Invega for Schizoaffective Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• Whi...
• December 13, 2018

"I have struggled with horrible voices and delusions for four years, and Invega is like a miracle after I attempted suicide. It took away the voices and delusions. The only problem I have with this drug is the weight gain and sensitivity to cold and heat. I gained 60 pounds in 6 months...it's really hurt my self-esteem, and I'm going to stop taking it next month. Another thing, after the voices stopped, I had visuals and voices late at night and early morning that would wear off 3 months into taking it. My mood also seems a little more irritable but not too bad, and I think I'm starting to have anhedonia, which at first was a giant relief after being so charged and emotionally torn apart with voices, but now I'm starting to feel like it's not the best option. Though I will say, if the voices torture me again, I'll gladly take it again."

• Lea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 20, 2020

"I’m on Invega approximately 6 weeks. I am diagnosed about 5 years, never settling on any drug as they have me reactions. I am extremely sensitive to medication and always suffer high prolactin levels. On one of my previous medications, after 6 weeks, milk started coming out of my breasts. I was switched to Invega and so far, so good. It has brought out my creative side and I am much more alert, although it’s hard to get up in the morning as I keep falling back to sleep. I am demanding another blood test for tomorrow as I want to know if my prolactin levels have gone down at all. If not, I’m getting off this drug as that’s not good for your body and it’s terrifying having milk coming out when it’s not supposed to. I’ve heard of Caplyta, the new drug, and that has less side effects, but the reviews online aren’t great."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 23, 2022

"I took the injection of 156 mg and have felt suicidal, out of it mentally, and don’t know if I can take any more. I just wait day after day for the drug to clear from my system, and it’s been 6 weeks since the injection."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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

"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."

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

"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

"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."

• eck...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 16, 2020

"I take the 150/234 needle of Invega. I also take 30 mg olanzapine, 45 mg mirtazapine, and a couple of .5 mg Ativans a day, and sometimes take Cogentin. I need coffee to function on this med. I drink like 5 coffees a day. The coffee stops the anxiety I get from this med. I also get a lot of body pain. I take acetaminophen. I feel better on this med if I don't smoke cigarettes. I tried smoking weed, but it wasn't good. I'm trying to quit smoking by using nicotine gum. I have to chew 2 4 mg pieces at once to get over my cravings. It's a good med. It has changed a lot while I have been taking it. I think I have adapted to it now. It has been over a year. Sometimes I think I need a lower dose so I could feel more of my good emotions. It didn't stop my psychosis, though. I still need olanzapine. My psychosis consists of very rapid thoughts, and I always feel terrified. Things look different, and I feel different. It's a good med, give it time and drink lots of coffee."

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

"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 less than 1 month
• July 13, 2017

"My son just got injected with Invega. I pray this is going to work for him. I want him to have a normal life and desire life again. He is also taking Lamictal, this is also new for him. I hope this convo works for him. He is 26 years old and new with all this. Just got diagnosed with bipolar mania. :("

• Yen...
• January 3, 2022

"I was hospitalized for bipolar, and as a last resort, I was given the shot. After being diagnosed with catatonic, I was officially diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and took the 100 mg shot for years. Brain was quiet, I was quiet, everyone is happy. On the fourth year, I notice I tend to push my tongue on the roof of my mouth, sometimes my teeth. Expressed my concern and evidence of health, but of course, they don’t want to ‘risk it.’ And 3 years later, 2021 came. Lockdown led to a tiny amount of drugs and lots of alcohol, and mixing Paliperidone and Seroquel with it somehow resulted in tardive dyskinesia. My tongue is now permanently flopped out of my skull. Sometimes my eyes would widen."

• Hig...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 26, 2021

"Invega Sustenna for the first year or so had many side effects. I gained a lot of weight. I got acid reflux. I slept a lot. Had trouble with remembering things. But other than that, the medicine works well. It's annoying getting a shot every month, but the insurance pays for it and it's better than being hospitalized. Overall, it's not bad, but I wish I had a lower dose, 117 mg instead of 156 mg."

• Car...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 31, 2021

"My mother has been getting monthly Invega injections for 1 year now. After not being compliant with her previous medication, she once again had to move in with me due to a severe mental break. She has improved to a point where she can complete daily tasks independently (make small meals, go for walks, basic hygiene, and putting her laundry away), and it has also stopped mostly all of her “unhealthy obsessions/delusions.” In my opinion, this monthly injection has brought stability to her. Don’t believe all the bad reviews. I honestly don’t think my mom would be out of a mental hospital without it."

• Bob...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 27, 2022

"Been taking it since 2016, it is great at keeping psychosis at bay. However, the main side effect I have had is high prolactin levels. This month, I'm talking to my doctor to switch to Abilify, which keeps prolactin levels in the normal range, unlike Invega."

• Goo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2022

"I had a difficult experience with the injection. I got psychosis from antidepressants, so they injected me with this in the ER, and when I was hospitalized right after, I didn't really know enough to say no to the follow-up injections they have to do when you take this for the first time. I developed gynecomastia after a few weeks. At first, things seemed great, but after a while, my general perception of the world around me got really distorted, and I was saying and doing some really weird stuff. And apparently, this drug has a lot of horrible long-term side effects like fertility interruption and liver damage."

• Kev...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 15, 2022

"Been on the drug for about a year. I still hear voices in my head. Haven't been sectioned to go to the hospital since I started taking it, so I continue to do so. I don't know what this injection does, but I still feel the same."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2021

"My doctor made me stop taking it because something in my blood work went over 200. It really helped, I begged to stay on, but the doctor refused because of the blood work. Does this mean I am allergic? It worked great."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 23, 2025

"I tried everything to get rid of visual hallucinations, and Invega helped a lot with this. I took olanzapine, and it improved my paranoia. Invega has some side effects, I found myself having depression in the morning, afraid to go to work. My anxiety is reduced a lot. I was on Invega injection. Still do not know what will happen, may this work for me or not. I took benzos for too many years. I am on a high dose of Klonopin, 3 mg a day, and it reduced since I took Invega injection. I am glad that it helped me with visual hallucinations. It did not get rid of them completely, but it improved compared to other medicines. I think everyone has different opinions about this drug, and I hope peace upon everyone. I took those psych meds for over decades, and I admit I am addicted to benzos, and my anxiety is my biggest threat. I lost my ambitions and do not want to do anything productive, not even playing video games, which I used to. I gambled every day, lost $500 within a week, took naltrexone, and need to see a therapist."

• Ano...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 14, 2025

"I've been on Invega Sustenna 117 mg for many years and it totally got rid of all my symptoms of schizoaffective disorder-bipolar type. I'm depressed a lot but I take Zoloft at 150 mg to help with it. My main side effects are weight gain and sexual issues."

• Rob...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 11, 2022

"This is a godsend, yet it is so expensive unless you're on insurance! I have been on different antipsychotics like olanzapine, aripiprazole, and amisulpride, which helped me keep away from hallucinations. However, they never addressed the real problem of delusional thinking. For instance, I believe in schizophrenia that can be categorized into two groups, where someone would experience jitters with sounds and one with delusional thinking as though your thoughts are being leaked before reaching the end of the point, thus, someone would lose the context of the event. Before this medicine, I was all around the place with my thoughts, which I had very bad delusions that cannot be justified by words. I have been taking monthly injections (Invega Sustenna), which got rid of all my delusions after the second injection, where I have been taking a 150 mg monthly dose regularly. As with a schizophrenic, there were negative symptoms that were addressed by bupropion 300 mg and sertraline 200 mg (1st) B.D."