Paliperidone for Schizophrenia User Reviews

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 21, 2021

"I have been diagnosed with bipolar with psychosis in June 2020. I got 2 loading doses of Invega then two other doses in two months, a total of 4 doses. Now I am 10 months since the last dose still suffering from weight gain (20 Kg), erectile dysfunction with numb penis and shrinkage, less semen volume. This drug is awful. DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION AT ALL. Unfortunately, I did not have the choice to accept or refuse the drug because I was admitted to the hospital at that time. They took the consent from my parents who did not know what this drug is. This is a post for humanity, please do not use this drug, it ruined my life totally."

• Mar...
• April 19, 2021

"Do not take this drug! I was given two injections and don't want any more. I'm severely depressed because of this stupid, horrible drug. I cannot concentrate, it literally ruined my brain and caused severe brain damage. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! THESE COMPANIES SHOULD BE SUED!"

• Dol...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 5, 2020

"I got this shot by doctors that had no clue, and I had no idea what I got. This shot gave me lower IQ, worse memory, slower thinking, loss of emotions, depression, high level of prolactin, erectile dysfunction, no sperm at all, and also anxiety. My memory used to be extremely good, and I had high IQ, but now I have a hard time remembering things, and my IQ dropped significantly on IQ tests. I'm going to report them to the police and file a lawsuit. All of this by a shot I shouldn't have gotten at all. Ban it, please, and don't let others go through the same hell as I did."

• Ira...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 7, 2020

"Put on this medication for two years. I don't hear voices or anything, but yet I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It made me forget words, feel stupid, have impotence, erectile dysfunction, sexual problems overall, decreased ambitions, decreased confidence, felt swollen, and my life turned upside down. I got off the medication two months ago and have been increasingly feeling better. I hope all the side effects wear off and I can go back to normal. I hope."

• The...
• December 31, 2020

"This drug rendered me bedridden with no interest in life. I went from being an opinionated, funny guy that could read your emotions and make just about anyone laugh, or at least smirk. I've always been very emotional, and this drug sucked my soul, will to live, and emotions right out of me. I'm left an empty shell of who I was. This drug is referred to as a chemical lobotomy for a good reason. It shuts down all free thoughts, the voice in your head, your conscience disappears. With nothing to say, no interest in anything, no thoughts, no emotions, you as a person just about stop existing. No feeling of gratitude, accomplishment, satisfaction. Your thought process and basic decision-making skills are destroyed. I've been off this drug for about 5 months now, and I'm not seeing too much relief. The fear of 'being like this forever' is a constant fear that never lets up, since this isn't a life, this is merely existing. My plea and advice to you? Stay away from this medicine."

• Sol...
• April 14, 2021

"This is the worst medication ever. I was 120 lbs when I started on this, and I gained 80 lbs. My boobs went up from an A cup size to a D. It has been so hard to lose the weight. I don't take the meds anymore, and I'm still trying to lose the weight, it caused me other health problems on top of this. I would not wish this medication on anyone. I did not feel better on it at all. In fact, I felt dizzy, was sleepy, and all I wanted to do was eat. I repeated myself constantly while on this med. I blame the manufacturers for all the damages."

• Dea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2019

"I got diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar in the hospital. I was taking risperidone which was helping me a lot, but then I started taking Invega. This medicine has ruined me. All of the things that I've loved doing now suck. I was on it for 4 months, but I've been off of it for 3 months now and I'm still dealing with side effects. I can't sit still or lay still. I'm always tired, my tongue is always numb, my speech is off. I can't have a simple conversation, I can't sleep at night. I hate waking up in the morning, my thoughts are all confusing, and I feel weak. My body is really sensitive...I just miss the old me."

• 123...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2020

"NIGHTMARE! I do not recommend this drug. I was taking it for 6 weeks (3 weeks to get me on 9 mg and 3 weeks to get me off). Terrible vivid nightmares that seemed more real than reality. I was wondering if I am dreaming or is it real all the time. My mind was empty. My muscles were in pain, I couldn't properly move my body because of 'hard' muscles. I had a feeling of being pregnant - smell and taste changed, I had contractions and I produced milk. Only when this happened doctors decided to put me off that drug. Thank God for body side effects, because doctors don't take it seriously when you tell them that a drug is bad for the mind, emotions, etc."

• Rem...
• October 14, 2019

"I took 6 injections over a 6-month period. I didn't notice much in the first couple of months. It helped with the paranoia, I still heard voices to a lesser extent. Around the 5th month, I had noticed I gained 50 lbs (115 to 165). It happened so rapidly. I also began to lactate. That was all horrible, but the worst of it was the severe anhedonia. They wanted to slowly taper me off the injection, but I refused to take any more after the 6-month period. I felt mentally slower. I got no pleasure from listening to music or watching TV. I stopped laughing. This is just my personal experience, but if you look up this medicine, you will find there are many people who have gone through a similar experience. It's been 14 months since my last injection, and I think I have mentally fully recovered. I think this drug is too potent. I am almost certain it gave me some sort of brain damage. One of the biggest regrets of my life is taking this drug, I was better off before."

• Dad...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 30, 2019

"I started taking this medication for 3 months after I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and it has ruined my life. I now have trouble speaking, I'm always anxious, I can barely concentrate on anything, I'm depressed and sleeping a lot, and I no longer get erections and have trouble producing semen. I have been off of it for 2 months, and I'm still dealing with the side effects. This is the worst thing I have ever been on, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone."

• Eth...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 31, 2020

"So, I was high energy and a lovely person before taking this drug. After my second shot of 234mg, I became so tired and depressed like all the life had been sucked out of me. No longer bubbly and energetic, I would just lie down all day with no energy to move. Very sad. Very, very sad."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2018

"My son (23-year-old) got the Invega shot. It's the worst thing ever. It's making him cripple, still hearing voices, shuffling when he walks, insomnia. This drug needs to be taken off the market. I am going to write to the FDA. It's very expensive and does nothing to help. Where are our tax money going? Why isn't there a cure? The insurance companies are bloodsuckers. The poor mental health patients cannot get any help. I am so sick and tired of this disease right now, I just want my child back."

• Cia...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 9, 2021

"Tricked into this at the mental ward because of psychosis caused by Bipolar 1, and I absolutely don't like it. I am unable to think and retain information. I get no joy out of music, food, books, or TV anymore. I am a visual artist who no longer has inspiration. I can barely remember my characters or their stories. I can't think or write with any regularity. I can no longer laugh regularly or feel most emotions. It has been a miserable experience. I can't imagine what kind of sadism it takes to create a drug that makes people so empty inside. I am missing memories and all kinds of pieces of my old self. I can deal with not having a sex drive. I can't deal with the rest of the side effects. I want my brain back."

• Ean...
• May 17, 2019

"Worst experience of my life. I can't describe all of the side effects I had on Invega Sustenna in 1000 characters, but my mind was disturbingly blank on this medication. It was as if all of my conscious thoughts were gone. I gained 25 pounds even though I just got the initial dose & lost muscle. My delusions did go away so it worked for that, but it felt like it was because my thoughts stopped. I've gotten 4 sprains and one pulled muscle since I got injected with this 'poison' at the end of August last year. My skin started flaking off and my hair was falling out. I couldn't feel any emotions. I was unable to orgasm for the first month. There were more side effects, and I don't think I fully conveyed the desperation I felt on this medication. I would like to let people who have gotten on it and hate it that there is hope and you will get better - once you are off it."

• Nak...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 18, 2021

"To anyone who has lost their life like I have to this drug, what is the recovery wait time when you stop it? Does this ever get better? Do I ever get the sensitivity in my penis back? Is there any way to treat it? 3 months ago, I took my last of 2 Invega injections and I would be thankful for positivity from this nightmare of a lifestyle I have. I lost my instinctive tendencies and so many more side effects a lot like I’ve been reading and just would like to know, does it get better? It feels like my instincts were taken away, and I have to put a lot more effort into focusing on things."

• Dou...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 13, 2020

"Suffering and miserable on this drug Invega. I take 117mg monthly injections. The frequent side effects I get are thoughtless, emotionless, akathisia, anxiety, a lot of difficulty with memory, focus and concentration like I can't learn much. Unmotivated, I sit around a lot feeling numb and mentally blank. Increased depression, dead sex drive or no interest in sex. Weight gain."

• bob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 25, 2021

"I was sent to the hospital this January, with a plan of suicide after a big meth bender where they basically said, 'stop using drugs and stop bothering us' (been admitted to psychiatric care multiple times). My GP became infuriated with how they just simply dismissed me and put me back on Invega. Within a week, my mood improved majorly, my tendencies left, I haven't been using illegal drugs, my life has completely turned around. I have zero sex drive, but I'm back at Uni studying my Bachelor of Science. My parents are super proud of me, my attitude has changed, I'm happier, I have accepted my shortcomings, and finally have a goal in life. I think zero sex drive is better than cutting stuff into my face."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 28, 2020

"I've taken this for 3 and a half years and I noticed I have a ridiculously bad memory. I will start a sentence 'I remember this one time,' then I won't know what I was talking about in mid-sentence - I forget what I'm talking about. I don't know if I have a sex drive because I have no partner, and I gained 40 lbs. I don't have an appetite, I don't feel hungry, yet still I'm overweight, probably because my body thinks it's starving and I gain weight when I do eat. I have to make myself eat what feels like gross food even though it's good food. I have no feelings, my emotions are numb. This medication did help my paranoia though. I've become fat and forgetful."

• bd1...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 15, 2018

"If I could rate this medication a 0, I would. Going on this medication was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I have bipolar I disorder and suffered a severe manic episode that didn’t respond to Seroquel or Risperdal. The psychiatrist prescribed me Invega, and while it got rid of my mania and psychosis, it completely altered my personality. I had absolutely no emotion at all. I did not feel any sort of joy or happiness. Not to mention, I gained at least 20 pounds (I’m a very active 24-year-old). The suicidal thoughts were so severe that I needed to be hospitalized. The absolute worst part is that even when you stop Invega, it stays in your system for months. It has an extremely long half-life. If you want to be a zombie and lose interest in everything you ever loved, then take this medicine. If you’d like to be a productive member of society, avoid this medication at all costs. Find another medicine."

• Bae...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 3, 2020

"Where do I start with the side effects of Invega Sustenna? Sexual dysfunction, yes, my penis is useless, I feel like a 2-year-old. I have severe anhedonia (loss of pleasure), I have put on 20 kg, I sleep for 11-12 hours a day, and just overall feel terrible. My memory is horrible, I’m depressed, and I just feel like I am not living some days. Whatever you do, do not take this drug. Other antipsychotic drugs are better, they don’t all have the same effects, so just try aiming elsewhere."

• Blk...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 30, 2019

"The one positive effect of this drug (Invega Sustenna 150 mg every 4 weeks) is that it controls my hallucinations and delusions. But the trade-off is really hard to bear. I’ve lost all the joy in my life, the anhedonia is so bad that I have to live in a constant state of pretending to be happy because I am now unable to feel any kind of happiness or pleasure, especially from activities I once enjoyed very much. I can’t recall things and my memories have evaporated. I feel blunted and flat all the time. I can’t function in a meaningful way, and feel more depressed than I ever have in my life. I’ve gained lots of weight, lost muscle tone, yet I feel agitated like I want to jump out of my skin all the time. Being on this medication is a living nightmare. I am 43 and feel like life has come to a screeching halt."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 13, 2020

"I feel that Invega is some sort of torture. I’m a man of God. I never in my life felt sicker on 234 mg of Invega. I felt like life doesn’t exist, and insects are my friend, not to mention the physical trauma my mind and body are going through. I cannot get off Invega because I don’t have a place to live, plus this is the go-to drug when they have power to advocate their own sick minds into the world with the doctors."

• Tom...
• December 5, 2019

"I had a psychotic episode from drug use. They made me take an injection, and I feel like it was the worst drug possible. I honestly can't explain how bad the side effects are. You get a weird smell, irregular heartbeat, no energy, no sex drive, and you feel dizzy all the time. I am off of it now, and I am hoping I can feel better again."

• Imp...
• December 7, 2014

"I was diagnosed in 2013 with schizophrenia and depressive behavior. Prior to my last hospitalization, none of the meds were working on me. My family changed my physician, and she firmly believed Invega combined with Sertraline would do the trick. I am most grateful to her and my family for their desire to help me. I no longer hear the voices, I can go out in public, watch TV, listen to the radio, and enjoy it like I used to. I feel safe again, the paranoia of thinking people were after me is gone, I don't have suicidal thoughts anymore, and I'm starting to build a social life again. I am 24 years old and I'm grateful for the unconditional support my family and new doctor have given me, My life back."

• Jid...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 9, 2021

"I was misdiagnosed due to an incident. Ever since I got this injection, I’ve been feeling less of myself. I’ve gained weight, at least 90 lbs, no emotion, barely sleep at night (5 hours), foggy mind, can’t think, bad concentration, less dopamine, shortness of breath, no creativity, and no personality. What’s the point of having a medicine that has worse side effects than the problem?"