Paliperidone for Schizophrenia User Reviews (Page 5)

• Hor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 10, 2023

Paliperidone "I got hospitalized and was put on this medication to cure the voices in my head and people in my imagination. I have not minded these symptoms. I liked living inside my head. So I have gotten two shots of Invega. I got little emotions, lack of imagination, bad sex drive, bad memory, bad understanding, lack of motivation. It has made me empty. It has made me feel bad in many ways. I wish to have the life I had before taking this medication. Now I have been waiting to turn back to how I was. I have been waiting for three months after the last injection."

• Ano...
• June 5, 2018

"On a high dose, it was worse. But, even on a low dose, I experienced poverty of thought, slow movement and thinking, not being able to memorize anything, not being able to think creatively, a huge IQ drop, inability to learn new things, muscle cramps, a weight gain of over 30 kg, akathisia, loss of periods, breasts sagging and becoming heavy and lactating, muscle seemingly wasted away, swelling in my feet and legs (possibly edema), extremely high levels of prolactin in my blood (over 1,700 MUI), lack of motivation, infection in the site of injection, high cholesterol, difficulty absorbing nutrients, suicidal ideation, stretch marks, flat affect in my face, emotions flat like a zombie with no happiness or pleasure, and more. I have stopped taking the drug for about four months now, but I still experience side effects, including loss of period. I'm only 27 years old, but I'm worried the drugs have made me permanently infertile."

• Chr...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 6, 2021

Paliperidone "Both my brother and I have been on Invega for schizophrenia, and it seems to have no effect on either of us. My brother for at least a month, and I for more than 3 years. It is not getting rid of the hallucinations or paranoid delusions. We take it to keep our parents happy."

• som...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 24, 2023

Paliperidone "It made me feel akathisia along with insomnia, erectile dysfunction, and anhedonia. It was useful for the positive symptoms like paranoia, delusions, and racing thoughts, but at huge costs. You are basically trading a huge portion of your own happiness and energy for controlling your symptoms and likely never becoming psychotic again. I am not saying it is totally bad, but it can work for some people. This is your decision to make, with Invega, you will suffer some serious side effects in return for never becoming psychotic again."

• Nin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 28, 2020

Paliperidone "I checked myself into the hospital for being severely underweight, dehydrated, and malnourished (I have suffered from anorexia nervosa for a long time). Instead of giving me medical attention, the staff at the hospital took my blood and urine, and quickly received a court order to take Invega and to be in inpatient treatment. My blood pressure seemed to keep declining. If you think 80/40 blood pressure is alarming, you are right. The nurses who were making a ton of money off of me did not care. My blood pressure got as low as 70/26 in the hospital, where people are supposed to be receiving care. This is a very traumatic experience for me, and I really just want to live straightedge and abstinent (no sex, drugs, drinking, or smoking)."

• RBa...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 4, 2019

Paliperidone "Took 100 mg of the paliperidone drug (European dosing) when I was psychotic and, for 1 year (same dose, later added 20 mg Zyprexa), while the psychosis had gone, delusions and hallucinations persisted the entire time. Also, it raised my prolactin level to rocketing levels (2000 mIU/L). Although it kept me away from psychosis, there are better alternatives for the disease."

• Inv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 21, 2016

Paliperidone "My wife has suffered from late-onset schizophrenia with severe positive symptoms for over 10 years. She started Invega Sustenna treatment (monthly injection) a year ago and has made dramatic improvements. All of her positive symptoms have gone away. Residual negative symptoms remain but are now manageable with talk therapy. The injection method helps with compliance, as daily pills are difficult to maintain and easy to discontinue. This is a wonder drug..."

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 21, 2016

Paliperidone "Cleans the mind of weird thoughts, delusions, and hallucinations. Weight gain has been noted, as well as a general feeling of restlessness and drowsiness. I'm always on slow motion and need to think things twice or three times. Still better than having conversations with dead people or thinking my brain can see in the future... by the way, don't try quitting this drug cold turkey. It's a recipe for disaster."

• inv...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 24, 2022

Paliperidone "I've been off this med for three years, and I've never recovered my sex drive. I have permanent erectile dysfunction. I'm unable to feel love, happiness, joy, or excitement. I can't even cry. Oh, and it also made me infertile. My semen is completely clear, and I did a semen analysis, and my levels are incredibly low."

• Ale...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 23, 2019

"Since being injected with paliperidone, I have put on weight, from 10 stone to 11. I try to control weight gain, eating next to nothing due to a reduced metabolism. I have lost muscle tone and motivation; I used to be a keen cyclist, artist, photographer, amongst other hobbies, but now (although I have a degree in architecture) my brain is foggy, and I can't even play computer games without feeling anxious from the effort of trying to concentrate. The same applies to reading novels, which I have given up on. Sometimes it scares me when my heart goes very quickly since my jags started. I used to do Michael Jackson impressions, but now I can barely dance at all. My emotions are flat; I rarely cry (the only plus side) and rarely laugh, so my friends say I've become very quiet, especially as my mind is usually emptied by the drug, so I don't contribute much to conversation."

• Hea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 17, 2017

Paliperidone "Have been on Invega inj. for 2 months. Most hallucinations, auditory, visual, and mental gone. Has been a game changer for me as my life was completely unmanageable before. Still not leaving home much and have gained a few pounds, nothing too drastic, but it beats having conversations with people only I can see and not having a choice about it. Also, my insurance wouldn't cover it, it's about $2000 USD for 1 month inj. Thanks, hope this helps."

• Bar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 22, 2019

"Made me have no thoughts, emotionally numb, worsened my psychosis, temporarily evaporated my personality. Couldn't do anything enjoyable. Been off it for 2 months, slowly gaining my former self and confident I'll be back to 100%. Don't take this drug."

• Kod...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2020

Paliperidone "On this for Bipolar 2, and I can honestly say this drug has made a huge difference in my life. I'm on 4.5 mg daily. I could use more, but I experienced a lack of vaginal sensation when I took 6 mg. I have more energy, my suicidal ideation is the lowest it's ever been. I do feel a little foggy sometimes, but I'd rather deal with that than my symptoms. Within the first couple of days of taking it, I had the most productive days I had in months. I actually keep my place a lot cleaner now. It's easier for me to do things like go to work and meet goals. My breasts did get a little bigger, just enough to need a bigger bra, but small enough that the bigger bra is still a lot too big, lol. I have not experienced lactation like a lot of others have. I do experience vaginal dryness as well, however, in my opinion, the positives of this drug outweigh the negatives. I love this drug and recommend it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 13, 2012

Paliperidone "Invega is working great on auditory symptoms, and no lethargy noted. I have noted some of the adverse side effects after the first dose: sudden weight gain, indigestion, pain at the injection site, and sore throat. In addition to these, there has been increasing facial and abdominal bloating. I am concerned, but there is no other medicine I am aware of at this time, and the doctor feels the benefit outweighs the side effects."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 11, 2019

Paliperidone "I have been on this injection since 2017. Received the monthly injections for about three months before my doctor noticed my remarkable stability in mood and made the switch to the tri-monthly injection. When switched to the tri-monthly injection, I noticed that in the third month of being on it, my symptoms of paranoia and delusions would flare up. I've learned to live with it. However, my sex drive is completely gone and my menstrual cycle is too light. As well, there are nights that my insomnia flares up. I have not gained any weight, but I haven't lost any either. To counter all the bad side effects, I have to say that this is the longest that I have been out of the hospital. Besides the odd paranoia/delusions in the third month, I don't hear any voices like I used to or experience a full-blown manic episode (diagnosis is schizoaffective with bipolar tendencies)."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2018

"It’s been about 5 months since I last had this medicine injected, and all I can say is it took away most of the joy I found in life that I had before I took this drug. I’m not into things I used to be into. I can’t keep eye contact or conversation with anyone normally anymore. I’ve gained about 40+ pounds on this drug. This drug strips you of ANY type of delusions, even your good ones like wondering if a person likes you or thinking you are the best person on this planet. Damn, I can’t even hold conversations with people anymore or seem lively and happy. I would have rather kept the thoughts and my innocence and happiness with them than take this drug."

• Ros...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 29, 2020

Paliperidone "Taking this drug Invega Sustenna helped a bit with my schizophrenia symptoms. The side effects, on the other hand, were something else. I was significantly slowed down both mentally and physically. I did lose about 5 pounds and lost interest in food, most probably due to feeling really depressed about my condition. I also couldn’t stop walking about, I couldn’t sit still anywhere for up to 2 minutes. I also had abnormal muscle movements, my vision became really bad and blurry, and I was drowsy all the time, especially after taking a dose."

• Anonymous
• July 27, 2022

Paliperidone "Before I took Invega injections, I was motivated about life in general. Ever since, I've experienced erectile dysfunction, emotional numbness, blank mind, memory blankness on 150 dose and 75 dose. I wouldn't recommend this drug, maybe only to people who have drug addictions. The side effects outweigh the gains."

• Bro...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 22, 2018

Paliperidone "This drug is the worst thing that has happened to me. At first, I was overmedicated, this drug caused my tongue to tic the upper part of my mouth. I would have all sorts of hallucinations and delusions, which have gradually gone away as the medicine has been reduced to the recommended dose. Not only to mention, I was only experiencing delusions prior to medication. They have gone away now, but it seems as though my thoughts echo, mimic, and align with sounds I hear. Also, it feels as though there are bugs under my skin due to micro muscle spasm. The worst part about this drug is that it causes you to zone into things, like stare at things or become immobile in your line of vision. Which this only happens occasionally, it really is difficult to drive or hold down a job. I have heightened energy levels with adding Abilify. As this Invega Trinza causes couch lock, not no energy, no motivation, and no drive. At least on this medication, I don’t experience sexual dysfunction."

• tur...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 14, 2019

Paliperidone "I have been on Invega Trinza for almost four years for my schizophrenia. The first side effect I had was weight gain of over 70 lbs. I stopped having my period due to high prolactin. I also found out I have high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and a low white blood cell count. I have schizophrenia, so I do need this medicine. But seriously, weighing the side effects I have against the mental stability I have."

• Tin...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 20, 2022

Paliperidone "First, schizophrenia is a hallucination disorder caused by a defective gene responsible for glutathione S-transferase, which detoxifies a naturally occurring hallucinogen in the body. I showed my shrink a nutraceutical program that maximally cures schizophrenia. He said, go to med school. The tranquilizer does not address the hallucinogen, but it does plug up all the neurotransmitters that are affected by the hallucinogen. I’ve been taking Invega Sustenna for 5-7 years, and yes, half-life is a month; it causes brain damage, and nobody has enough money to file a class action. It gives you limp dick or broken menstrual cycles, and relapsing off the medication causes withdrawal syndrome that is more dangerous than crack withdrawals. The alternative to any drug like this is living on the street and under bridges, living with emotional variety from lunatic to fanatic, losing touch with reality and terrorized by hallucinations."

• Anonymous
• March 12, 2010

Paliperidone "Invega is a great medication. I can speak more clearly and think more thoroughly. I've felt better about myself in almost 2 years, and I've been on this medication for about 2 weeks! I would recommend it to anyone with this diagnosis!"

• del...
• January 13, 2014

Paliperidone "I found this medication to cause side effects of swaying while standing up and sometimes rocking back and forth while sitting down. Because this is taken monthly, I am on 150 mg, towards the end of the month, I became unwell and psychotic symptoms reoccurred. Delusional thoughts mainly. I am now going to try Abilify and hope I don't have bad side effects, but I know that without my medication, I would relapse."

• Ano...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 23, 2020

Paliperidone "Have taken Invega for about 15 years for schizophrenia, then for depression, have tried others, but always quickly come back to this. Has a calming effect, but I still sometimes feel angry, which I have to use a thought-challenging app for. Unlike with the other antipsychotics I tried, I'm able to watch movies and read with this one. I feel very unmotivated often, though, and I've got some bipolar hypomania. Maybe I should try Vraylar, but trying to switch has been a terrible experience for me."

• Rob...
• July 13, 2021

Paliperidone "Invega Sustenna was difficult at first. I felt very tired and would get headaches. I believe this was my body adjusting. After a few months, and now on the drug for a few years, I have had a great experience. I still have symptoms once in a while, but not as bad. With the education I was given before taking the drug for my first time, I am now well aware of what a 'symptom' is. I am prepared. The drug Invega Sustenna has only improved my thoughts, speech, and dialect. As I would hear voices, preventing me from speaking clearly, Invega Sustenna has given me the ability to articulate my sentences. When I am ready, I will take either oral tablets or a 3-month injection. I think this will only help my limitations that I keep private. I no longer have headaches. I am no longer fatigued. I am in a good position, and I am proud of the person I am becoming."