Invega Sustenna for Schizoaffective Disorder User Reviews

• Sad...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 17, 2021

"I was prescribed Invega Sustenna on my 5th hospital stay for bipolar and schizoaffective episodes. I wasn’t responding to the oral medications, and I have compliance issues with taking oral meds anyway. Like most people who have already commented, my experience with this drug has been horrible. Yes, it stopped the hallucinations, but it has robbed me of my emotions. I feel flat all the time, I gained weight, my hair fell out, I lost my sex drive and my ability to orgasm. I have anhedonia and avolition, I cannot socialize anymore, I can barely contribute to a conversation, I’m barely caring for myself (not cooking, not cleaning)... I am like a child. This medication is terrible in my opinion, I would not recommend it. I’d rather live with the occasional hallucination than all of the side effects Invega has caused."

• Ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2019

"I have felt very tired and just lethargic and lost interest in the Bible, which I once loved with a great passion. No one will take me at my word, and I have tried to get off this medication, but the doctor and my family won't let me even after I told them how much I don't like it. I have no periods, have high prolactin, and hand tremors in my right hand. Feel like sleeping all the time and would do anything to stop taking this medication. It is poison and should be taken off the market and never given to anyone. I'd rather hear voices than feel like I do on this medication."

• Jan...
• August 31, 2019

"I honestly feel like I've been misdiagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, but I've been taking this medication for almost two years. Currently at 117 mg every four weeks. I feel like I've become a completely different person than before I started Invega Sustenna. I have no passion for anything, no emotion, no ideas or input or anything to say to anyone, and my energy for life overall is just flat. So flat. I constantly feel like I only do things to appease people and appear like a normal person. Only the people closest to me, like my family, recognize that I'm no longer the person I used to be. I have hopes that I'll be able to stop this medication someday... and that when I stop, I'll be able to recollect whatever is left of who I used to be. I don't know if I'd recommend this medication. But if you ever find yourself on it, take note of your side effects earlier on so you have a record of it to tell your psychiatrist. Then maybe stopping will be easier, if that's what you want to do."

• Fra...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 14, 2018

"Do not take this medicine. So far, I have lost all my ambition, energy, personality, and my emotions. I am tired all the time and have random muscle spasms all through my body. It makes it really hard to feel things, I feel like I have to try to feel things. It's really weird. I have been taking the injection for six months now, and I'm a complete zombie. I have no social life, sex drive, or imagination. This medicine destroys the human body, it is poison and needs to be discontinued. I'd much rather hear voices and hallucinate than be on this medication."

• NKa...
• November 18, 2019

"At first, it didn't seem that bad taking Invega. I got the shot once a month. I was in the psych ward for paranoia and delusions. Hallucinations had subsided. They told me they would hold me at the V.A. for four months if I didn't take the shot. They used psychological manipulation to get me to 'agree.' Six months later, I'm 60 lbs overweight, depressed, and tired beyond belief. All I want to do is lay down and close my eyes. Today I woke up about 11:00 a.m., got out of bed for an hour, went and laid back down till about 4 p.m., then got up to make myself something to eat, then laid down till 6, got up for another hour, then right back to bed. This is my daily routine on this nightmarish drug. I'm taking one class in school and can't afford to withdraw off of it right now, but in a month I will graduate and finally get off this terrible drug forever. It makes me want to do nothing in life, nor could I work taking this medication. It has ruined a year of my life. I'd rather have symptoms."

• bec...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 23, 2020

"I've been on this drug Invega Sustenna for the last 5 years. I've gained 65 lbs, I'm 5'4" tall. I'm restless, have liver problems, memory problems. I don't know which symptoms it is treating. I do not hallucinate. I originally got diagnosed with bipolar disorder 23 years ago because I could not sleep at night. This drug is horrible, and there are no benefits from it."

• poo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 13, 2019

"This medication is the worst. Do not take it. You will have no feelings, no thoughts, no sex drive. Please do not take this drug in any circumstance. It does not help at all. It actually makes you worse. It makes you lose your mind on the daily. It makes you hallucinate daily. You don't want that. Do not take this medication in shot or pill form. 0 stars. Horrible drug. Way too expensive and does not work at all."

• Dip...
• June 13, 2018

"I was admitted to the hospital for depression. But they gave me the Invega Sustenna 234 injection. My mouth became totally numb for 2 months. I could not swallow any solid food. I could not properly talk for 2 full months. Only lived on liquids. Had no energy in my body at all. Only slept and lied down 24 hours. Had no energy even to open the medication bottle. Really felt horrible inside. Felt muscle locks. Literally lived like a zombie for 2 months. Had extreme anxiety and suicidal thoughts. My teeth have moved permanently. Can’t bite or chew the same way anymore. 4 months later, I still don’t feel normal. I feel this injection has ruined my life permanently. I feel there is something wrong with my body organs. I can’t make anybody understand that I just don’t feel normal anymore. I feel chills in my body. Hard to get up in the morning for work. Feel extremely fatigue and depressed. I actually have more issues than what I just described."

• Poo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2019

"I think this is a terrible drug. DO NOT TAKE. Causes schizophrenia, does not treat it. I repeat, do not take. Will decrease your thinking to almost not there completely. Will remove your emotions almost completely. Side effects on top of side effects. Weight gain, blurry vision, restless leg syndrome, brain pain, and more. Do not take even if the doctor convinces you it is a good idea. It is not a good idea at all."

• Ela...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 19, 2018

"Well, now I now know why they call psychiatrists 'shrinks.' I have been on this drug for years. I have tried taking vitamins and eating healthy to stay well and still gained 50 pounds. I have far too many headaches and sleep all day. I think they finally did it - they shrunk my brain!"

• Ich...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 25, 2020

"I have taken this drug Invega Sustenna for a few years, and while it did help to stabilize my mood, it completely got rid of my sex drive and sperm production. I will no longer be taking this horrible abomination of a drug and will instead rely on people who I am close to for support. P.S. On a side note, now that I have been off this medication for a few months, I have noticed my sex drive is back!"

• Jun...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2019

"If you want your life back and want to finally quit hearing the voices, believing the delusions that persist in your head and just be able to live a “normal” life, then this medication is absolutely for you. You will overeat, gain a little weight, have restless nights, and sleep all afternoon, you will have restless leg syndrome where you just can’t sit still. It takes about a month and a half for side effects to diminish. I’m so thankful to finally be happy again and be able to hold down a job. Those dark voices are gone. I don’t read a news article and believe I spoke to the President of the United States personally anymore. Now I wake up every day with just a calm, happy persona both internally and externally. The best part is that it’s only a once-a-month injection. I’ll tell you that on the day of the shot I do still get a little dizzy and tired, so I usually request off the entire day so I can relax. But even my family has noticed the huge change in me."

• Mor...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 29, 2020

"While the Invega Sustenna negated my psychosis, I have experienced anhedonia and lactation due to raised prolactin levels. I can't enjoy music or anything else for that matter. I also now have a tic where I have to move my mouth, I don't know if it's medication-related. I get my period once every three months and have lowered sexual pleasure. I feel like this drug took any enjoyment out of life, and I'd rather be on something else as my symptoms are not severe and Invega is not good."

• Fin...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 24, 2019

"I was in denial about my illness for about 8 years before I finally went to the hospital by police escort (with the help of my family). I had lost my marriage, couldn’t do my job, and I couldn’t figure out why all this was happening to me. The doctor at the hospital ordered the Invega Sustenna injection, and it completely turned my life around. 5 years later, I’m in a great relationship, and I’ve been able to go back to school, earning A’s in my classes. People like me again. I did try to go off of the medication last year with the help of my doctor to see if having children would be possible. We have to do more homework on our options because I was only able to stay off for 6 months after the taper. For me, I’m very thankful for this medication. Yes, I gained 20 pounds, but that isn’t terrible when I consider that I’m no longer hurting the people who care about me."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 7, 2018

"I feel like this medication has ruined my life completely because I ended up gaining weight, having prediabetes, and not having my period for 2 years. My biggest concern is am I gonna be able to have children when I get older. I decided that I rather stop taking this medication because it can ruin your future."

• day...
• January 30, 2018

"This is the worst possible nightmare of a drug. I was injected with one 234 mg dose and never took the 2nd shot or 156 mg because I felt so horrible. I was so miserable I wanted to die. I had no emotion, no imagination, no memory, and no initiative. I disappeared into a dark hole for months. It took 6 months before I started to feel any better. It took about 2 1/2 years before I felt like I was anywhere near back to normal. Don't let anyone inject you with this poison. You will regret it."

• She...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 4, 2019

"Horrible drug, causes weight gain. I call it the '15 lbs shot', with every shot, I gained another 15 lbs. My hallucinations went into overdrive, I could not sleep, depressed, angry, overweight, psychotic, hated every day. I am now seeing a new psychiatrist, and I am getting my life back without the Invega Sustenna injection."

• Coq...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 24, 2021

"I took Invega Sustenna for a year and a half. I was forced on it by my old mental hospital, and the family member I was living with told me I had to stay on Invega to live with this person. I got a 234 mg shot once a month for a year and a half. This drug completely ruined my life. It is absolute garbage for anyone's body. I went from 170 pounds to 300 pounds within this time frame (this is literally the most weight I had ever gained in my entire LIFE.) It turned me into a complete couch potato, made me so lazy and tired that I had to drink at least 3 cups of coffee a day to counter this problem. It completely destroyed my motivation for doing ANYTHING throughout my day. I sat around eating junk food, but also healthy food. Regardless of what I ate, I would gain 10 pounds every single month. I am really tired of the USA and its doctors promoting these awful 'medications' to sick people as if they are good options. There was zero benefit to using Invega, do NOT take this drug."

• cji...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 26, 2019

"I was misdiagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and received the booster and initial shot of this medication. I had terrible side effects, including 60 lb of weight gain. I also slept a lot and had little energy. After 6 months of discontinuation, I finally started losing weight and returned to my normal weight. I had to take a gap year during this time, and this drug wasted a year of my life."

• Blu...
• March 12, 2021

"Since I've been put on this medicine, I've had a difficult time socializing. I have trouble with conversations, and everyday activities seem very overwhelming and hard. Work has become increasingly difficult to perform. I'm also very easily tired compared to before taking this medication. This drug shouldn't be allowed to be prescribed to people. I now fear having to talk to people. I also have a very difficult time being sexually aroused."

• Too...
• March 27, 2020

"I have schizoaffective disorder, and I have been on the Invega Sustenna drug for a year now, and I love it. It is the only drug that has ever worked for me. It took my symptoms away totally. It has changed my life. The only side effect I have had is that it makes my mouth dry. I can definitely live with that. All the other drugs have had horrible side effects. My future is looking great because of this drug. I feel that this is the best drug on the market."

• Dir...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 20, 2019

"I was placed on Invega Sustenna after having a violent psychotic episode. I attempted suicide in a very violent manner and went back to the psych ward after surgery. They placed me on a 156 mg injection once a month. Since being on the injection, I’ve experienced slight weight gain, loss of euphoria I used to get from using drugs like alcohol, weed, amphetamines, benzodiazepines, and also the inability to “trip” from using psychedelics. Also, loss of sex drive. Most importantly, though... I no longer have the constant thoughts of wanting to end my life or hurt others. All things said, though, I have decided to remain on Invega injections, sacrificing all the wonderful highs I used to get from dope because I’m afraid that if I stop taking Invega, I might have another psychotic break and that the BEAST inside me could drive me to commit violence on myself or others. If Invega makes me non-violent, non-sexual, docile, and stable, then I say it is a good drug."

• Ken...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 13, 2023

"This drug has affected my personality and my ability to sleep restfully, causing me to have constantly bizarre dreams. I find myself speechless and unable to hold a conversation. My legs and entire body feel like they are crawling inside, and I feel the need to pace the room. Since starting this medication 6 months ago, I have had to move back in with my parents at the age of 36. I take the 156 mg dose for schizoaffective disorder, but the recommended dose for schizophrenia is 117 mg. I believe I am overmedicated, and this has caused me to have no emotions and no life. I don't like how this makes me feel, and I wish I could stop taking it."

• ano...
• June 7, 2015

"A lot of issues with this medication: extreme bloating, weight gain, and hunger. Pain in abdomen, gurgling sounds in abdomen area, burping and belching after every single meal, which normally never occurred with me. Dizziness almost all the time, extreme headaches, EXTREME muscle stiffness, and much difficulty walking and doing daily activities. Sweating for no apparent reason. Insomnia."

• Dud...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 9, 2021

"I've been on Invega Sustenna for about 6 months. I feel like a zombie. I have no emotions, I feel flat. I have no motivation to do anything. I sleep 11 to 12 hours a night. I feel very tired all the time, and I have anhedonia (lack of pleasure). Don't take this medication. It will steal your soul. You won't want to do anything. I would rather have my symptoms than be on this. I'm going to talk to my doctor about getting off this."