Jazneta: My introduction

[Jazneta]

Hey guys. I am looking for support in tapering off of Invega Trinza(546mg), Lamictal(25mg) & Artane(2mg).

 

I had a period of severe psychosis for about 3 years going on and off a bunch of prescription drugs against my will of course. I was put on Invega Trinza(819mg) 7 years ago.  At the time of this posting I have been psychologically stable for 3 years and have of course experienced psychiatric symptoms due to medicine/supplement changes. I have reduced these medicines in the past year:

• Invega Trinza 846->546
• Lamictal 50mg->25mg
• Artane 5mg->2mg.

 

I wish I could reduce Invega Trinza from 546mg->410mg but each reduction of Invega is crazy difficult. I barely made it from 819mg-> 546mg. My main motivation for drug tapering is weight problems and long term health. At this time I am thinking of increasing Lamictal back to 50mg just for the weight loss. I don't know if that is a dumb reason and/or increasing Lamictal again will cause more harm than good. I have not been able to find a psychiatrist who gives me real information and have been left in the dark, if that makes sense.

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by ChessieCat
Removed name from post

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Jazneta

 

How are you reducing your drugs? See Tips for tapering off paliperidone (Invega)

 

9 hours ago, Jazneta said:

At this time I am thinking of increasing Lamictal back to 50mg just for the weight loss.

 

As this is a site for going off drugs, we take a dim view of people increasing their drugs for no good reason. You are probably aware that the weight gain is due to the antipsychotic, correct?

[Jazneta]

Appreciate the response. I apologize for the long response, but my question requires the story, if that makes sense. Hopefully I can come to understand something I need. I have read and searched about Invega, Lamictal & weight gain on your site, including the tapering guide though do not see specifics related to Trinza. The guide gave me ideas and I have been research Sustenna, half-life and dosing in the body.

 

So, first I will answer your question, I was reducing according to my nurse practitioner. He started by reducing Lamictal by one 25mg tablet and recommended going down Invega every 3 months. It was tough to withdraw from Lamictal and it took me 3-4 months to feel more normal. My university classes were easy so I did well but I was gaining weight like crazy with that reduction. He panicked and said we should go back and increase Lamictal and I had to press to reduce Invega to slow the weight gain. 

 

I finally felt normal after the Lamictal decrease and this was a now or never type of thing because this would be my only easy university class for a while. My weight loss slowed down after reducing Invega since then but its still going up slowly. My mom is the one suggesting I increase Lamictal for weight loss though I am against it and am striving to stabilize my body on the lowest dose for long-term health. I would reduce Invega if there were some bearable way. The issue for me has always been a lack of information. My clinic doesn't inform me and tends to keep recommending more medication and the way they handle me to not give me information and see me out is almost magical. I go in trying to understand the medicines and am at the exit pretty confused/frustrated pretty quick.

 

I am the one person trying to lower my medication if that makes sense and I am locked into the only clinic in town that "treats" my condition by my insurance.

 

I am finally feeling normal but it took, let's see, 6 months for me to stabilize. The first 3 months of the Invega Trinza reduction were hellish and it was a 25% drop. If there were ways to reduce slower or keep the drug more consistent in my body I am all ears. The Invega withdrawal was definitely a traumatic experience psychologically, I definitely have a fear response now to reducing medicines, also I turned to a Functional Medicine provider with supplements in order to get through it.

 

My biggest hesitation right now is I have to stay mentally fit for my Master's degree, it is Computer Science, I have a 4.0, am halfway through it and will graduate in a year and a half. After that I will start working life and in a way want to dedicate myself to being as healthy as possible. Honestly if Invega would go down in smaller increments I know I could do it pretty well but 25% is just a lot and I need more information as to getting through it while mitigating damage done.

 

The logic behind the Lamictal increase is being leaner is good so I increase temporarily. Though I have major doubts about that being any good at all.

 

Here are some questions to make the responses simple:

1. Are there any people who know the information I am looking for? If so, is there a way I can speak with them?

2. Would being fat not be so bad for 1.5 years? I weigh 243lbs now at 5'10. Perhaps I can just wait at these doses and when I graduate get some real help.

3. Is there a way to make paliperidone equalize in the body? When weening, the Trinza version always gives me trouble the last 4 weeks,

4. For weening and equalized dose in the body is Sustenna better?

5. Have you heard of Amen Clinics and SPECT brain scans? If so, what do you think of them?

[ChessieCat]

On 3/25/2022 at 10:36 AM, Jazneta said:

5. Have you heard of Amen Clinics and SPECT brain scans? If so, what do you think of them?

 

brain-scans-fmri-qeeg-pet-or-spect-for-psychiatric-problems

 

Please also see this post, especially Point 6:

 

again-chemical-imbalance-is-a-myth-stop-the-lies-please

 

[ChessieCat]

On 3/25/2022 at 10:36 AM, Jazneta said:

do not see specifics related to Trinza.

 

I did a site search for Trinza:

 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/search/?q=Trinza

[Shep]

Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants, @Jazneta

 

First, let's address some potential drug interactions. Then I'll make a post with some links for you to read and some questions to answer. 

 

I placed your drugs in the Drug Interaction Checker and there are several moderate interactions, as you can see below. 

 

Quote

Interactions between your drugs

 

Moderate

trihexyphenidyl  lamoTRIgine

Applies to: Artane (trihexyphenidyl), Lamictal (lamotrigine)

Using trihexyphenidyl together with lamoTRIgine may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

trihexyphenidyl  paliperidone

Applies to: Artane (trihexyphenidyl), Invega Trinza (paliperidone)

Before using paliperidone, tell your doctor if you are also on trihexyphenidyl. You may need dose adjustments or special tests in order to safely use both medications together. You should notify your doctor if you have signs of bladder problems, dry mouth, stomach pain, fever, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, or reduced heart rate. You should avoid driving until you know how these medications will affect you. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using your medications without first talking to your doctor.

Switch to professional interaction data

Moderate

lamoTRIgine  paliperidone

Applies to: Lamictal (lamotrigine), Invega Trinza (paliperidone)

Using lamoTRIgine together with paliperidone may increase side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty concentrating. Some people, especially the elderly, may also experience impairment in thinking, judgment, and motor coordination. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with these medications. Also avoid activities requiring mental alertness such as driving or operating hazardous machinery until you know how the medications affect you. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs. Do not stop using any medications without first talking to your doctor.

 

 

[Shep]

On 3/24/2022 at 8:39 AM, Jazneta said:

I had a period of severe psychosis for about 3 years going on and off a bunch of prescription drugs against my will of course. I was put on Invega Trinza(819mg) 7 years ago.  At the time of this posting I have been psychologically stable for 3 years and have of course experienced psychiatric symptoms due to medicine/supplement changes. I have reduced these medicines in the past year:

• Invega Trinza 846->546
• Lamictal 50mg->25mg
• Artane 5mg->2mg.

 

Please update your signature to reflect your complete drug history (right now you only have 2021). Please see the first post in this thread for more information:

 

How to Summarize Your Drug History in Your Signature

 

 

On 3/24/2022 at 7:36 PM, Jazneta said:

I am finally feeling normal but it took, let's see, 6 months for me to stabilize. The first 3 months of the Invega Trinza reduction were hellish and it was a 25% drop.

 

Did you make a 25% reduction at one time? 

 

I'm going to post some links that will be helpful for you to read over. I think they will answer a lot of your questions.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

Taking multiple psych drugs? Which drug to taper first?

 

What we need:

 

1. Please let us know the time(s) of day you take each of your drugs and the dose. Also include any supplements you're taking. 

2. You mentioned you've experienced "severe psychosis." What do you mean by "severe psychosis"? Did you stop sleeping and then experience hallucinations from lack of sleep? 

3. Please update your signature as mentioned at the beginning of this post.

 

It's possible some of your symptoms are adverse drug interactions, so we may be able to suggest ways of spacing out your drugs that may help. Also, it will be good to set up a game plan for your taper, as we recommend only reducing one drug at a time. As you provide more information, we can help you set up this game plan. 

[Altostrata]

Hello, @Jazneta. I have never heard of someone taking Lamictal for weight loss. I don't think we have any discussions of this because that's not the purpose of the site -- we're about going off drugs.

 

Most likely, it's the antipsychotic causing your weight gain.

 

On 3/24/2022 at 4:36 PM, Jazneta said:

3. Is there a way to make paliperidone equalize in the body? When weening, the Trinza version always gives me trouble the last 4 weeks,

4. For weening and equalized dose in the body is Sustenna better?

 

What do you mean by equalize? It sounds like when you go to the next level injection of Trinza, you're metabolizing it faster and getting withdrawal 2/3 into the term of the injection (3 months). To avoid this, you might take a small amount in daily tablet form at the beginning of the last month. Eventually, you would convert from injection to tapering with tablets or oral suspension.

 

See Tips for tapering off paliperidone (Invega)