Mental Health Coming off Invega Sustenna (paliperidone)

[Decisive]

Thanks for the feedback, Decisive. She sure makes it sound like this is normally what you should expect from the medication - no emotions or motivation. Recovery from medication?! Wow. That's not medication, that's poison.

You said it ! It's pure poison !
But you know, in the beginning she didn't want to accept the fact that invega sustenna blocks emotions and motivation but when I told her that I was a med student and I perfectly know how the brain works especially with neurotransmitters like dopamine, she had no choice to admit that this was the truth ! Business you say ?

 

[Bad Robot]

At least they are saying we will recover from this poison, but its sounding like at least eight months, jeez another two and a half months to go for me, its like a prison sentence.

 

[screwinvega]

Can you guys list other side effects if you had any others apart 'lack of motivation', cause if that's it you're really lucky, since the injections I've been dealing with any kind of pain in my body, headaches, annoying tinnitus, neck stiffness, various physical appearance changes, short breath, weakness and lot more and if you need to know I could be more specific, anyway lots of stuff that taken as singular they don't mean much but all together led me think that I had a pituitary tumor so I took a MRI scan last week and today I got the result and it says overall ok but they want me to take another one with "contrast" which is a fluid they inject you in the blood that makes it easier to see if you have anything wrong. So yea I'm still looking for answers but I wanted to know from you if someone has/had similar experience

Thank you
Marco

 

[iridescentblack]

Can you guys list other side effects if you had any others apart 'lack of motivation', cause if that's it you're really lucky, since the injections I've been dealing with any kind of pain in my body, headaches, annoying tinnitus, neck stiffness, various physical appearance changes, short breath, weakness and lot more and if you need to know I could be more specific.

I 'bolded' the ones that apply or applied to me.

Along with some of these come a general nervousness, anxiety, or sometimes anxiety attacks that make any and/or all of these symptoms worse. A lot of the time I feel like I'm dying because pain will suddenly come out of nowhere and it's like I'm about to have a heart attack or something. Doesn't help either that even if I don't focus on the pain I start to have anxiety attacks.

Was doing fine until about a month ago.

 

[screwinvega]

Adrenal glands?

"tinnitus can be caused by the fight & flight syndrome. The adrenal gland produces adrenaline and other forms of adrenaline. Too much adrenaline in the body can cause the body to go into the fight & flight syndrome. It causes the hearing to become very sensitive to noise and can cause tinnitus."

THIS would make so much sense.

Marco

 

[iridescentblack]

That would explain a lot. When I used to smoke weed, I would get that feeling. Weed probably just causes some sort of distortion in my psyche that makes me feel that adrenaline.


I had no idea that I wasn't the only one dealing with these symptoms. I'm glad to hear that it's the medication that's causing it and not some underlying disease or something. Still awaiting a miracle pill that can cure us, though.

Another symptom I've been getting lately is hearing voices when I'm about to drift off to sleep - which I've heard is completely normal. But it happens usually the medication has reached sort of a dip. And they're not just timid, quiet voices like I used to get years ago. They're quite loud - at least, loud enough that I can make out what they're saying. Kind of strange. Not sure what they're trying to tell me. It's like listening to an AM station and occasionally getting a word or two in that comes from a similar frequency.

 

[Hilary]

Another symptom I've been getting lately is hearing voices

Not trying to be an alarmist, but one of the first questions I hear from psychiatrists and ER doctors is "do you hear voices?". If these voices are indeed a sign of returning symptoms you may want to take them seriously.
Have you ever tried CBD oil? In a quote from 'Mad in America', by Will Hall:

a University of Cologne study from Germany, in a four week trial, found CBD as effective as an anti-psychotic in calming psychotic symptoms. A co-author of the study wrote “Not only was [CBD] as effective as standard antipsychotics, but it was also essentially free of the typical side effects seen with antipsychotic drugs.

Just a thought, assuming you are still trying to stay off APs.

 

[screwinvega]

My reaction to the drug was quite unusual, I couldn't sleep anymore and had constant thoughts of going on a killing spree. I also became very paranoid. I was polite and peaceful before the injections. Nobody even mentioned that it could be the drug doing this to me, it was only me saying it. But nobody could believe me because somehow I wasn't even able to explain without freaking out and looking like a very sick person.

If it wasn't for my memories of when I was feeling ok today I'd probably be dead or in some sort of psychiatric penitentiary tied to the bed 23 hours a day, forced injections and any kind of abuse. Anger also helped me, yes anger, it saved me by making me look forward for the day ill be healthy again and get my revenge. This drug quite shutdowns your true feelings, your thoughts, your rights. There's nothing wrong in being angry for this!

Marco

 

[Bad Robot]

24 weeks off the poison
The chills are back, spent the first three hours this morning just laid on the couch trying to come to whilst shivering and thinking is it withdrawals, a relapse or the weed smoking.
Not had any physical problems besides a shaking leg for the first month. Got the shortness of breath for the first few months and was probably a bit stiff walking, but my maine problem was constant depression and lack of interest in anything for nearly four months. Still got black rings around my eyes and still feel doped up, but it was getting slightly easier to cope until the chills returned.
Not sure about the weed smoking, had a beer and a joint the last six nights and am a bit more chilled out and manage to stop constantly thinking about how much poison is still left in my system, but I'm noticing I'm in a bad mood during the day and am starting to get pissed off just sat around doing nothing all day, although I've still not got the energy or motivation to be bothered doing anything, I can sense the real me in there somewhere, but I suppose the poison is blocking him coming out.
Its hard waking up every morning with this poison still in your system, by nightime your body seems to have got used to it and it feels almost normal, but on waking up each morning you realise you don't feel normal and have to get used to the feeling of almost feeling brain damaged and it takes me a while to come around. It really is a struggle going through this day after day not noticing any improvements unless you look back months.
I suppose I should be grateful I'm not back in hospital being forceably drugged up and try and move on from this experience, but its hard to do when its all you think about the majority of the time and thats the reason why I have to drink beer and smoke weed at night.

 

[iridescentblack]

Not trying to be an alarmist, but one of the first questions I hear from psychiatrists and ER doctors is "do you hear voices?". If these voices are indeed a sign of returning symptoms you may want to take them seriously.

The only thing it's a sign of is my brain becoming more active. Like a sense of leaving hibernation. A former psychiatrist told me that hearing voices when about to drift off to sleep is completely normal and nothing to be alarmed about.

 

[Bad Robot]

Blood tests came back normal, not sure if the doc done a blood plasma test, probably just done the same test as before.
Anyhow the chills came and went within a day, quite annoying that just when you think your on the road to recovery you get hit with what seem like withdrawal symptoms, starting to feel slightly better each week now, just got to get myself motivated to start doing things during the day although I'm prepared to chill out for another four weeks while another half life passes.

 

[Tina3000]

hey bad robot do you mean you have 0 invega in your blood?

 

[Bad Robot]

No, I still feel monged out on it, but i'm recovering slowly
The doc tested my thyroids and just done a basic test for the poison in my liver and kidneys I think

 

[MisterTi]

Hi there people, I was taking 6mg tablet of Invega each day and doing exercise at gym four days a week and I couldn't lose any weight, and I am doing it since september last year, I guess Invega doesnt allow people to lose weight, I could only gain weight over these months.

So because of this I made a decision, yesterday I started taking half of the tablet, so now I am taking 3mg without my psychiatrist advice. I read somewhere people started to lose weight when they went from 6mg to 3mg of Invega.

Does anyone have something to tell about losing weight while on invega? did someone achieve it?

I hope I start losing weight now, I feel so fat, I hate myself.

Thanks for reading,
Mister T

 

[screwinvega]

You cannot lose weight until you quit invega for good, if you on pills it will take a couple months (after quitting). Be aware that your body goes into a hormonal change with this drug, and when you stop it, you will going through another hormonal change that will cause any sort of symptoms until your body find its balance.

 

[MisterTi]

You cannot lose weight until you quit invega for good, if you on pills it will take a couple months (after quitting). Be aware that your body goes into a hormonal change with this drug, and when you stop it, you will going through another hormonal change that will cause any sort of symptoms until your body find its balance.

Oh shit, I was wondering the same thing, but though that a decrease to 3mg would help losing weight.
I guess I will do now one month 3mg and then I will just leave this crap pills, doctor told me not to, but I am already without hallucinations so I am cured, doctor told that I would need 2 years on the pills, and I am only at one year mark, so would need more 1 year taking, but I won't, I am not taking any more drugs so the risk of another episode is minimal.

 

[screwinvega]

Bear in mind that antipsychotics are a lifetime deal, nobody prescribes them to someone just for a while, also once you take them they will change you forever, and you won't be able to stop them without going nuts, so you'll most likely get hospitalised and put back on them if you are not able to handle it.
A little reminder, antipsychotics drugs are used on the same people that would have been lobotomized with a stick up their eyes not so long time ago.
Before being used as a medication for people who suffers from schizophrenia they were used as sedative for animals.

They would literally take down an elephant. So they take away your possibilities to fight back, hence, your ability of reasoning.

Marco

 

[MisterTi]

I don't think that taking this pills for a lifetime deal applies to my case, my psychiatrist told me that would be 2 years minimum taking it.
Also I have been two days without the meds and nothing bad happened to me, I think my brain will go okay without the pills.
I think you are being a lot negative and over reacting about this, you are painting a really bad scenario, I dont wanna think like you, I will leave this crap in one month and start my life again. I wanna lose weight and get in contact with my old friends socializing, because I can't do it on this meds, I am always quiet and shut up.

 

[Hilary]

Bear in mind that antipsychotics are a lifetime deal, nobody prescribes them to someone just for a while, also once you take them they will change you forever, and you won't be able to stop them without going nuts, so you'll most likely get hospitalised and put back on them if you are not able to handle it.Marco

I disagree completely with that statement. Some psychiatrists do indeed prescribe AP's for a short period of time. In fact, there are recent studies showing that those patients, statistically speaking, do better than people who are medication compliant for many years. There's a debate about that very subject at Psychiatric Treatment VS Trot Out your Drugs

 

[iridescentblack]

Oh shit, I was wondering the same thing, but though that a decrease to 3mg would help losing weight.
I guess I will do now one month 3mg and then I will just leave this crap pills, doctor told me not to, but I am already without hallucinations so I am cured, doctor told that I would need 2 years on the pills, and I am only at one year mark, so would need more 1 year taking, but I won't, I am not taking any more drugs so the risk of another episode is minimal.

First of all, medical resources will always tell you to NEVER break your Invega tablets in half. They are extended release tablets. You're not necessarily getting 3 mg in each half.

2nd... If your psychiatrist is recommending you stay on it a minimum of 2 years, this is probably because the withdrawal from these intramuscular medications can be pretty fucking bad. Just take care with this 'plan' of yours. You don't want to wind up getting somatic delusions just because of a simple yet foolish mistake.