Invega and Tiredness: What Users Say

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

For Schizophrenia "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."

• Jes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I'm so depressed on Invega that I cry multiple times a day, can't maintain any friendships, too tired and demotivated to work out or play my guitar like I used to. I lay in my bed every day, no motivation for anything."

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

For Schizophrenia "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."

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

For Schizophrenia "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."

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 8, 2019

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I've been on Invega now for 2 months, it has stopped the hallucinations and delusions but has also increased my depression. I feel emotionally numb and am tired all the time. I also can't exercise like I used to, too tired to even walk. I'm still adjusting to this new med, so hopefully things will settle down."

• all...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 6, 2016

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I think this is the only antipsychotic that has worked for me. I was on Risperdal previously, and it didn't work that well, except that I made good friends and was nice usually. But I was always really paranoid or psychotic when I'd do all-nighters for school and thought there was a serial killer outside the window. Invega is much better, though, and I don't get that paranoia anymore or the really scary type of paranoia anymore. Although I get scared sometimes, it doesn't stop me from doing things. I'm on 12 mg of Invega and 300 mg of Lamictal. I'm not doing the best because the Lamictal should be at 400 mg to be optimal. I wasn't able to tolerate too high of a dose of Invega at first because it made me really tired and sleep all day, but I can now."

• Sou...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 25, 2012

For Schizophrenia "The medicine is partly covered by my insurance company. Current maintenance dosage 3 mg (was 6 mg) Invega. After taking Invega, my positive symptoms vanished completely after a number of weeks, furthermore, I don't get an unreal sense (depersonalization), which was the case with Risperdal. Unfortunately, I got the following side effects (discussed with my physician): - weight gain (8 kilos) - sometimes strange expression around mouth, stiffness - tiredness/weakness, need more sleep - intense dreaming, sometimes nightmares - harder to breathe through nose - increase of ALAT blood values (80) - dizziness after sudden activity - heartburn. For now, the positive effects outweigh the negative effects."

• pil...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 10, 2015

For Schizophrenia "I feel great once I swallow Invega. It will make me a little tired at night. Sometimes when I'm hungry and try not to eat, I will get a strong stomachache. Once in a while, I will get suicidal thoughts, but am not dangerous to me or others in any way, they're just thoughts of suicide. When it's hot outside, I tend to feel very hot, and I sweat more, too. It's hard to lose weight on this medication, which is what I hate about this... and I've gained a lot since my pregnancy. My stomach area is inflamed with cortisol... I look horrible with a Santa belly... people always ask me if I'm pregnant, and some even stare. Even if I try not to eat, it is very hard to lose any weight with this medication, and no matter what you eat, you gain weight."

• Mar...
• May 13, 2017

For Schizophrenia "Was doing well on 4 mg risperidone but wanted to try an injectable long-acting med. Doctor suggested I start with Invega oral to be sure it would work. Tried 6 mg Invega for a month but never felt as good as with risperidone. Made me depressed, tired, insomnia, and even had some breakthrough delusions. So glad I didn't go straight to injections. Restarted risperidone and feel good again. It must work for some people but not for me. No data anywhere comparing Invega to risperidone, which is odd because the drugs are related. No evidence this is a better drug than risperidone."

• Dev...
• November 21, 2016

For Schizophrenia "About to depart Invega, so I felt the need to document my experience. Five years have been good on Invega. The pamphlet said, 'as clean as we can make it' or some such, and sure enough, the mind felt cleaner. If I was in a room all day, I would feel like my brain was drenched in depression. Invega made it fresh. I was able to take an interest in new things and grew over that time. Male sexual function: 9 mg said goodbye, 6 mg hints of life, 3 mg oh my God, I thought it left forever. Thank you, God. Weight: kind of hard to manage diet and exercise. It's like you need a scientist to work out satisfaction vs. calorie control. Beyond me, though weight training helped me feel good. Tiredness: very tired after work on all dosages. Hard to motivate to exercise but very rewarding."

• Jac...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 27, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I've developed dementia symptoms, I can't hardly urinate anymore, man boobs, always tired, vertigo, you've destroyed my life."