Coming Off Invega Sustenna (Page 3)

Hi,

I was given Invega Sustenna at 100mg a month for 10 months since Dec 5th. My last shot was on August 29th 2013.

The medication gave me severe anhedonia and I have lost the motivation and willpower to do anything. I can no longer experience joy, happiness, or pleasure from anything I do and I have no interest in doing anything. I constantly feel restless and uneasy and I just can't shake this feeling away no matter what. All of these started about a week after my first IV.

I have been off this medication for almost 3 months now and I have yet to feel any improvements. I have read that it has a long half life of 25-49 days and that it can stay in your body for 300 days. So does that mean I will have to wait a year to start feeling better?

Any info on someone who has been off this med would be greatly appreiciated. I am interested to learn how many months it takes to feel better after invega sustenna.

Thank you

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Can you tell me how much weight you put on with this drug? I have put on 7kg a whole stone and desperately trying to loose it. It's been 7weeks since my final shot. I'm never going on that med again. My prolactin level is still 1,982 and should range between 60 and 600 at the most. How long until this poison leaves your system? It's been two months now and still no improvement.

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Eduard, thank you SO much for coming back and posting your positive experience! You have inspired me to do the same thing when my side effects cease! I took my last shot June 1, 2017. So based on what you have said, it sounds like I will see the side effects lift on January 1, 2018. I am so looking forward to seeing the same kind of results that you had. One day, I will feel completely apathetic and the next day, my perspective will change and I will feel better totally in two weeks. If this is what you experienced, I am guessing that the same will be true for me? Now you didn't mention anything about withdrawal symptoms? I am asumming you did not have any? A lot of people go onto another oral anti-psychotic, but my doctor fortunately doesn't think I will need an anti-psychotic. So I was taking 78 mg's of Invega Sustenna and she just had me stop taking the shot. Now, I haven't heard from anybody whether or not I can expect to have any of the dreaded withdrawal symptoms? I am certainly hoping not to! If you could speak to your experience with withdrawal symptoms, I would be very grateful!

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Carly, I put on 20 lbs with this drug! I took off 18.4 lbs. As far as when you will feel better, there is a guy on this board named Eduard who saw all of the terrible side effects go away at 7 months after the last injection. His experience was that oneday he was having suicidal thoughts and then the next day, he was feeling better and two weeks later, he was back to normal! So it will probably be several more months until your side effects cease. I just stopped the shot one month ago. I have another six months to wit it out. I don't know what I am going to do with myself in that time? I can't find a lasting interest in anything! It is torturous. I am also totally flat in my emotions. When I went down to the lower dose, I had a few breakthrough emotions, but since it is totally flat again! These side effects are complete torture. And forget about any libido. I have zero! Can't take a nap. Haven't felt naturally tired in eleven months! I am beside myself that I have to live with these side effects for another six months. But there is literally nothing I can do about it. I wish you good luck with your journey! I will check back and keep you posted!

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Bipolar, thanks for your reply. I can't seem to move the weight. This comes down to prolactin levels being elevated. 7 months is a long time to get back to normal. I was always so tiny, but now I'm just frumpy and have no libido. What on earth are they thinking? This hasn't helped my depression. My world has fallen apart. I couldn't hold down a job. I was so sedated. Just wanting my old body back and to be able to have a few wines and actually get tipsy would be good. I've lately realized alcohol doesn't affect me at all on this drug. I can't even get tipsy at all. Seven months is a long time. The weight better come off in pounds. I have to lose 15.

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Have your prolactin levels checked?
It can cause weight gain.

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So it was seven months. It's been two months for me and still my prolactin levels are very high. When did u notice these drop.

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Carly, I have not had my prolactin level checked. I will ask my doctor when I see her next about that. Today is one month since I have taken my last shot. So I am certain my levels are still very high. It takes time. Apparently for Eduard it took Seven months. The only thing I don't know but I wish I knew was how many mg's of the Invega Sustenna he was on when he stopped taking the shot? Knowing that information would make it easier to accurately know when the side effects will cease.

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Eduard, what dose of Invega Sustenna were you taking when you had your last shot? And did you take another anti-psychotic? Or did you just titrate off the Invega Sustenna without another medication in its place? Did you have any withdrawal symptoms? I know you recovered fully which is great information. So thank you so much for coming back to the boards! We owe you!

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It's best to have the prolactin checked. I want to ask my doctor for some Wellburtin to get me thru but they're hesitant on giving me any uppers. My dopamine is lacking. This medication has made me worse not better. It's put me in a darker hole than before. So glad I'm off it now. Seven months and counting.

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Can u tell me, can u get drunk? I can't get drunk or tipsy. I can't seem to get the same effect I used to on alcohol.

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Hi Ja has your prolactin levels normalised now being July 17

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10 and a half weeks off the poison and I feel good. Still having a hard time getting up and motivated to work a full week but I feel like St Johns Wort is helping with my symptoms. My diet is still s*** but I'm going on a juice diet to combat the weight gain from anti-psychotics and maybe burn up some of the anti-psychotics that are stored in fat. I was like Eduard being on the meds for 8 months at 156 mg dose inj. My prolactin levels were 50 so almost double the level they should be. But I'm able to have conversations with people again and have some emotion which is good. I will be keeping everyone posted on my recovery.

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hey bro ,
i took invega sustenna 150mg 3 times for 2 months then stopped it from 3 months but i still dont feel good
give me hope and tell me bro after years have you felt better after stopping it and have the side effects gone away like headaches and injection reply
and thank you

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Hi Carly, I'm 8 and a half months off this poison and my prolactin level and libido came back, no anhedonia, but still get depressive waves with withdrawal. I was on sustenna for 6 months by court order and I still cant feel euphoria or much joy from stimulants. I hope this amends itself. Everyone's withdrawal is different. About 4-5 months along I experienced depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, etc, but am getting better slowly now. Anyway hope we all recover from this poisonous medication. I recon it'll take a year to come right, here's to hoping anyway.

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Hi John at how many months did your prolactin normalised..I too was on court order for 6 months as soon as I came off the act I stopped the medication. If I could sue them I would .....I hate what they have done to me. So you think it'll take one year?

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The prolactin went back to normal 3 months after my last shot and my libido came back at about month 5. This is the most cruelest horrible med you could ever get. I don't know how they can call this medication (that takes away all your joy, libido, makes you depressed and causes insomnia), a good drug. I read it's the same as risperidone which is a bad med, but google dr z invega sustenna, it may be helpful for you. I hope you get better soon.

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Hello,

My son took the invega injection in March of 2016 and only now, August of 2017 is getting better. He had only a psychotic meltdown and a psychiatrist gave him this injection in a clinic. This medication is hell, he was not able to think correctly or work. The exhaustion makes him sleep for 15 to 20 hours. It's criminal to give this injection in people who are not schizophrenic. He gained more than 30 pounds, lost interest in life and also my life became a nightmare because I need to stay 24 hours with him, can't work, can't do anything. He got much better when he exercised. I know it's hard, but everyone that is in this situation needs to do that to feel better. Also Yoga, stay in the ocean, get sun, etc. It all helps a little bit. Now he is taking CBD oil and it looks like that is what is helping him. 3 drops 3 x per day. Also vitamin B3, vitamin C and B12 he is taking. We all should report to the FDA what this horrible medication does. It's really a nightmare.

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Hello mima,

This injection was created for the Nazi camps; it was built to cause death by feelings. Dopamine is what it blocks and that's enough to become very suicidal. I hate what it's done to me. It's made me very angry, affecting my mental health.

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Hi Carly,
Thanks for your reply. I think is very importante everyone who took Innvega post everywhere whats happen to help others. My son felt better when he saw many posts of people who had the same he has. As I told before, I feel he is much better now, but the drug is still there and is already 483 days since he got the injection. I believe some people is more sensitive than others and the drug can stay longer. His dopamine is now ok, but his serotonine is low and several hormones are unbalanced. It's really a nightmare. It's Important that people who is experiencing this same nightmare Knows that one day all this will end and exercise helps a lot to feel better.

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Not true about permanent damage. I've been through years of those drugs. I am currently on invega. But being on invega is not helping me for I barely feel the effects of my marijuana. So please talk to me. I was majorly depressed. Then after flunking out of college I was 302'd and have been on meds ever since. But I KNOW a real miracle exists for me where forever after I can help.

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