Invega User Reviews & Ratings (Page 4)

• RBa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 4, 2019

For Schizophrenia "Took 6 mg for a week before 12 mg for 3 weeks while I was inpatient and psychotic. (Testing before I take the long-acting version of the drug) Psychosis didn't improve. And the stupid doctor prescribed the injection anyway."

• 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."

• tan...
• March 19, 2015

For Schizophrenia "I have been on this medicine for 1 week. I was on Seroquel and was aggressive on it, making bad decisions. I feel much better even singing and laughing. I am eating more than on Seroquel, which wasn't much, but I am making healthy choices."

• Anonymous
• January 3, 2011

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I've been taking Invega for almost two years. It does wonders for my concentration. I went from being unable to drive, cook, or take care of myself to being able to live a normal life. I work, function normally socially, drive, and pretty much do whatever I want. I didn't notice that the Invega helped much with the depression. I take Effexor for that, and it is great. I spend most of my time being content now, which is wonderful. My biggest complaint about the Invega is that it does nothing to stop the hallucinations. The only side effects I had were blurred vision and orthostatic hypotension (dizziness upon standing). Both went away after 7-10 days. I have to say that the withdrawal symptoms are unpleasant (dizziness, seizures, jitteriness)."

• the...
• December 4, 2009

For Schizoaffective Disorder "My husband is currently hospitalized for the 3rd time in 15 months. Thanks to Invega, I had the first real conversation with him last night in over a year. He says he finally has a clear head, and he feels great! Hopefully, this is our answer. I am keeping my fingers crossed."

• Som...
• November 9, 2016

For Schizophrenia "Invega did treat my crazy and voices and strange behavior, but it left me feeling empty and unmotivated, and things just aren't the same. The depression gets me to suicidal thoughts, but I won't hurt myself. Hell, I hardly do anything, everything sucks now, and I don't know. I would only recommend this drug to people who are dangerously insane because it is very strong and its effects last long after discontinuing. But I will say I pity any person who has to ever take it because there are things worse than death."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 23, 2020

For Schizophrenia "This drug did completely get rid of the voices in my head and the delusions, it also helped with my physical health a little bit. I had a colon problem, which led me to smell very bad all the time, but now I smell like a normal human being after the first few months of being on the injection. Also, my sleep is great. I will say that weight gain is to be expected, this drug will give you an uncontrollable appetite and will probably cause you to gain 40-60 lbs within 6 months. I have also experienced trouble with speech, and I feel a little less smart in general. This drug has caused me to have akathisia, I simply cannot sit still or stand still. My vision has seemed to be affected as well, when I don't eat for a while, or when I eat too much, or when I exercise, I seem to get black shadows in the corners of my eyes or blurred vision. Overall, this drug is beneficial for people with schizophrenia, but it will cause weight gain and a few other side effects."

• Ina...
• May 12, 2017

For Schizophrenia "I feel like this medication is making me feel extremely depressed in a way I haven't suffered before. Unfortunately, my doctor says this can't be the case, and it must be my condition (despite the fact I have never felt this way before)."

• Tea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 2, 2022

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This drug robbed me of my entire life, and now, four years later, I still have not recovered. My doctor, who had been working with me for well over a year, changed my diagnosis after a hospitalization. My caseworker assured me that that was the very best medication for this disorder, as others also did. Immediately, I have to say its effect was somewhat 'calming.' Sounds were muffled in my ears, life appeared a bit 'dreamy.' After a couple of months, though, I noticed a drastic drop in my desire to do pretty much anything. And it got that bad that, within six months, I was doing nothing but sitting on the couch in front of a TV all day until I realized it was time to go to bed. My doctor told me to just push through that and I’d be fine. I tried, and it got worse. Lost my entire sex drive and interest in everything I once enjoyed: church, being a father, mission trips, camping, canoeing on the rivers in the spring and fall, bonfires, beers, babes, ball games, work. It robbed me of my whole life."

• Mis...
• February 8, 2021

For Schizophrenia "First injection made me very sleepy, I slept a few days. Noticed the volume of the voices was lower. I still heard voices for the first 5 months, just at a lower volume. At the 6-7 month phase, they went away completely and now come back when I’m feeling strong emotion. The Invega injection made me very unmotivated. I didn’t clean, I didn’t look at my phone. I became disconnected from everything, including my child. I did not feel love or motivation to keep going, my thoughts were taken away from me. My high on life had faded away slowly. I do not recommend this injection, it will take your life away. I’m off this injection for 2 months now, and I’m starting to gain back a social life, motivation to clean, and motivation to be me again. I feel better than ever. But I do still have voices at a very low volume, so I use sound from the TV and music to take them away, so I don’t hear anything. Please stay away from most of the antipsychotics!"

• bru...
• March 7, 2009

For Schizophrenia "I've had auditory hallucinations all my life. Was on Geodon previously and had to keep upping the dose to keep the hallucinations and voices at bay. With Invega, I'm on the lowest dose and have an auditory hallucination maybe once or twice a month. Despite the risk of side effects, this is a wonder drug for me. I've had no side effects."

• Men...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 11, 2022

For Schizophrenia "Would not recommend this drug, it made me feel less like myself and more depressed. I never had things such as voices or hallucinations in my life, and all the doctors wanted to tell me was I was a paranoid schizophrenic, then the doctor decided to diagnose me bipolar on top of that. Be very careful who you trust and what you put into your body. Some doctors will try to convince you that there is something defective with your brain and that you need drugs. I have been off all psychiatric medications for 16 days now and haven't gotten the Invega Trinza for over 3 months, and I'm starting to recover. I now am going to exercise 30 minutes a day, eat right, and get plenty of restful sleep. Also, Invega could make you gain a lot of weight, as well as make your emotions so dulled down that you'll forget what you were like before. It should be illegal to use this drug on people, especially when there's no real evidence that a person needs the drug."

• Anonymous
• October 13, 2010

For Bipolar Disorder "My 8-year-old son was put on Invega 3 mg and then moved up to 6 mg a day. About 1 1/2 months ago after gaining too much weight on risperidone. He gets the dosage on time daily, but since starting Invega, he has had the worst uncontrollable muscle spasms/twitches. He is constantly twitching his arms, neck, and head without knowing he is doing it. Also, he has started making vocal noises (random humming) without noticing he is doing it. I was really hoping the Invega would work, but I think in our case, the side effects are too much to accept, so he will be switching again today."

• 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."

• dan...
• May 29, 2010

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I have been on Invega for over two years now and am doing great. I live on my own and am able to do what everyone else does. I don't work, I'm not ready for that, but caring for myself and two dogs is going great."

• Smo...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 25, 2017

For Schizophrenia "I have been on this medication on and off for about 5 months now, and it’s been rough. I can’t think of anything positive to say about it. I can’t sleep, I have to take medicine just to sleep. I have been feeling depressed and unmotivated, and I have gained so much weight. I used to weigh 165 lb, after getting back on this medication, I am now 187 lb after about a couple of weeks. I'd honestly rather have delusions and hear voices than to have life stripped away from me like this. I am not hearing voices, but my doctor still wants to keep me on it. No emotions or feelings on this med, currently on a 156 mg injection."

• 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."

• ken...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 11, 2023

For Schizoaffective Disorder "Invega has had negative effects on my appetite and sleep patterns. I strongly dislike this medication. When I was actively searching for a job, I found myself constantly falling asleep. This injection is the worst medication I have ever taken. It has caused excessive eating and significant weight gain. Considering my experience, I would not recommend this medication to anyone."

• chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 10, 2023

For Schizophrenia "I went into the hospital with OCD-like symptoms. A doctor misdiagnosed me. I am now suffering what no human should. I can no longer work, I have anhydrosis, neuropathy in my feet, permanent impotence, blood pressure issues, brain tension, pacing, bedridden, tremors, can no longer exercise, painful leg swelling, and constant eating because of withering murderous thoughts. The neurosurgeons can't figure out why I have had a severe decline in such a short period of time."

• Anonymous
• July 16, 2010

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I've been hearing voices for 2.5 years. Initially, I had severe emotional swings and delusions created by the voices and my interaction with them. I began taking Invega 18 months ago - this was very successful in moderating the emotions and generally calming my mental state. In terms of side effects: I am really struggling to lose any weight even with a good diet and exercise, I have very high prolactin levels - this contributes to me not getting periods, having occasional breast discharge, and I believe is responsible for 'anorgasmia' - where I have very low sexual desire and arousal, and feelings of orgasm are very subdued. These side effects have become more apparent over time."

• Tea...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 21, 2022

"I was on these shots for 9 months for bipolar disorder, and it caused me to gain weight. I couldn't cry or feel much of any emotion, really. I also have multiple sclerosis, and it affected my ability to blink. I had difficulty swallowing, almost making me choke on my food. I began to have an abnormal gait problem that affects my work on a daily basis. My libido was severely low. My hair started to fall out, and my skin was so dry I had a layer of dandruff even though I washed my hair normally. The skin on my legs and feet was peeling. I also had involuntary facial movements. This medication really messed me up, and I'm trying my best to recover from all the damage. I don't think anyone should be on this medication, they make money off of your suffering. Just don't do it."

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

For Schizophrenia "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."

• all...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 5, 2016

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This medication is weird. You can be doing really well and be normal, and then all of a sudden you get a manic episode or psychotic episode out of nowhere when you were normal like 2 days ago. It doesn't help you sleep, although it's good because it didn't stop me from waking up in the morning. I was able to go to my morning class as I was waking up at 5:30 am. Although I couldn't concentrate in class, and I never cooked. From what I remember, I was doing better on Risperdal, although I was more out of it and way more paranoid, and it was really scary. But I had good friends and never got manic and never had to go to the hospital for almost 10 years, and also did well in school. I think Invega is too inconsistent and can't take the mood stabilizer I want to."

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

For Schizophrenia "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."

• Phy...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 23, 2017

For Schizoaffective Disorder "I knew within 48 hours that this drug was a game changer. I had been in a 5-year-long depression, sleeping 18-20 hours a day, obese, no writing, no reading. Invega gave me a life. Granted, there is that yucky weight gain-but with Invega, I actually have the energy to go to the gym 4.5 hours a week, so it's (s-l-o-w-l-y) coming off. I can read and write, manage a routine, etc. Granted, there are some times when I get a little muddled, but it's now in the range of 'take a deep breath and start again' as opposed to catastrophic. There might be another drug out there with less severe weight gain, but I wouldn't trade how I mentally feel now for anything. I'll always be fluffy, but I'm happy. That's a fair trade any day!"