Invega for Schizophrenia User Reviews (Page 2)

• Ano...
• February 1, 2008

"This drug works great for the treatment of schizophrenia. It has made me feel a ton better, and its benefits far outweigh the few side effects. Be sure to take exactly when you are supposed to and not try to catch up on a dose. I did this and had to go to the hospital for treatment of muscle rigidity and uncontrollable muscle spasms, but as I said it has only happened once and happened when I missed a dose and tried to double up. So this is a great medicine, but take as prescribed only."

• Bra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 3, 2021

"I was prescribed Invega because my mother takes the injection, and it has helped her. I take the tablets. I'm so incredibly boring now. I don't find joy in anything, really. I don't have motivation to shower. I'm emotionless. I've gained a lot of weight. This medication should definitely be a last resort."

• Han...
• May 20, 2017

"This medication is an absolute waste of time. I have been on Invega for a little less than 2 years now, and I can with absolute confidence ascertain that it has done nothing for me. Aside from the decrease in sexual appetite and libido, difficulty having and maintaining erections, little to no ejaculatory fluid (which is really frustrating, by the way), the muscle tremors I am experiencing, and the 30 pounds I have gained since starting this medication, it is with no doubt an absolute and total waste of money. I definitely would not recommend this medication to anyone. Save yourselves the time and money and do not take this medication."

• man...
• June 22, 2008

"My daughter was diagnosed with a mental illness around 12 years ago. We tried almost every single medication out on the market. Nothing worked. I had lost hope. Then our MD talked to me about Invega. It was Godsent. The best medication ever. My daughter is able to have a life again. She goes out without being paranoid. It is worth every penny. Some side effects, but she is able to think clearly. If you are thinking about it, give it a try."

• Win...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 12, 2022

"It was and still is an absolute nightmare. I am bedridden since the 3rd shot. I was given this for my first psychosis episode. I should not have been given it in the first place because I never heard voices, I just had strange thoughts. I have brain damage. My IQ has so dramatically reduced that I am unable to live alone. I have very severe anhedonia. I can't listen to music, watch TV, or read. I can't sleep. It is like being buried alive. I left the medication 9 months ago with 0 improvement. Only people with severe schizophrenia should be given this."

• Tjs...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 27, 2016

"I've been on Invega for four months, and the delusions are gone, and I don't think people are out to get me anymore. All is good, but I can't think straight when people try to have a conversation with me. I'm really quiet and can't think of what to say or what to talk about. It's so depressing. I'm on 150 mg of Invega and 2 mg of Abilify. Will these side effects get better, or will I be like this for a few years? I don't know. I just wish I was back to my old self."

• Mr ...
• April 26, 2017

"Total scam. I've been on this drug for 3 years. Since being on it, it caused acute arm paralysis, dystonia, difficulty speaking, delirium which lasted for a month, and it caused weight gain and man boobs. When I first received the shot, it felt like my brain was about to explode. I had extremely high blood pressure on this medicine- 178/105. After I stopped it, my blood pressure is 110/78. I experienced temporal lobe damage from this medicine, and a CT scan showed atrophy of my brain after I stopped taking it. Be careful- many psychiatrists receive grants and stipends from big pharma and receive extra insurance money to peddle more drugs to as many patients as possible. This is because of our fee-for-service healthcare system."

• har...
• July 18, 2013

"I was on Risperdal, and I was always sleeping, gained much weight, and craved sugar. When I switched to Invega, my weight went back to normal, suffered few side effects such as restlessness and sometimes anxiety, but it beats those other antipsychotics because of fewer side effects and no weight gain for me. I don't like any of these medicines, but I look like I'm not on any, so far, so good."

• Who...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2020

"I'd been smoking a very small amount of cannabis for a few months and isolated myself with video games. One evening, I was playing music very loud, and the police were called. I thought it would be clever to resist arrest, so I stood behind the door and shouted, threatening to burn the house down. They soon broke in and carted me to the mental hospital. After giving my story to the doctor, I was put on Invega shots and told I was schizo, I'd never felt it. After three months, I started having tremors, constant anxiety, a panic feeling of a heart attack, couldn't move, walk, and six months on still on edge 24 hours a day."

• kou...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 16, 2014

"I'm a young single mom. In my experience, Invega gives me a fuller lifestyle. My condition is stable and controlled with Invega, so I can live with a balanced, happier mind. The only downside is the weight gain and some minor side effects, like milk production in my breasts. However, the benefits to my mind are greater than some minor and trivial side effects."

• A-s...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 13, 2022

"It's kind of weird how I had one career abroad, then came to North America with my parents and had another education (Comp Sci, honors degree), and always considered myself a successful A-student. Now, after a 2-year course of Invega, I have a learning disability. Yes, after treatment with this neurotoxic poison, all types of education, continuous learning, etc. are irrelevant to me. My memory is so bad now, I cannot learn some of the subway station sequences in Toronto no matter how I try (I work now as a foot courier, a career specifically tailored for the disabled). Specifically talking about Canadian psychiatry, I would say they deactivate your frontal lobe with Invega or something like that, then throw you into extreme poverty for the rest of your life. My Invega dosage: first year 150 x 6, (75 + 50) x 3, 100 x 3, second year 75 x 7, switched to oral Invega 6 mg (2 months), now I'm on risperidone."

• tan...
• March 19, 2015

"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."

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

"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."

• Som...
• November 9, 2016

"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."

• Mis...
• February 8, 2021

"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!"

• Ina...
• May 12, 2017

"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)."

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

"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."

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

"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."

• bru...
• March 7, 2009

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

"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."