on a CTO, community treatment order and the for expires in 6 months, they just renew it, so im not quite sure how to get out of forced injections. i thought it was for 6 months and then its done. Now it dosnt seem that way

You have to schedule a review panel - http://www.orb.on.ca

if everything goes well, you are decertified which means no more injections.

ask your doctor or nurse what a review panel is because they have to tell you what it is if you ask .