Mental Health Coming off Invega Sustenna (paliperidone)

[Narshe81]

Hi,

I was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia last year and was forced to take Invega Sustenna at 100mg a month for 10 months started back on December 5th 2012. The medication gave me severe anhedonia and rendered me an emotionless zombie who cannot function. I have lost my job and have been on disability ever since. I have lost all of my motivation and willpower to do anything. Even showering seems to be an impossible task. I can no longer feel happy, joy, excited, or pleasure. Things that used to give me pleasure all have stopped working since I started Invega Sustenna. Cigarettes and alcohol no longer have any effects on me since the drug blocks dopamine and serotonin receptors.

My last shot was on August 29th 2013, and I have been off this medication for almost 3 months now. I have yet to feel any improvement at all. This has been the worst experience in my life. The worst form of torture I have ever been through. I won't even wish it upon my worst enemy. The worst part is that weed doesn't even work on me anymore after this medication. No matter how good the buds or how much I smoke, I would feel nothing. Not even a buzz.

I have been trying to find some information about anyone who has successfully came off this drug but I have had no luck. I have read that this drug has a really long half life of 25-49 days, and it takes 5-6 half lives to get rid of a medication, so that's 150-300 days. Does that mean I will have to feel like this for another year at least?

Any information would be greatly appreciated. I am truly desperate.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

Did you quit under the supervision of your doctor or did you just stop going?

You say you were misdiagnosed. Did a doctor tell you that you were misdiagnosed or did you come to this conclusion on your own?

 

[Narshe81]

I quit under the supervision of my doctor. He said I was misdiagnosed and that it may have just been a weed induced psychosis. At the time this whole thing happened, I wasn't sleeping much at all because I was working graveyard shifts and was always awake during the day to spend time with my ex girlfriend who was working regular shift. I ended up having had like 3-4 hours of sleep max per night for almost a year. Then I was also smoking weed. But I wasn't smoking that much, maybe a few joints a day.

I am scared to death that Invega Sustenna has caused me permanent anhedonia.

 

[paranoid android]

I have never been on paliperidone (trade name Invega) but i have been on risperidone of which paliperidone is the active metabolite of. So anyone who has ever been on risperdal consta would have the same set of side effects as someone on Invega sustenna. I was on the risperidone pills at doses of up to 4mg's a day for about a year or so on and off and it was a very unpleasant drug to say the least though it was better then suffering from bipolar disorder that drove me out of my mind literally. Though i did find it to be nearly as good or reliable in treating manic or mixed state symptoms as zyprexa or seroquel. So i went off it and have been on seroquel ever since. I got the zombie effects on risperdal once i got over the 2mg mark which is when most people get hit with the side effects of risperdal. It seriously messed up my sex life cause i felt like i had a rubber cock as i couldn't really feel anything which is something no other anti-psychotic i have ever been on did to me.

It is very important to taper off anti-psychotics very slowly as your symptoms will more often come back with a vengeance and even people without any pre existing condition can get withdrawal symptoms coming off anti-psychotics. Risperidone seems to be the worst offender for this among the atypical anti-psychotics thus since all invega is is the active metabolite of risperidone it would cause the same symptoms. I had bad rebound mania and psychotic like symptoms after coming off risperdal cold turkey. I would say that it was a good month of tapering off the stuff until i felt back to normal more or less.

According to rxlist the median half life of a single injection of invega sustenna in the 39-234mg mark is 25-49 days. Although it may take a good bit longer for your receptors to go back to normal once the drug is out of your system. I would say mention the way you feel to your doctor ASAP. It could be more then the invega you where on causing this as major depression can cause anhedonia worse then any drug can.

Anyway good luck man and hang in there

 

[starkid]

wNarshe81, your inbox is "full" (i.e. you hit the ridiculous 5 message quota) and this silly site doesn't allow me to message you because of it, so I'm replying to you "publicly" here:

Thank you for your respond. So after all these month dexedrines still don't work for you?

Most likely. It had no effect over a year later, and then I just took it all and didn't bother getting a refill since it did nothing.

When was the last time you tried it?

The last time I tried it was a little over a year after the first injection, so that would be sometime in early 2013.

Did ritalin not work for you before too and then slowly started to work?

I don't know about ritalin... I think it worked when I tried it, but I had to take a very large dose.

I am so scared that I have been on this poison for so long that I may have some permanent damage from it. The best part is we can't even sue them because they are so big. I feel horrible all the time and nothing I do fixes it. Worst part is weed doesn't work. I will have to wait a year to start feeling better? ...... I hope I can last that long.

If possible can you describe how you began to feel better? Did it come over night or slowly noticing something is improving?

Thanks again

Everyone is different. For me it took about a year to feel better. I almost killed myself and got put on antidepressants (effexor and welbutrin). I'm only recently almost finished with effexor (it has taken several months to gradually and safely lower the dose).

The only thing I can say is that the experience taught me one thing, and that is that it's absolutely necessary to have a good answer to the question: what am I living for? Why am I still alive? Is there anything left in life that I want?

I decided not to kill myself because I wanted to experience love again and for a longer period of time.

Feel free to ask any other questions (send me a PM once you've cleared your inbox, and keep an eye on it so that it doesn't get full again). I wish you well and I hope you have somebody close to you that you can talk to about this.

 

[starkid]

I am scared to death that Invega Sustenna has caused me permanent anhedonia.

I think that will go away if you stay alive long enough. Part of it might also be depression (created by the damage that Invega does).

Make no mistake, and make sure to tell your friends this: antipsychotics are toxins.

When doctors administrate antipsychotics to patients, they are breaking their vow to do no harm, because they are literally poisoning their patients.

Furthermore, Invega Sustenna is the WORST out of all of the antipsychotics that I'm aware of because of its half-life.

When a doctor injects someone with one of these drugs against their will, they are chemically raping their patient.

That happened to me, and it happens to thousands of people every year (if not more). These people need to lose their license and possibly be sent to prison.

 

[Narshe81]

Thank you I just got a notification about the inbox being full too. I didn't know the limit was just 5 msgs. It's empty now btw.

I smoke weed and cigarettes and they have all stopped working for me. Normally I will not care so much since I'm not really addicted to them, but the way I am feeling right now. This restlessness, despair, uneasiness, and boredom. Nothing I can do to make them go away. I have lost interest in everything.

You only had 2 shots and it still effected you this much. I was given 100mg a month for 10 months and I am really scared to death that I will never be the same again. I want to be able to enjoy life again. To be able to watch a movie, play game, enjoy a walk, eating good food, etc. I want to experience all of that again instead of this constant feeling of doom. I also got this toothache. Yes, toothache is also a side effect of invega sustenna. It happens to a small number of people and I was lucky enough to be one of them. It is driving me insane. It's a whole new dimension of toothache pain. Just last night I was kept up from 11pm till 5am because of the pain.

I have not been able to find a success story about anyone coming off Invega Sustenna yet. I found this other lady who is 33 and hasn't had her period for over a year after stopping invega sustenna. She can never have kids again and she's planning to sue.

I don't even want to sue. I just want to be normal again. I really am losing hope though after what I have been reading so far online about it.

 

[starkid]

Thank you I just got a notification about the inbox being full too. I didn't know the limit was just 5 msgs. It's empty now btw.

I smoke weed and cigarettes and they have all stopped working for me. Normally I will not care so much since I'm not really addicted to them, but the way I am feeling right now. This restlessness, despair, uneasiness, and boredom. Nothing I can do to make them go away. I have lost interest in everything.

That sounds exactly like how I felt.


If you go to a doctor they will diagnose you with depression and put you on antidepressants.

Studies have shown that antidepressants are no better than placebos in most cases: http://www.newsweek.com/why-antidepressants-are-no-better-placebos-71111

The appear to have some efficacy for extreme (suicidal) depression that goes a little bit beyond placebo (according to some studies mentioned in that link).

I think their main effectiveness comes not from the drug (all of which come with side effects, and many of which take months to come off of safely), but rather from the fuss that's created surrounding them (relatives and doctors fussing over you and trying to fix the problem). This activity results in a distraction and a "show of love" that is probably what actually has any effectiveness in treatment. That's just my theory on it (based on what I've read and personal experience).

You only had 2 shots and it still effected you this much. I was given 100mg a month for 10 months and I am really scared to death that I will never be the same again. I want to be able to enjoy life again. To be able to watch a movie, play game, enjoy a walk, eating good food, etc. I want to experience all of that again instead of this constant feeling of doom. I also got this toothache. Yes, toothache is also a side effect of invega sustenna. It happens to a small number of people and I was lucky enough to be one of them. It is driving me insane. It's a whole new dimension of toothache pain. Just last night I was kept up from 11pm till 5am because of the pain.

I'm sorry to hear of your toothache, I didn't know that was a possibility.

Right now you need all the support you can get from those close to you. You probably will need someone to be your "personal assistant" and help you with medical and insurance related tasks, and possibly with applying for disability if you feel that you need to.

There is no good documentation that I was able to find on how long the damage from this toxin lasts, but in my case the change to my brain seems to have been permanent.

The good news is that the anhedonia went away. I am certainly not emotionless anymore. For example, thinking about this topic fills me with rage at what these Nazis wearing white coats are doing to people.

My recommendation, as you have only just recently stopped taking this, is to clear your calendar for at least a year. You will need a lot of support from those close to you, and they have to be understanding and patient. Based on what happened to me, I recommend taking at least a year off. I lived with my parents for a year after the injection and had that not been the case I'd probably be dead by now.

I don't know if more injections means more damage. Except for the toothache the adjectives you are using are identical to ones that I was using. I had experienced what is meant by despair for the first time. Despair and agony were very familiar to me, and not a day went by for months that I didn't think about killing myself. I came very close to it. Like I said earlier, what kept me alive was deciding that I had a reason to want to stay alive.

I have not been able to find a success story about anyone coming off Invega Sustenna yet. I found this other lady who is 33 and hasn't had her period for over a year after stopping invega sustenna. She can never have kids again and she's planning to sue.

Personally, I think it's good that she can't have kids. Since this episode, I have become a staunch anti-natalist and think anyone who decides to have children is behaving in a very irresponsible and borderline-criminal way.

I honestly think that anyone who thinks it's a good idea to have children should not be allowed to have children. Not at this time here on planet Earth.

As far as suing, I think that's the right thing to do, and I'm waiting for an opening in my calendar to investigate that topic in more detail.

There are many drugs that the Nazi Doctors of America are using to destroy people's lives (under the false pretense of wanting to help them), and there are many support websites that exist for them. If there's one for Invega/Invega Sustenna, I'd like to know about it, and if there isn't one I'll probably start it in a few months.

I strongly recommend that any victims of these drugs get together to start a lawsuit against the companies that sell and manufacture these poisons, and also the doctors who prescribe them.

I don't even want to sue. I just want to be normal again. I really am losing hope though after what I have been reading so far online about it.

Yeah, I hear ya, and when I was were you are I felt the same. I was too far under the waves of despair and agony to care much about what had happened to me, but now that I've surfaced and have made it to shore I think I would be failing as a human being to not do something to prevent this from happening to someone else.

I have been there, and hearing that others are going through the same thing just reminds me that I have to do something to prevent this from happening again while I'm alive and able and willing. To not do so would be negligent.

Back to your situation though: my recommendation is to stop thinking about the future and whether or not you'll recover. First decide whether you have anything worth living for. If you haven't gotten the point where that seems like a relevant question, then that's actually a sign that you're not as far under as I was. If you decide that there's still something you want to stay alive for, then the rest of your decisions are fairly easy: find support, wait it out for as long as necessary, and re-evaluate in a year, keeping in mind that it may take two years to feel somewhat normal again. Be prepared to do nothing for a long time. It's actually kinda nice in that you can unplug from the world and take a break to relax or whatever. I spent a long time simply sunbathing in the backyard and on the roof, meditating, sleeping, browsing the web, etc.

Finally, some concrete advice, that you're free to follow or ignore as you see fit:

1. When you feel up to it, research nootropics.
2. Buy a bunch.
3. Become a vegan or a vegetarian. If you become a vegan, get B-vitamin supplements. They've injected enough crap into you already, there's no reason to put more crap into your body voluntarily if you can help it.
4. Subscribe to [email protected] and browse the discussions there

My recommendation for nootropics is based on the fact that many of them come out of research for people with alzheimer's and other degenerative brain diseases, and that therefore they might be able to repair some of the damage. I did take some, and I don't know if they helped, but they certainly didn't hurt and it's worth a shot.

Tips regarding nootropics: some require taking a choline supplement with them (piracetam and oxiracetam, for instance). Make sure to get it and take it with it. Try noopept too.

You may want to take two, maybe four or even ten times the recommended dose. They're very safe and most are (currently) legal, so stock up. Don't take a mega dose as your first try though, start gently to see if you have any negative reactions to it, and then increase. Make sure to read up on what is "too much" to be safe.

I hope that helps you! Let me know if you have any other questions! I'll be watching this thread.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

Thank you I just got a notification about the inbox being full too. I didn't know the limit was just 5 msgs. It's empty now btw.

I smoke weed and cigarettes and they have all stopped working for me. Normally I will not care so much since I'm not really addicted to them, but the way I am feeling right now. This restlessness, despair, uneasiness, and boredom. Nothing I can do to make them go away. I have lost interest in everything.

You only had 2 shots and it still effected you this much. I was given 100mg a month for 10 months and I am really scared to death that I will never be the same again. I want to be able to enjoy life again. To be able to watch a movie, play game, enjoy a walk, eating good food, etc. I want to experience all of that again instead of this constant feeling of doom. I also got this toothache. Yes, toothache is also a side effect of invega sustenna. It happens to a small number of people and I was lucky enough to be one of them. It is driving me insane. It's a whole new dimension of toothache pain. Just last night I was kept up from 11pm till 5am because of the pain.

I have not been able to find a success story about anyone coming off Invega Sustenna yet. I found this other lady who is 33 and hasn't had her period for over a year after stopping invega sustenna. She can never have kids again and she's planning to sue.

I don't even want to sue. I just want to be normal again. I really am losing hope though after what I have been reading so far online about it.

I am really sorry you are having this experience. I don't know if I agree with your doctor allowing you to quit this med cold turkey. Is there any way for you to request another doctor for a second opinion or something? Have you reported to your current doctor what you reported to us?

I don't know much about invega sustenna but I do know the withdrawals of certain anti-psychotics could possibly bring about a flood of the very symptoms the drug is supposed to contain. Remember, if you ever feel like you are going to lose your shit, a trip to a hospital emergency room isn't always such a bad idea. Surely you have medical insurance if you are more than 10 months into your treatment.

 

[Narshe81]

I'm in Canada so my medical is all covered for. My next appointment with my doctor is on December 11th coming up. He said he will give me a second opinion if my condition hasn't significantly improved by then.

I don't know what is on his mind. I don't really mind having had to quit to medicine cold turkey and haven't felt any withdrawal symptoms yet. All I feel are the side effects that came about a week or so after my first injection of Invega Sustenna. They all haven't gone away and still as strong as ever.

I really am scared to death that this will be my default state from now on. That this will be permanent. I really don't know what to do or what to think. I haven't found anyone who came off this medication successfully yet.

 

[ad lib]

When a doctor injects someone with one of these drugs against their will, they are chemically raping their patient.

That happened to me, and it happens to thousands of people every year (if not more). These people need to lose their license and possibly be sent to prison.

This is the sad truth. It's, like you mentioned, chemical rape. Also unethical. This can also fall under assault/battery.



PS: starkid- as soon as you hit 50 posts you won't need to worry about that 5 PM box limit

 

[khaverim7]

Hi,

The medication gave me severe anhedonia and rendered me an emotionless zombie who cannot function. I have lost my job and have been on disability ever since. I have lost all of my motivation and willpower to do anything. Even showering seems to be an impossible task. I can no longer feel happy, joy, excited, or pleasure. Things that used to give me pleasure all have stopped working since I started Invega Sustenna.

Identical symptoms here. I'm completely depressed, all the time and have contemplated suicide very often. 22y/o male.

I took one shot and a booster shot for a total of ~350mg on 10/30 then 11/4. So it's been a little over a month. I had severe restlessness but that has gone away. Anhedonia, no interest, no sex drive, and also, no appetite.

I'll keep an eye on this thread for hope of a solution. My doc prescribed a dopamine supplement Vyvance and it seems to help a little bit but truth be told I still feel like a zombie.

 

[Narshe81]

Identical symptoms here. I'm completely depressed, all the time and have contemplated suicide very often. 22y/o male.

I took one shot and a booster shot for a total of ~350mg on 10/30 then 11/4. So it's been a little over a month. I had severe restlessness but that has gone away. Anhedonia, no interest, no sex drive, and also, no appetite.

I'll keep an eye on this thread for hope of a solution. My doc prescribed a dopamine supplement Vyvance and it seems to help a little bit but truth be told I still feel like a zombie.

Hi,

Sorry to hear that you are also in the same horrid situation. You only had two shots of it? Are you off it yet or how long do you have to take it for? Was it for schizophrenia/psychosis?

I have yet to find a person who has fully recovered from Invega Sustenna. There was a guy I found who only had 2 shots of it too and it took him one year to start feeling better.

The medication has a really long half life so I won't know for sure if this will be permanent until at least a year has pass. This is truly torturing to have to live like this for another year knowing that there is ABSOLUTELY nothing that can help your symptoms. No drugs or stimulants will work. Even street drugs. Nothing will lift your mood. Your doctor will prescribe you a bunch of meds to try to deal with this but they will not work.

I read many posts about it. Nothing worked.

 

[Narshe81]

Here the link to a post of a guy who is suffering with it permanently from only 6 months of neuroleptic injections:

http://www.bluelight.ru/vb/threads/699621-Permanently-destroyed-as-a-human-being-from-neuroleptics


According to WebMD, the followings are the side effects of Invega Sustenna:


Feeling Restless Severe
Parkinson Symptoms Severe
Extrapyramidal Reaction Severe
Blurred Vision Severe
Problems with Eyesight Severe
Acute Infection of the Nose, Throat or Sinus Severe
Itching Severe
Mental Impairment Severe
Dizzy Severe
Chronic Trouble Sleeping Severe
A Feeling of Restlessness with Inability to Sit Still Severe
Voluntary Movement Difficulty Severe
Rash Severe
Nervous Severe
Reaction due to an Allergy Severe
Anxious Severe
Sexual Problems Severe
Altered Interest in Having Sexual Intercourse Severe
Muscle Problems that cause Abnormal Movement Less Severe
Throat Irritation Less Severe
Inflammation of the Nose Less Severe
Increased Production of Saliva Less Severe
Dry Mouth Less Severe
Indigestion Less Severe
Incomplete or Infrequent Bowel Movements Less Severe
Drowsiness Less Severe
Inducing of a Relaxed Easy State Less Severe
Low Energy Less Severe
Weight Gain Less Severe
Change in Appetite Less Severe
Head Pain Less Severe
Cough Less Severe
Feel Like Throwing Up Less Severe
Throwing Up Less Severe
Problems with Bladder Control Less Severe
Runny Nose Less Severe
Infrequent side effects of Invega Sustenna IM:
Blood Pressure Drop Upon Standing Severe
Abnormally Low Blood Pressure Severe
Discharge of Milk in Men or Women when Not Breastfeeding Severe
Seborrhea Severe
Backache Severe
Cannot Focus Thoughts Severe
Fast Heartbeat Severe
Heart Throbbing or Pounding Severe
Trouble Breathing Severe
Chest Pain Severe
High Blood Sugar Severe
Problem with Periods Less Severe
Joint Pain Less Severe
Muscle Weakness Less Severe
Muscle Pain Less Severe
Uncoordinated Less Severe
Nosebleed Less Severe
Diarrhea Less Severe
Stomach Cramps Less Severe
Feeling Weak Less Severe
Increased Levels of Prolactin in the Blood Less Severe
High Amount of Fats in the Blood Less Severe
Confused Less Severe
Rare side effects of Invega Sustenna IM:
Abnormal Movements of Face Muscles and Tongue Severe
Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Severe
Yellowing of Skin or Eyes from Liver Problems Severe
Pancreatitis Severe
Blood Clot in Lung Severe
Heart Block Severe
Abnormal Heart Electrical Signals Severe
Atrial Fibrillation Severe
Prolonged Q-T Interval on EKG Severe
Transient Ischemic Attack Severe
Stroke Severe
Lack of Blood Supply to the Brain Severe
Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Severe
Blocked Bowels with No Movement Severe
Continued Painful Erection Severe
Hives Severe
Serious Muscle Damage that may Lead to Kidney Failure Severe
Unwareness Severe
Feeling Faint Severe
Seizures Severe
Temporarily Stops Breathing While Sleeping Severe
Fever Severe
Involuntary Quivering Severe
Visible Water Retention Severe
Loss of Appetite Severe
Swollen Tongue Severe
Abnormal Liver Function Tests Severe
Low Body Temperature Severe
Life Threatening Allergic Reaction Severe
Giant Hives Severe
Diabetes Severe
Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone Secretion Severe
Decreased Blood Platelets Severe
Deficiency of Granulocytes a Type of White Blood Cell Severe
Decreased White Blood Cells Severe
Decreased Neutrophils a Type of White Blood Cell Severe
Disturbance of Attention Less Severe
Stuffy Nose Less Severe
Urinary Tract Infection Less Severe
Breast Tenderness Less Severe
Hair Loss Less Severe
Muscle Spasm Less Severe
Muscle Stiffness Less Severe
Sleep Disorder Less Severe
Taste Problems Less Severe
Numbness Less Severe
Fluid Retention in the Legs, Feet, Arms or Hands Less Severe
Difficulty Speaking Less Severe
Gas Less Severe
Cannot Empty Bladder Less Severe
Low Blood Sugar Less Severe
Problem with Ejaculation Less Severe




...... And they call this a medication. What I don't get is why all the neuroleptic/antipsychotic drugs do NOT list anhedonia as a side effect?

 

[khaverim7]

Only 2 shots, yeah. It's been about a month since the last one and I'm not continuing. I was misdiagnosed for schizophrenia too. I had a brief psychotic disorder (BPD) from extreme stress, possibly mold toxicity, and over religious stuff that my best friend was teaching me. My best friend kicked me out of the apartment I was paying for and I ended up homeless, baker acted, and pumped full of a wide range of antipsychotics because I was wrapped up in apocalyptic delusions (40 days in the psych ward). The antipsychotics didn't seem to affect me like this, but lastly Invega Sustenna did. I had horrible restlessness and had to walk around all the time because I felt like I couldn't escape myself at first but now it's just a constant depression.

To be honest man, I'm still not sure if this joyless, lifeless, black cloud, interest-less, anhedonia feeling is from the drug or from an overall confusion/depression about reality, God, heaven/hell, life and stuff. I am so confused after all this. I feel like I have to completely restructure my belief-system from the ground up.

My hope for myself and for you is that "time heals all wounds". My doc has me on a bunch of supplements that are supposed to help (not sure if they are helping) and I'm getting IV detox treatments to try to flush out the drug. I'm pretty fortunate that my parents are taking care of me now, but I don't know if this feeling will ever go away. I don't know if I have a physical problem or a philosophical one.

Yours sounds strictly physical, so in a way that's better than my situation. You might just need to regenerate the parts that have been "broken".

Omega-3's and Nootropics may help. Or a dopamine supplement (Vyvance or Adderol, I think) That is about as much as I know.

I know it sucks man. Feel free to keep posting or message me with questions and stuff. It's not like I'm doing anything else.

 

[khaverim7]

I talked to one guy that had depression (worst ever), insomnia, and restlessness and felt better after only 2 months of his last injection. I don't know how many injections he had but he did recover. He's about 2 years away from his last injection now and seems to be doing alright.

 

[Narshe81]

I talked to one guy that had depression (worst ever), insomnia, and restlessness and felt better after only 2 months of his last injection. I don't know how many injections he had but he did recover. He's about 2 years away from his last injection now and seems to be doing alright.

I also found one guy who was on it for 3 months and felt better after 8-9 months. He didn't specify exactly how many months it took since the last injection to feel better. It seems that he's doing well and now busy living his life to give any more details.

Then I found another guy who was taking Haldol for 3 months then got one shot of Invega Sustenna for 1 month. It took him roughly the same time period to recover as well. He mentioned that one night he was having a sleep paralysis and then felt a wave of euphoria washed over him. The next morning he said he woke up feeling better than he had felt all year.

I also found a case of this girl's boyfriend who was diagnosed with schizophrenia since he was 14 and been taking different types of antipsychotics up until he was 24. The last while he was on Invega Sustenna injection once a month for 2 years. She said that he is now back in hospital after having withdrawn from it for 5-6 months. His symptoms came back after he stopped his medication.

Considering the half life expectancy of Invega Sustenna being 25-49 days, with elimination time of 5-6 half life which is 4-8 months, we can assume from those examples we can see that the time frames are pretty similar. I guess we should give it at least 8 months before we start to get really scared.

Though I did also find a poster that really scared me. He has been on Zyprexa injections for 6 months and it has been 11 months since his last injection and he still does't feel any improvement from his symptoms. It is scary because Zyprexa has a shorter half life than Invega Sustenna.

 

[paranoid android]

I'm in Canada so my medical is all covered for. My next appointment with my doctor is on December 11th coming up. He said he will give me a second opinion if my condition hasn't significantly improved by then.

I don't know what is on his mind. I don't really mind having had to quit to medicine cold turkey and haven't felt any withdrawal symptoms yet. All I feel are the side effects that came about a week or so after my first injection of Invega Sustenna. They all haven't gone away and still as strong as ever.

I really am scared to death that this will be my default state from now on. That this will be permanent. I really don't know what to do or what to think. I haven't found anyone who came off this medication successfully yet.

Invega is basically the active metabolite of risperdal so as risperdal consta has been around awile i do know people who have come off this medication or atleast gotten down to a low dose of the pills so yes it can be done. I am also from Canada and know the way the mental health system works here which is why i no longer even bother with having a shrink because really the last douche i went to see made me want to deck him within 5 minutes of being there. I have never hated anyone so fast before in my fucking life.

I have never been on invega but i have been on risperdal pills before. More so then with any other anti-psychotic i have seen and experienced bad reactions upon abrupt withdrawal of risperidone. So yeah i would say go off it slowly.

 

[Narshe81]

Invega is basically the active metabolite of risperdal so as risperdal consta has been around awile i do know people who have come off this medication or atleast gotten down to a low dose of the pills so yes it can be done. I am also from Canada and know the way the mental health system works here which is why i no longer even bother with having a shrink because really the last douche i went to see made me want to deck him within 5 minutes of being there. I have never hated anyone so fast before in my fucking life.

I have never been on invega but i have been on risperdal pills before. More so then with any other anti-psychotic i have seen and experienced bad reactions upon abrupt withdrawal of risperidone. So yeah i would say go off it slowly.

I haven't had any problem from having gone off it cold turkey. My condition and my feelings haven't changed at all and I still feel the same as when I was during those injections. It has been a bit over 3 months now. I haven't even notice any withdrawal symptoms.

I am really praying on the fact that it is because Invega Sustenna has a very long half life and that is why I haven't recovered yet. And that I will EVENTUALLY recover within a year.

Are you off all meds now and are you doing OK? Any anhedonia?

 

[paranoid android]

I haven't had any problem from having gone off it cold turkey. My condition and my feelings haven't changed at all and I still feel the same as when I was during those injections. It has been a bit over 3 months now. I haven't even notice any withdrawal symptoms.

I am really praying on the fact that it is because Invega Sustenna has a very long half life and that is why I haven't recovered yet. And that I will EVENTUALLY recover within a year.

Are you off all meds now and are you doing OK? Any anhedonia?

Ah ic well i read you wrong then. Are you sure you are not depressed? That can certainly cause symptoms similar to what you describe.

As for me no i am not med free by any means but i am doing better on average then i was before. I now take 200mg's of lamotrigine, 300-400mg's of seroquel, 300mg's of Wellbutrin and 4-6mg's of clonazepam a day. That is my daily psychiatric drug cocktail and i do not get any anhedonia at all. I was on risperidone for maybe a year altogether but now i take seroquel instead as the seroquel helps the manic and depressive symptoms for me plus unlike risperdal i can actually enjoy having sex while on seroquel. Risperdal gave me that rubber cock feeling that i got from effexor as well though not as bad.