Paliperidone and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Sol...
• April 14, 2021

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "This is the worst medication ever. I was 120 lbs when I started on this, and I gained 80 lbs. My boobs went up from an A cup size to a D. It has been so hard to lose the weight. I don't take the meds anymore, and I'm still trying to lose the weight, it caused me other health problems on top of this. I would not wish this medication on anyone. I did not feel better on it at all. In fact, I felt dizzy, was sleepy, and all I wanted to do was eat. I repeated myself constantly while on this med. I blame the manufacturers for all the damages."

• inv...
• December 28, 2018

Paliperidone "Suffered from delusions while awake for 4 days. I am bipolar. Got admitted to the hospital after the police brought me in. Was given about 8 days of Zyprexa and felt relatively normal. The MDs sold Invega Sustenna as a way to stay free of psychotic behavior and to not have to take a daily pill. My biggest side effect is sedation. I find it incredibly hard to stay up past 8 PM and then stay in bed as late as I can (11 AM). It's like all my dopamine/serotonin is just gone, I feel like a zombie. I received the initial dosage intramuscularly on Dec 14th (234 mg) and the second initial dosage intramuscularly on Dec 19th (156 mg). It is now the 28th, and I have felt horrible every single day I have been on it. Will be discussing with my psychiatrist. If the half-life of this drug is true, this should stay with me until June. If you are not schizophrenic, do not choose to take even the initial dose of this drug, you are signing up for a horrible ride with no going back once it begins."

• Dam...
• August 6, 2015

Paliperidone for Schizoaffective Disorder "When I first started taking Invega, it took away the voices and delusional thoughts better than the other injection I was receiving. Weaning off of it was not hard, but I was also taking large doses of niacin and lithium at the time. I had a manic episode that lasted 3 months after withdrawing. After that, one injection brought me back to reality in less than a day. I have extreme weight gain on Invega, drowsiness (sleep 12 hours a day), and decreased sex drive. Though it is important for me to point out, like I said, no mania or hallucinating. I function well on the injection. It is the side effects that I have trouble dealing with."

• Jac...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 14, 2017

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "Okay, let me get started. Every social worker, psychologist, and mental health doctor shouldn't prescribe this drug to anyone. It is harmful in so many ways. I took it for 1-2 years because they said I had bad schizophrenia. I did not have bad anything except a drug issue, which they already knew as they had tested my urine, but they didn't take that into consideration. If you take this drug, you will sleep away your life. You will lose your train of thought every 5 sentences. You will probably have a 75% chance of losing your job in a fast-paced environment. When you take this drug, you will lose muscles, goals, and cause you to get depressed."

• Pix...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 12, 2014

Paliperidone for Schizoaffective Disorder "Been on Invega ER for two months; so much better in the head, sorted the acute psychosis out, organized my thoughts in a new and helpful way, slight orthostatic hypotension and drowsiness are easing - overall, this has been a savior re paranoia and hallucinations, etc. AND I am more motivated to do things; continuing with Pristiq at 200 mg and paliperidone 9 mg, good."

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

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "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."

• Hor...
• June 16, 2022

Paliperidone for Schizoaffective Disorder "While on Invega, I used to have tremors, shake every day, couldn't focus, was constipated for a month, my belly was swollen, my prolactin levels increased drastically, I didn't get my period for months, I was extremely slow, had no sex drive, and had horrible urinary incontinence. When I look at pictures from that time, it is clear that I was sedated, my face changed, I couldn't even open my eyes properly. Everybody thought that I was weird. I didn't know that urinary incontinence was caused by this drug, but now I see that it is a common side effect. It was so stressful being on this drug, DON'T TAKE THIS HORRIBLE INJECTION. Worst years of my life."

• Nan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2019

For Depression "I was forced to take this drug 3 times at 39 mg per shot. My last shot was given about 6 months ago. I was actually misdiagnosed. I was suffering with depression, my family doctor forced this drug onto me. Terrible side effects-my speech became slurred, there was neck stiffness, watering of the eyes, sleepiness and dullness existed throughout the day, excessive salivation, difficulty in walking, memory loss, loss of libido, amenorrhea, and most of all terrible weight gain. I gained 20 lbs already, and I feel I am still gaining weight. I could recover from other symptoms with the help of a smarter doctor, but not the weight gain. Anyone, please suggest to me if you lost weight after stopping this drug, and if so, how long did you take? I am a physically active person who is originally thin-built."

• Mis...
• February 8, 2021

Paliperidone 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!"

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 21, 2016

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "Cleans the mind of weird thoughts, delusions, and hallucinations. Weight gain has been noted, as well as a general feeling of restlessness and drowsiness. I'm always on slow motion and need to think things twice or three times. Still better than having conversations with dead people or thinking my brain can see in the future... by the way, don't try quitting this drug cold turkey. It's a recipe for disaster."

• Ros...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 29, 2020

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "Taking this drug Invega Sustenna helped a bit with my schizophrenia symptoms. The side effects, on the other hand, were something else. I was significantly slowed down both mentally and physically. I did lose about 5 pounds and lost interest in food, most probably due to feeling really depressed about my condition. I also couldn’t stop walking about, I couldn’t sit still anywhere for up to 2 minutes. I also had abnormal muscle movements, my vision became really bad and blurry, and I was drowsy all the time, especially after taking a dose."

• Syn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 14, 2022

Paliperidone for Schizoaffective Disorder "I have major depression with psychotic features. After the first day on Invega, I fell asleep through all my alarms for work. Stopped by a Starbucks to go to the bathroom, and I passed out inside Starbucks and again in the bathroom. My husband had to pick me up and drive me home. Strangely, I wasn't feeling like this until after I left for work. It literally hurt me out of nowhere."

• Gaz...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 31, 2019

For Bipolar Disorder "I was forced onto this injection when I was hospitalized and told that if I didn't take it, I would stay in the hospital indefinitely. I have put on a lot of weight, and I sleep most of the time. I have no motivation to do anything. I get jittery legs when I try to sleep, and I can't be bothered to do anything. I used to be passionate about a lot of things, but I now feel like everything is a chore. I have lost all my social skills and lack my personality, it has all been stripped away from me. I've been on the injection for around 6 or 7 months, and I am going to refuse to take it when I get my driver's license back, as I had that taken away from me as well. I have lost my sex drive as well. Totally against this horrible drug. Do not take."

• Kle...
• June 20, 2016

For Bipolar Disorder "I have experienced extreme drowsiness with my paliperidone injection. When I first started, I also experienced muscle spasms and blurred vision. I gained approximately 20 lbs in 2 months of taking it. I also experience depression and lack of motivation. This drug makes me feel like a zombie. I am hoping to switch medications soon."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 23, 2021

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "Well, what can I say? Been on this drug almost a year for schizoaffective. I believe it’s 254 mg every 3 months. I’ve been the most depressed I’ve ever been. Sleeping all day, don’t want to get out of bed, no thoughts, strange dreams, no motivation, reduced sex drive, difficulty finding pleasure in things I used to enjoy. Just an overall bad experience. I can function perfectly fine with medication or drugs, but they told me if I stop taking it, I will get “unwell,” which is rubbish! Enough is enough. I will be refusing treatment from here on out."

• Per...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2019

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "On Invega Trinza, and paranoia has gone. Absolutely love the convenience of only having to take it once every 3 months! Some pain at the injection site, but only lasts a day or two. Unfortunately, I have started lactating and am not sure if I should stay on it because of this side effect. I do sleep a lot and eat a lot on this medication, but it's so much better than when I'm not on it and have to deal with schizophrenic symptoms."

• tir...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 20, 2017

For Bipolar Disorder "Side effects experienced: diarrhea, dyspepsia, asthenia, fatigue, hypotension, agitation, insomnia, hyperactivity, restlessness, increased weight, increased appetite, akathisia, headache, sedation, muscle aches, back pain. Benefits of the medication: less mania, reduced hyperactivity."

• Jac...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 31, 2021

Paliperidone "I was put on this for bipolar disorder. Probably one of the worst drugs you can take for bipolar disorder. You will feel like not doing anything pretty much every day. In other words, it makes you feel like a vegetable. There are so many other medications for bipolar disorder that can be helpful, but this by far is not it. Sure, it probably helps with things like paranoia or maybe even hallucinations, but in return your best friend becomes the couch. Side effects include sleepiness, flattened mood, no drive or motivation. And when you bring this stuff up to the psychiatrist, they'll think it's because of your condition. Not because they're injecting you with pretty much a tranquilizer every month. Oh, and the worst part of it all is the weight gain. Oh man, I gained probably more than 80 pounds on this drug, which is ridiculously hard to lose when my best friend is the couch. This is all based on my experience, and yours might be completely different. Be wary of this med!"

• Mon...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 17, 2023

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "I feel the 150 mg injection is too high a dose for me, but I do not experience symptoms of schizophrenia on it. The side effects I experience from the medication are high prolactin, sedation, drooling during sleep, palpitations, weight gain, flat affect, and lack of interest in everything, unlike when I was on the 3 mg tablet. I want to return to my lower dose tablet to lose the weight I have gained and to regain the autonomy around taking my medication."

• Ebz...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 2, 2022

For Schizophrenia "Worst drug. Feel tired and sleep all the time, 15 hours straight sometimes. No emotion, nothing excites me or lifts my mood. Everything I used to enjoy just seems so bland. I'm on a Compulsory Treatment Order (CTO). I can't wait to get off this crap. I'm a zombie. Stay away."

• Fog...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 22, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I have had a really bad experience with this drug. I was arbitrarily diagnosed with bipolar by a doctor and put on forced drugging, even though I've never been manic in my life, and the times I have been depressed have been contextual. Why would I want to continue taking a drug I'm forced to take for something I know for a fact I don't have? I'm hyperactive and obsessive-compulsive, not manic. The ethics of forced drugging are questionable. The drug has given me akathisia, which thankfully goes away. It has given me persistent sexual dysfunction problems (erectile dysfunction), and my sleep has been terrible. Before I was on this drug, I was sleeping great, I would wake up every morning at six and would feel fresh and ready for the day. The moment I was put on this drug, no matter how long I slept for, I would wake up feeling exhausted, drowsy, sedated, and hypoactive and could barely get myself out of bed before 11 every day. Thankfully, my hyperactivity (ADHD) returns in the afternoon."

• Fog...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 22, 2022

For Bipolar Disorder "I have had a really bad experience with this drug. I was arbitrarily diagnosed with bipolar by a doctor and put on forced drugging, even though I've never been manic in my life, and the times I have been depressed have been contextual. Why would I want to continue taking a drug I'm forced to take for something I know for a fact I don't have? I'm hyperactive and obsessive-compulsive, not manic. The ethics of forced drugging are questionable. The drug has given me akathisia, which thankfully goes away. It has given me persistent sexual dysfunction problems (erectile dysfunction), and my sleep has been terrible. Before I was on this drug, I was sleeping great, I would wake up every morning at six and would feel fresh and ready for the day. The moment I was put on this drug, no matter how long I slept for, I would wake up feeling exhausted, drowsy, sedated, and hypoactive and could barely get myself out of bed before 11 every day. Thankfully, my hyperactivity (ADHD) returns in the afternoon."

• Lee...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 22, 2018

Paliperidone for Schizophrenia "Taken for almost three years, this drug is awful if you're wanting to work, the impaired thinking and the sleepiness make it absolutely hard to work in any workplace. Only try this as a last resort."

• Ari...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 14, 2016

Paliperidone for Schizoaffective Disorder "I was on this medicine for a little over a year, and I gained almost 100 pounds. I slept all the time, and my emotions felt numb."

• Anonymous
• September 7, 2011

For Schizoaffective Disorder "This medicine has been very helpful. Has controlled my symptoms pretty well but does tend to make me a little drowsy at times."