Coming off Invega/Xeplion (paliperidone) injections v 12

I hear your point about depression and small steps. Genuine question: do you think there's a difference between depression that develops on its own and the anhedonia caused by a dopamine-blocking drug? Because to me, they feel like different things, and the "small steps" approach often doesn't work when your dopamine receptors are blocked
Depression can be caused by multiple things, it’s already listed as a side effect of multiple pharmaceuticals so no not really, the end result is still the same. I think it’s easier to give up in a sense and blame invega because it’s something that you would be given during an already major event. Invega can cause negative effects on mood but you’re most likely already in a negative mood before injections because of your environment. The side effects from invega can go away but you can still feel bad because of the offer factors in your life that haven’t changed, whether it’s in your control or not. Doing absolutely nothing will do nothing but make things worse no matter the case though.
 
Depression can be caused by multiple things, it’s already listed as a side effect of multiple pharmaceuticals so no not really, the end result is still the same. I think it’s easier to give up in a sense and blame invega because it’s something that you would be given during an already major event. Invega can cause negative effects on mood but you’re most likely already in a negative mood before injections because of your environment. The side effects from invega can go away but you can still feel bad because of the offer factors in your life that haven’t changed, whether it’s in your control or not. Doing absolutely nothing will do nothing but make things worse no matter the case though.
Depression has many causes, yes. But chemically induced anhedonia from dopamine blockade is not the same as depression from life circumstances. They may look similar from the outside, but they feel fundamentally different from the inside. I'm glad your approach is working for you — truly. From my own experience, I can say that during the depression that started around the age of 12, I was in a very active life position — apathy and my life were antonyms. Even though circumstances were not in my favor, I found sources of inspiration and strived for something. Of course, the situation later became worse, to the point where I had to take antidepressants, but I still held on to hope. But the Invega incident literally turned everything upside down, making my already difficult life even harder. So I think that depression caused by circumstances is easier to treat by going through psychotherapy sessions, whereas after Invega you need to wait some more time until the dopamine receptors set the "right brightness"
 
Depression can be caused by multiple things, it’s already listed as a side effect of multiple pharmaceuticals so no not really, the end result is still the same. I think it’s easier to give up in a sense and blame invega because it’s something that you would be given during an already major event. Invega can cause negative effects on mood but you’re most likely already in a negative mood before injections because of your environment. The side effects from invega can go away but you can still feel bad because of the offer factors in your life that haven’t changed, whether it’s in your control or not. Doing absolutely nothing will do nothing but make things worse no matter the case though.
For me, there is a huge difference between depression, which I've gone through all of my life, and the fallout from Invega (& other antipsychotics). Mine happens to be a long-long withdrawal issue. For some reason I'm still emotionless & 'disabled' in so many ways. This was never the case with 'normal' depression. No matter how down I was, I still engaged in necessary activities, such as cooking & cleaning, washing & grooming, and other ones as well, watching movies & favorite TV shows, going for walks & getting sun, reading & writing, Crosswords, yada-yada. And I still felt something while doing them. This is SO different now. I can't really explain it, but my brain is nothing like it was before. I've never experienced anything like this. It's beyond brutal! ~ Dan
 
Depression has many causes, yes. But chemically induced anhedonia from dopamine blockade is not the same as depression from life circumstances. They may look similar from the outside, but they feel fundamentally different from the inside. I'm glad your approach is working for you — truly. From my own experience, I can say that during the depression that started around the age of 12, I was in a very active life position — apathy and my life were antonyms. Even though circumstances were not in my favor, I found sources of inspiration and strived for something. Of course, the situation later became worse, to the point where I had to take antidepressants, but I still held on to hope. But the Invega incident literally turned everything upside down, making my already difficult life even harder. So I think that depression caused by circumstances is easier to treat by going through psychotherapy sessions, whereas after Invega you need to wait some more time until the dopamine receptors set the "right brightness"
I don’t disagree with you, the anhedonia was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and was really scary and jarring. The thing is though is that everything is going to take some time to get through. A lot of things feel like they’re going to be forever but very few things are. It may be harder than something else, but you’re still physically able to do things, it’s a mental block.
 
For me, there is a huge difference between depression, which I've gone through all of my life, and the fallout from Invega (& other antipsychotics). Mine happens to be a long-long withdrawal issue. For some reason I'm still emotionless & 'disabled' in so many ways. This was never the case with 'normal' depression. No matter how down I was, I still engaged in necessary activities, such as cooking & cleaning, washing & grooming, and other ones as well, watching movies & favorite TV shows, going for walks & getting sun, reading & writing, Crosswords, yada-yada. And I still felt something while doing them. This is SO different now. I can't really explain it, but my brain is nothing like it was before. I've never experienced anything like this. It's beyond brutal! ~ Dan
This is actually very typical of depression, not taking care of yourself and your surroundings is a huge indicator. Not feeling interested in things you used to be is also an indicator. There are just levels to how bad it gets. I’ve experienced this before invega.
 
I was thinking about Bojana today and it's such a shame she's not alive now to cheer us on with our recovery. She had kids and was 46 years old. Such a beautiful name too, Bojana. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think she was 14 months off of Invega when she ended it. I wish she were still alive today.
She had invega trinza, I told her that it wasn't even out of her system yet and she killed herself anyway. I wish it had never happened to her, it didn't have to. I hate the doctor who gave it to her, he gave it to her for depression. No antipsychotics ever, not schizophrenic, the idiot jumped her up to the highest dose of a heavy antipsychotic and now she's dead. If that isn't malpractice I don't know what is.
 
I took it electively because the hospital was so bad at attending to me making me feel safe., I just wanted to leave.

The PTSD from the psych hospital actually fucked me up way worse then the injections. That shit was straight up trauma. Between being thrown in solitary myself and pinned down and injected about 5 or 6 times, seeing others being thrown in solitary, all the screaming and shit and just general noise and ya i had some PTSD for sure. Thankfully shrooms and ketamine really helped me
 
This is actually very typical of depression, not taking care of yourself and your surroundings is a huge indicator. Not feeling interested in things you used to be is also an indicator. There are just levels to how bad it gets. I’ve experienced this before invega.
It was NEVER typical of me. This is all Invega fallout. It corrupted my brain, made me a different person in the most horrible ways. Two fateful f'n injections.
 
It's so sad that because of invega, even when my mom hugs me, I'm not able to feel the warm affection I used to feel from a hug. It's still better than no hugs, but it's sad that it even breaks up natural bonds like that. I can't believe such a medicine isn't banned yet. It's been on the market since 2009, that's 17 years!!
 
It was NEVER typical of me. This is all Invega fallout. It corrupted my brain, made me a different person in the most horrible ways. Two fateful f'n injections.
If you don't mind me asking — have you and your doctor discussed a plan for gradually reducing your dose, with the goal of eventually stopping?
 
If you don't mind me asking — have you and your doctor discussed a plan for gradually reducing your dose, with the goal of eventually stopping?
I went off Invega in January 2025. I've been dealing with horrific symptoms since, about a month or maybe a little more later, when the half-life was waning or done.
 
It's so sad that because of invega, even when my mom hugs me, I'm not able to feel the warm affection I used to feel from a hug. It's still better than no hugs, but it's sad that it even breaks up natural bonds like that. I can't believe such a medicine isn't banned yet. It's been on the market since 2009, that's 17 years!!
Yeah, it's awful, I can't feel the warmth of a hug either. I pretty much feel absolutely nothing. Connections gone. None of my emotions manifest in the way they did before. It's a tragic loss for sure. Peace, BC.
 
I went off Invega in January 2025. I've been dealing with horrific symptoms since, about a month or maybe a little more later, when the half-life was waning or done.
I'm not talking about Invega, but about the antipsychotics you're taking now. It's possible they could be one of the reasons why your recovery has been taking so long
 
Thank you for your honesty. You are a very strong person. I wish I could be like that too.
choosing to live after what happened still makes you a strong person. this drug takes everything from you, it's like being drained of your soul. suicide, i had those thoughts too, but it does get better. i'm sure you've heard that many times, but it does.
nobody truly appreciates life until they're on the edge of it like now. remember everything you've worked hard towards, your dreams. don't lose sight of what you want life to become. one day i hope you'll look back and see this as nothing more than a bad memory, because you and everyone else here is capable of surviving hell.
 
I took it electively because the hospital was so bad at attending to me making me feel safe., I just wanted to leave.
i truly believe these hospitals don't want us to know what is legal or right. i wonder how many of us didn't have to take invega but were coerced or manipulated by doctors.
 
Im still pissed off over how i was treated though. Also in our psych ward there was always 5 or 6 to a room. So i had to wd in there. Thankfully i can remember none of thw wd's. Im not trying to either im cool with not remembering lol
no bullshit the rooms to the left and right of mine had "high risk individuals" or whatever. the screaming schizophrenics, the one who argue with invisible people all night and punch walls. they had to be restrained in cuffs sometimes while receiving their antipsychotic injection in their ankle. the nurses when i was there were nice, the group therapy also wasn't too bad, it was just the constant noise and the douchey doctor. at one point i was flushed, sweating through all clothes and feeling panicky due to WD and he laughed and said "its the anxiety of being here, i'll order an atarax" (hydroxyzine.) he also told my mother if he saw me here again i'll be sent to the state hospital/asylum since my invega complaints were delusional and paranoid
 
choosing to live after what happened still makes you a strong person. this drug takes everything from you, it's like being drained of your soul. suicide, i had those thoughts too, but it does get better. i'm sure you've heard that many times, but it does.
nobody truly appreciates life until they're on the edge of it like now. remember everything you've worked hard towards, your dreams. don't lose sight of what you want life to become. one day i hope you'll look back and see this as nothing more than a bad memory, because you and everyone else here is capable of surviving hell.
Thank you for your warm words of support
 
no bullshit the rooms to the left and right of mine had "high risk individuals" or whatever. the screaming schizophrenics, the one who argue with invisible people all night and punch walls. they had to be restrained in cuffs sometimes while receiving their antipsychotic injection in their ankle. the nurses when i was there were nice, the group therapy also wasn't too bad, it was just the constant noise and the douchey doctor. at one point i was flushed, sweating through all clothes and feeling panicky due to WD and he laughed and said "its the anxiety of being here, i'll order an atarax" (hydroxyzine.) he also told my mother if he saw me here again i'll be sent to the state hospital/asylum since my invega complaints were delusional and paranoid

The staff where the worst thing about our psych ward. They where all just horrible fucking people for the most part. One male nurse where cool the rest where just only what i would call cunts. At our psych ward they had everyone together pretty much. n my room there was a guy who would yell at himself all night that type of shit just drove me nuts.

Where the fuck are the psychiatrists though? Theyl have like 10 nurses on staff at night but no shrink. They have patients with very serious mental disorders basically just caged up because they dont have fuck all shrinks on staff. Most of the people who are there for schizophrenia could be treated. But so many people just fall through the cravks. I myself was left unmedicated and completely psychotic for 3 months. I had my brother trying to get me on meds but the shrink kept brushing him off saying that i had weeed psychosis.

The laziness or modern psychiatry pisses me off so much. You have so many people just wasting away in the psych ward because noone will treat them. You also have people getting ECT simply because of treatment resistant depression which basically means that SSRI's dont work. No shit they dont work for anyone. Why not try something that works like ketamine, shrooms or metthylphenidate?
 
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