Invega Sustenna for Schizophrenia User Reviews (Page 2)

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 10, 2022

"I have been on Invega Sustenna for almost 2 years for schizophrenia. I’ve stuck with Invega Sustenna for so long because it is the second-best option in terms of side effects (definitely not saying that it is a good drug). I have erectile dysfunction, insomnia, feeling of mental pain and loneliness, extreme fatigue, lack of motivation, worsened vision, and short-term memory loss from this medication (all of the medications, in fact). I’m showering about once a month, brushing teeth about twice a week, and never exercising because I physically can’t do better on this medication. I used to shower and brush teeth daily in addition to having a six-pack (abs). This medication is another antipsychotic that was marketed without care for how the patients feel physically or mentally while taking it. In short, current antipsychotics do work, but the side effects are unbearable."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 30, 2021

"Worst experience of my life. Literally got rid of who I am as a person. I feel nothing. No emotions, no joy out of life. Just an empty shell. I've felt suicidal, as it might be a better option than just living day to day feeling like a zombie. I wish the doctor never put me on this. LIVING IN A NIGHTMARE!!"

• Cit...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 21, 2022

"I have been getting injections for 8 months now, and I have no energy, no stamina. I have a really difficult time organizing my thoughts, and any suicidal ideations I may have had before this medication were nothing compared to the urgent need I sometimes have to kill myself. I know that these impulses are not what I consciously want, but I get trapped within my own mind sometimes and start crying and cursing uncontrollably. I feel dizzy, disoriented, without hope or a lifeline connecting this dedicating husk of a man to the passionate person who used to volunteer at the animal shelter and local charities. I was a productive member of society before this nightmare started, a good person who strove to remain productive and busy with day-to-day tasks. I cannot complete a sentence most of the time, and the doctor's refusal to take me off of this dangerous drug is bad for me. I can barely associate what I have become with what I was."

• Kiw...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 18, 2018

"Invega Sustenna is gross. It blocks dopamine in the brain, so it causes a long list of side effects. This drug is a gimmick, it has no therapeutic value whatsoever. I think I threw up over a dozen times!"

• Rea...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 3, 2019

"Let’s start off by saying it causes bloating. I hate the feeling. I have been dieting and exercising but no results after eating. I have no sex drive, tiredness, no emotion, and lack of energy. I also don’t want to leave the house. This shot has worked for my voices, but the side effects are worse. Hopefully getting off of it soon."

• O2j...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 26, 2019

"The combination of drugs I was on, which included Invega Sustenna, caused a great amount of pain and suffering. Puking, coughing, kidney pain, prostate pain, brain on fire, lockjaw in the middle of the night, in some order which I've forgotten."

• Fer...
• September 9, 2018

"It works! But you have to want it too. Mental illness is an illness of the brain. The mind... So you have to couple your taking of available meds and therapy. You have to change the way your mind works and thinks. Think on purpose for up to an hour a day by repeating a phrase or quote such as if you're a voice hearer, repeat up to an hour a day (I cannot hear voices, they aren't real) x repeat. Fish oil, good sleep, eat healthy, and exercise every other day. Look after yourself and work your thought life out. I have schizophrenia, bipolar, and depression and hold 2 small businesses that I run for most of my workweek (Music Studio owner/operator and Stock Market Trader). I've had schizophrenia for 14 years, and for 7 of those years ran a highly successful business where I used to live (talking 7 figures). EAT healthy! THINK right, exercise, and do what you know you should! Positive, positive, positive. You CAN do this!"

• Jen...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 12, 2021

"My husband is borderline schizophrenic, and he is given the injection once a month. He has been given the needle for 18 months. During this time, he is always asleep, no energy, no interest in life, very slow walking, and just can’t do anything. This is not living, just existing. Is there an alternative to this drug? So fed up with it all."

• Str...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 29, 2018

"I find the drug makes me calm/relaxed, but I have the most severe insomnia. I've gone 7 weeks without much sleep and have 0 energy or motivation. This drug has basically ruined my life and turned me into a stay-at-home vegetable with no future. Gonna switch to Abilify and hopefully have my life back and good, healthy sleep back."

• Sea...
• February 10, 2021

"I have paranoia, panic disorder, and bipolar 1 with psychotic features. I zoned out and daydreamed living nightmares. It shattered my self-esteem. I heard people say my thoughts, and I heard their thoughts. It did not clear my mind, it made it race with the paranoia condition I have. I gained 100 pounds in one year. My labs showed I would have cirrhosis of the liver in 2-5 years due to obesity. I saw a nutritionist but lacked all motivation. I was constantly terrified. I rarely spoke. When I switched to another antipsychotic, my hallucinations stopped. Five years later, I have no idealizations about people reading my mind. I am grateful I was too scared to talk about how I felt because my diagnosis could have changed. I lost my whole sense of who I was by getting injected with 150 mg each month for four years. I blame myself little for sleeping the pain away. I would never recommend this medication to anyone."

• Bob...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 25, 2020

"I don't feel much on this medication. It takes away the pleasure of enjoying things like video games, sadly. I've lost my sense of smell while on this drug. I've gained the most weight I have compared to other antipsychotics. I tried coming off it for a month with no success, it's really strong on preventing delusions and hearing voices. I can't ejaculate or feel much sexual pleasure while on this medication."

• kod...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 30, 2018

"Gained over 30 lbs on this medication, even though I'm eating less and I've cut out sugar from my diet. What's even more depressing is that even though I'm heavier, I'm actually weaker than I've been when I was skinny and off meds. Also, when I skip my injection for a week, I'm hitting threes and long twos like it's nothing on the basketball court, while on the medication, there's no point in going to the court. Also, the results of treatment are suboptimal: I don't have friends, during 6 years of treatment, I've never been on a date (which probably also has something to do with poor sexual functioning while on the medication). I stay at home all the time, am unemployed, and gained the status of a disabled person. However, when on the medication, I don't have positive symptoms like thought broadcasting. I'm seriously considering switching the medication, I'm depressed, desperate, feel awful all the time, and can't do it anymore."

• tk9...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 14, 2023

"This medication has turned me into a couch potato. Most of my life, I have been a fit and physically active person, but since I have been given this medication, I have been struggling to get the energy to do anything. It took away my motivation in life, and I have become numb emotionally. It does help with my symptoms a bit, but there has to be better medication out there than this."

• Phl...
• October 18, 2017

"Well, I have been on this medication for some time now. It has helped me with the voices, but to be honest, you do sleep a lot, and that's the only constant this medication has. It makes you eat a lot, and as far as sex drive goes, lol, I won't talk about it. I think that it depends on who you are around to make you feel depressed. You have to keep in mind that it's a serious disease, but with medication, it can be manageable. And if you are getting too fat, exercise. You will get the weight off. Keep positive people around you and remember the struggle is never done. We may always have a stigma put on us or a label put on us, but prove the enemy wrong. Be the best you can be and shine bright like a diamond. And remember, God loves you."

• Dus...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 30, 2020

"When taking Invega Sustenna, you have either no emotions some days, or it's out of control-literally laughing, crying, and anger. Also, if you're like me, you can't hardly sit down, makes me move a whole bunch."

• Voi...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 29, 2017

"I was going through thyroid storm because I had taken liquid iodine with thyroid pills. At the time, I was having an episode... and forced treatment against my will. The doctor told me that it was the only drug I could take and coerced me into taking it. 432 mg shot that was nearly twice the max dose. I didn't like it because before I was on a dopamine 2 and not dopamine 3 antagonist like this drug does. Absolute crap! Before the episode, I was healthy, able to run 10k in under 40 minutes on Seroquel XR... and now I'm dealing with withdrawals and high inflammation that was .7, now 4.3 because of the stupid shot. It'll make you not able to think or do your job. You'll lose interest in things like working out and being healthy. The drug is rubbish!!"

• bud...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 17, 2019

"This drug is driving me crazy! I don't like the weight gain, and it slows me down considerably. I can't eat whatever! Everything has sodium in it. My body has gone through the wringer (think using the potty), and people have to take things away to keep me from committing suicide. Things are done behind my back to keep me stable as well. The edge is gone (me saying the F word on a regular basis), but what about sleep? I am 43 years old, and I need my beauty sleep! I never want to feel the feeling of being awake for weeks on end! Guess it doesn't help that I discovered coffee... bring on the drugs that encourage you and not make you fat and bloated!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 18, 2014

"I have been on Invega for 5 months now, and it has significantly improved my quality of living. Prior to the shot, I was on numerous antipsychotics and would begin to stop taking the pills and go into relapse with symptoms. I'm not on the shot, and auditory and visual hallucinations and paranoia have decreased dramatically. I like that it is a monthly shot, and it cuts down on remembering (or wanting) to take a pill once or twice a day."

• Tak...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 11, 2020

"I've been on this med, Invega, for years. Without it, I was suicidal and often hurt myself. With this med, I'm happy again and have no desire to cause harm to myself. Only side effects are weight gain and long sleep."

• h0m...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 8, 2018

"So I've been on this medication since 2014. Diagnosed with schizophrenia back in 2011 when I told doctors I was visited by spirits at a young age. They didn't believe me, though I swear on my life it is true. Anyway, I was on 150 mg. Had the worst side effects you could imagine. Very high prolactin levels, lactating from my breasts, amenorrhea, absolutely no motivation at all, pretty much glued to my bed & phone. So they adjusted my dose twice, and now I am feeling a bit better. Not a lot better, though I would say. They say that a schizophrenia diagnosis is something you deal with for life, so I would be careful what you tell your doctors. You could be on medication for life."

• Hel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 6, 2021

"When I was on the 75 mg injection, I wouldn’t stop gaining weight, my weight went from 104 lbs to 136 lbs and was increasing with crazy hunger. I had bad acne from this medication, no period, couldn’t work out, went to bed at 6:00 pm, lost my internal voice, couldn’t think at all. They dropped me down to 50 mg, and the weight persisted. They then spaced out my injection to five weeks apart, and I dropped some weight but not enough to be proud of. I’m around 120 lbs, still don’t have a period, have crazy hunger, no internal voice, can’t perform like I used to, have puffy eyelids, one drooping eyelid, can’t use my imagination, bad memory, can’t lose weight, don’t sleep at night, and the side effects keep piling up. It has taken away my voices during the day and my delusions."

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

"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."

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

"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

"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

"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..."