Paliperidone for Schizoaffective Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Joe...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 14, 2021

Paliperidone "I have been a user since 2008, with a break of one year in the beginning related to my opinion that I am okay now, but unfortunately, the disease was still there. After this break, it's been 11 years that I am normal, I don't hear voices, I have a stable job, with no tension to feel conspiracies towards me. I may have gained some weight in the beginning, then I was too thin, but now I am normal in kilos according to my age of 42. I would propose it to someone who wants to live a normal life. Of course, according to my doctor, it suits me perfectly. May not to other people."

• San...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 16, 2017

Paliperidone "This medicine helps in curing the voices and delusional thoughts that sometimes come with schizoaffective disorders. But the worst side of this medication is complete weight gain. I went from size 2 to 14. It also makes your boobs grow bigger and stops the menstrual periods. The drug stays in the system for a long period of time. I stopped it in May, and it’s been 5 months, but I keep on gaining weight and boobs keep getting bigger and bigger. Worst medication ever! I have to deal with the weight gain, and this causes a lot of insecurities, especially for a lady! But the doctor told me that it gradually comes out of the system with time. So still hoping that my life will get back to normal with time."

• Jun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 30, 2018

Paliperidone "Update: it’s been almost a week since my first shot of Invega. Here is my assessment. After a day or two, very sore arm where the injection happened. Been very sleepy and lethargic, but the body couldn’t sit still. Very vivid dreams. Also, I haven’t had much let-up in my delusions, voices, or mania. It’s just right now I don’t have the energy to do much about them. Due for the next shot in 3 days. I’m finally starting to not feel as tired, and the arm is starting to not be as sore, but not 100% yet. Hoping this next shot will help with the above-mentioned things (mania, paranoia, etc.). I’ll keep you updated."

• You...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 6, 2023

"I have been taking paliperidone Invega for 3 years constantly and have gained 80 kg over this time and now am basically an invalid! I can barely get around anymore, feel suicidal still every morning, and honestly, it couldn't get any worse for me. I have more than doubled my healthy weight...this drug makes you rapidly gain weight, not gradually, we are talking up to 6 kg in a month! Stay away, run away, and don't let the doctors EVER fool you into thinking that the pros of the drug outweigh the cons. There are no pros in life if you can barely walk out your front door every morning! I've said enough."

• ROM...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2022

Paliperidone "I have been on Invega Sustenna twice. Once a few years ago, from Jan 2018 to March 2018, and recently one shot in May 2022. Both times for schizoaffective disorder diagnosed based on drug abuse. The first time, I indeed gained weight and felt hopeless throughout the whole process. This last time, I made a change that has been beneficial. So far, I have had 8 weeks since my shot and have lost weight. Especially liver fat. This has been accomplished by doing a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting. I also added a blended lemon with ACV (apple cider vinegar) and cayenne pepper blended with a glass of water twice daily, at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. It is true... you are not in the mood to do anything at all times. All movies are boring, all activities feel like an overwhelming need for energy, which one does not possess. However... losing weight throughout the process this time around has been a tremendous help to boost non-dopamine morale, just cognitive comprehension of self, with no brain reward."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 7, 2018

Paliperidone "I don't know why they started me on 156 mg, but I couldn't think straight on such a high dose, and I was sleeping 16 hours a day. Zero libido, dizzy spells, acne, plus 50 pounds of weight gain. I lowered my injection 3 times to now 39 mg, the lowest dose. Less acne, still fat, still zero libido, but less dizzy. The benefit was that I have zero delusions."

• Din...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 26, 2023

Paliperidone "The worst medicine. I had a radical weight gain, 60 lbs gained in 3 months. I felt depressed while on it. I’ve been off for 2 and a half years and still haven’t gotten back to my normal weight, although I’ve lost 22 pounds."

• Dra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 28, 2019

"I was prescribed injections with Invega Paliperidone after I was diagnosed for being 'a little weird car thing' or something like that while one Dr. insisted it was a psychosis after telling I had heard confusing language. Besides lethargy and severe depression and feeling really awful all the time, Paliperidone causes a constant, jittery, torturous agitation, which made it impossible to sit still or work or do anything at all, really, besides chain-smoking and walking around like a zombie. Akathisia is a severe side effect of antipsychotics that can be mistakenly diagnosed as a mental illness. Invega made it impossible to experience pleasure from or care about anything at all. Side effects of antipsychotics are much worse than as they are described by doctors and on the internet and actually cause psychiatric symptoms. Giving antipsychotics through injections, sometimes lasting for months, is inhumane. Recent article: called Coming Off Psych Drugs Harm Reduction Guide."

• Dou...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2021

Paliperidone "I took 6 shots of Invega (for bipolar), so it is for 6 months now. Talking about symptoms of mania and depression, they have disappeared, I am not experiencing any of the symptoms. On the other hand, this drug has played with my cognition. Since I took my first injection, my concentration went down, I barely focus in my classes. My long and short-term memory has been poor. I have tiredness and sleep for long hours. I have a lack of thoughts and new ideas, especially when talking to people, I can't find words to say. This drug has a positive side and a negative side, there I will discuss with my psychiatrist to change the dose or change the medication."

• Sha...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 18, 2021

Paliperidone "Started getting monthly injections when I was stuck on a psychiatric petition hold for mood disorder and depression. The MD would not let me finally leave unless I started this here stuff with my regimen. It seems to balance me out and I don't need to have a hospital transport nearly as often as I used to. With that being said, 99% of the ambulance rides were forced upon me and they have added significant amounts of debt being taken against my will. But, yes, I plan on continuing this Invega and happy the product was approved by the FDA in the medical unit. I do eat quite a bit and it has made me gain weight since I started, but that's okay I guess. Oh, and run away from those paramedics because they are bullies trying to bring you into more debt. - Thanks for reading."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 16, 2021

"I'm a 38-year-old male on a monthly 117 mg dose. This medication has taken my life away. I have developed insomnia, I also have no energy to get out of bed. I have been on it just over a year, and symptoms are getting worse. Take it if you like sitting around all day, as you won't be able to do much more. I've developed memory problems, lost nearly all my muscle, and put on 15 kg even with dieting. It also raised my prolactin levels, so now I need to go on another medication with more side effects. I doubt whether the medication will help most people, as it mainly helps people that hear or see things, not the average person. There were a lot of side effects I didn't write about, if you take it, you will find out like I did that everyone is different. Other side effects that come and go: headaches, sexual side effects, sinus problems, muscle pains, eyesight problems to just name a few."

• Jja...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 19, 2020

Paliperidone "It has been a year since I started taking the Invega Sustenna injection. I think it is around 250 mg. It has also been one year since I quit drinking, so that may sully the exact nature of my experience thus far. I have been on several antipsychotics over the last 10 years, but Invega stands out as more powerful and, in terms of symptom reduction, more effective. While at times it can blur my thoughts, it has definitely given me the ability to recognize when I am becoming delusional about things. Invega does not stop me from starting down the road of psychosis, it just allows me to somehow acknowledge it and stop it. Side effects I have: constant restlessness and one time the injection itself ended up making my whole arm hurt like anything for 24 hours."

• Hap...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 24, 2023

"I experienced bad things from this medication. My doctor recommended it for me, and once he did, I started it with the hope that it would make my mental health better, but it didn't. The side effects that I experienced all came from the fact that I had a high prolactin level. They were: nipple discharge, psychosis, paranoia, worsened anxiety and depression, suicide attempt due to paranoia, loss of sex drive, hot flashes, and God knows what else. I'm glad that I'm alive here today because this entire experience with this medication along with Latuda has caused so many issues. Now I'm on medication that helps and doesn't harm. I'm thankful I've become aware of this after seeing the endocrinologist specialist."

• Eli...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 17, 2018

Paliperidone "Cons: Invega increased my 'prolactin hormone' 5 times more than the maximum level. Thus, I lost my menstrual cycle for more than one year, sexual dysfunction, depression, sleep disturbances, etc. This drug also lowered my metabolism. As a result, I experienced food coma (falling into deep sleep) after eating food. It also increased my blood sugar. I gained 20 kg in 8 months. Tremor was another side effect of Invega. I was on a 100 mg injection. But, I had no delusion with it!"

• Cai...
• September 5, 2017

Paliperidone "This is the most effective medicine I've ever been on for not only the psychosis, but for the depressive symptoms too. The only slight problem I have is that it seems to wear off the week before I get my next shot, but that's an easy fix by getting the injections closer to around every three weeks instead of every four."

• Anonymous
• October 4, 2011

"I have just been on the medication for 2 weeks and finally feel like a human being again. I am sleeping better, not overeating, feel happier, am more talkative, and actually feel like living. I have not had a psychotic episode in the past 2 weeks, but I know this might not be the reason since the medication is so new. I truly was a real burden on everyone because I was upset, angry, seeing or hearing things, and crying all the time. Not many people understood just how bad I felt. I'm hoping to get feeling even better, but if this is the best that it gets, I will sure be okay with just feeling like this. No one knows how hopeless this disease can make you feel."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2023

Paliperidone "The drug is helpful but only in small doses of 50-75 milligrams. The higher doses that most patients are being given are way too much. I have a relative that was put on a high dose to start and turned into a cripple with Parkinson's-type symptoms. At the hospital, the emergency doctor gave an injection and prescribed medication to reverse the side effects (very important). After 6 weeks, we asked the psychiatrist to only administer 50 milligrams this time and that is working very well. The problem, I believe, is in the high doses. It's too much for some people. It's not a one size fits all..."

• cea...
• April 17, 2020

"In early June of 2018, I finally received help after suffering from a psychotic episode for the entirety of the spring. However, I was fully hospitalized for 9 days, and on the 4th day, I was prescribed Paliperidone. It took me a while to realize that I also still had residual depression from my original episode that occurred a year prior. On March 14th, 2019, I was diagnosed by my psychiatrist as having schizoaffective disorder with a depressive subtype. The medication has been helping me significantly. I think after my next psychiatrist appointment, he will lower my dosage from 6mg to 3mg, then I'll eventually wean off of it. (I was originally on 12mg in 2018.) In addition to Paliperidone, I'm on Fluoxetine (Prozac) and Bupropion (Wellbutrin) for my depression. Things are going fairly well, and I think by the end of 2020, I won't have to take any more medications. That will be the day!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 19, 2022

Paliperidone "I was under Clopixol for a short time, 'cause I didn't see any change at all, so the doc suggested I should start on Invega. At first, the drug started with its good deeds, and I actually got tricked into thinking it was working. Then I noticed the side effects. I had bad nausea, and I had a change of taste and smell. I couldn't keep up with it 'cause the nausea was so, so bad I couldn't eat at all. It also affected my ability to think. I definitely felt I had brain damage, I couldn't concentrate, and I starved for days to avoid the nausea. For anyone having my symptoms... you will get through this. I can't lie, 'cause it's been 2 years with the injection, and my nausea is a living nightmare with me, so yours might end earlier. Hold on, and you'll be good."

• Ele...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 18, 2018

Paliperidone "Invega really helped me a lot at first. It was like a miracle happened. But after about 3 months passed, some of my symptoms came back. Don't get me wrong, I am glad that I am on Invega, it's just not a miracle drug like I first thought it was."

• new...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 5, 2016

Paliperidone "Before I was on this injection, I was taking up to 7 pills a day, and lucky me, I had a good social worker and nurse who talked to my doctor to find something better too for me to take. I was having episodes and tripping out like I was in the spirit world. TVs were talking to me, and people were turning into demons. But after taking this medicine, it clears my mind and keeps me sane. I have quit my medication a couple of times, but the episodes come back. This medicine is really good. I did gain weight, but riding my bike to school helps. The longer you stay on this medicine, the better it works, I find. But I was always getting headaches. I thought it was the medication, but really, I just needed glasses. The medicine works, I get it in my arm."

• Nie...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2018

Paliperidone "First I was on Zyprexa depot because of manic psychosis in 2016. Then I switched to Invega tabs 12 mg, and I felt a lot better, less zombie feelings, and less weight gain. Now I'm decreasing to 9 mg to see how this will work."

• moc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 17, 2022

Paliperidone "I've only had the two beginning doses of Invega, and it has been awful. My doctor talked me into it since I sometimes miss my pills, so she wanted me to get an injection. I agreed, and now I can't sleep. I have such vivid dreams, like I wake up in another life. So vivid, it seems real. Sometimes I can't decipher reality and my dreams. I'm seeing things often, more than when I was just on a pill medication, and I am going to tell my doctor this week that I refuse to take this again. It made me lose a job, I can't focus. I'm scared all the time. It's just terrible."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 11, 2022

Paliperidone "I am on the injection, not sure what mg, but I get it every 3 months. It's been almost a year, and I have gained 40 lbs. I have frequent heartburn, and my cholesterol is high. My feelings are flat, so I don't overreact to things as I used to. And no depression. Sometimes I have very vivid dreams and nightmares. Most days I have no motivation, but some days I have excess energy to get everything done that I need to. I haven't had a menstrual cycle since I started this medication. It has kept the mania and psychosis away, though. And other than all those side effects I listed, I am grateful for this medication. I was one who would miss doses or stop taking my medication altogether and have almost ruined my life several times. Even with all those side effects, I would rather be on Invega than not. It has saved my life."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 20, 2024

"This is the best medicine for me, it made me gain weight but besides that I finally can have a life almost without hallucinations or mood swings. It also increased my prolactin, but again none of the other medications work as well as this. I have a fully independent life, which I thought would be impossible."