Rygenus: Coming off Invega Sustenna problems

[Rygenus]

I was misdiagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia. What I really have is OCD with psychotic tendencies. The damage was done, however, once the psychiatrist gave me the INVEGA Sustenna injection and week booster. I didn't think much of it at the time as they said it would help level me out and silence the rapid thoughts. Little did I know that the side effects and what it did to me would be worse than the racing thoughts.

 

I decided I wanted to come off of all the cocktail of medications he put me on. I was on Wellbutrin, Seroquel, Risperidone, Luvox, Lithium, and INVEGA Sustenna all at once. With the advice of the psychiatrist I tapered off of all except the INVEGA Sustenna (already in my system and unable to remove) and Luvox. With the advice of a different psychiatrist I am tapering off of Luvox and tapering BACK on Zoloft. I also decided NOT to take the second month dose of INVEGA Sustenna to carry that on and stop completely. I have seen many things about a super long half-life and how long it takes for it to leave your system.

 

Here is my problem: The INVEGA Sustenna is causing me great distress. I have little motivation to do anything that interested me before. I don't find a lot of joy in life anymore like I did before. I don't laugh much or tell jokes and generally am a different person. I used to really love playing games and watching movies. All of those have become, "meh" to me now. Life is really kind of horrible right now and my wife and kids are suffering along with me. I am constantly in tears because of who their husband and father use to be.

 

My question is, is there life after INVEGA Sustenna? Will I be myself again? Will I enjoy life again? Will I be happy-go-lucky like before? I am having a hard time feeling like I will ever be my previous self. Has anyone had a success story or is what I am feeling permanent? 😞

[Rygenus]

I also wanted to add that I was given the booster on 2/28/22 and was supposed to get the 2nd month injection on 3/28/22. I did not receive this one nor will I at all. So it has been about a month and a week since that initial injection.

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @Rygenus

 

An Invega booster?

 

Here is our topic about tapering all types of paliperidone Tips for tapering off paliperidone (Invega)

 

3 hours ago, Rygenus said:

My question is, is there life after INVEGA Sustenna? Will I be myself again? Will I enjoy life again? Will I be happy-go-lucky like before? I am having a hard time feeling like I will ever be my previous self. Has anyone had a success story or is what I am feeling permanent? 😞

 

We have people here who have tapered Invega Sustenna and other forms of paliperidone. All the antipsychotics tend to be deadening. For most people, this effect diminishes as the drug treatment wears off, which can be many months. 

 

You have also been on and off at least 7 other psychiatric drugs. All of them tend to cause emotional blunting and, after people go off, this may continue, very gradually diminishing over months.

[Rygenus]

Yes. INVEGA Sustenna is given, then within 8 days a second booster is given at a lower dose.

 

That is encouraging to hear that several people have been on and then off the same thing. And also that they see improvement. I've done some Googling and found similar stories. It has only been a month since that injection. I had no idea what it was. One of the biggest mistakes of my life was letting them do it.

[Driksdog]

Hey! 

I feel with you. For me low dose abilify (5 month 2.5 mg) was enough to kill my emotions. Aps are very evil.

I read in another group called bluelight from ppl with Invega injections. Some reported that they slowly recovered from this mess. So let's hope the best. 

Greetings dog 

[Rygenus]

I found the below but I had questions. 

 

According to the below information, it can release paliperidone up to 126 days. For it to leave the body, does this mean it is possibly 126 days on top of the half-life? So essentially, half-life doesn't start until after it last releases paliperidone? Or is it half-life from time of injection? If it is the first, I could be looking at up to 60 weeks before it is completely gone. 😞

 

Release of paliperidone starts as early as one day after the injection and lasts for as long as 126 days. The median plasma elimination half-life (t½) of paliperidone following PP1M administration over the dose range of 39-234 mg is 25-49 days.

[Altostrata]

5 hours ago, Rygenus said:

For it to leave the body, does this mean it is possibly 126 days on top of the half-life?

 

I don't know how they do it, but metabolism of Invega Sustenna takes 126 days, unrelated to half-life. Over this time, the amount in your bloodstream would dwindle. Unknown how long it would take to get to zero, but some of our members who have gotten injections for some time find they get withdrawal symptoms toward the end of the metabolism period (for Sustenna, 126 days) and need to take small amounts in tablet form to extend the taper.

 

If you've only gotten the initial injections, it's not likely you'll get withdrawal symptoms as the drug wears off.

 

When did you start Invega Sustenna? Please add months and years to the items in your signature.

[Rygenus]

Sorry, I will get that updated with dates. They gave me the shot on 2/27. So it has been a little over a month. I figured it out and the 126 days is up on July 4th. Kind of ironic that it is Independence day. 🙂 So hopefully by then I am no longer feeling the effects of it. It is not fun.

[Altostrata]

The effects of the shot should gradually diminish, but as noted earlier, you have a long history of going on and off drugs that may contribute to a protracted recovery period for emotional anesthesia and other symptoms.

[Rygenus]

I wanted to also state that I have had 2 other adverse effects of INVEGA Sustenna. One is a constant salty taste in my mouth. This drug has been known to increase saliva production and it has shown that if the normal saliva the body is use to is maintained, you can taste salt from the extra production. Also, my pupils are now smaller and directly cause some vision issues. Its been a frustrating ride.

 

I wonder, would it be safe to take supplements that say they increase Dopamine to counteract some of the effects of INVEGA? Such as those that have mucuna pruriens in them. Or would someone recommend a drug that is meant to increase or imitate Dopamine? Is there any point to that or safe?

[Altostrata]

5 hours ago, Rygenus said:

I wonder, would it be safe to take supplements that say they increase Dopamine

 

I would not attempt to balance or manipulate neurotransmitters. You could make yourself a lot worse.

[Rygenus]

😞 should I be worried that I'm still on Zoloft then? I think that changes how neurotransmitters work for serotonin.

[Altostrata]

Forget about neurotransmitters. That theory is dead and buried.

 

On 4/6/2022 at 2:43 PM, Rygenus said:

Here is my problem: The INVEGA Sustenna is causing me great distress. I have little motivation to do anything that interested me before.

 

This is what you said was your greatest problem. You will have to wait while this injection wears off.

 

Zoloft can also cause emotional anesthesia; your entire history of going on and off psychiatric drugs since 2009 can contribute to this. While you're taking Zoloft, you will experience the effects of this drug. Emotional anesthesia will very gradually fade after you go off all the drugs.

[Driksdog]

Hi! 

In which way u mean the neurotransmitter theory is dead? U speak about the claims to repair chemical imbalance?! 

The occupation of receptors by psyco meds is the only scientific thing in Psychiatry. U can show it in vitro. So something is really happening there. 

We, the suffering ppl, know that blocking nerves isn't really an good idea. And it does not mean that more signals go over the synaptic gap like they use to tell us. It feels more like the Opposite. And to have a shitload of serotonin there because reuptake is inhibited seems to make u very sick. But yes who knows exactly? At least all this theories are "neurobullshiting" . 

Greetings 

 

[Altostrata]

2 hours ago, Driksdog said:

U speak about the claims to repair chemical imbalance?! 

The occupation of receptors by psyco meds is the only scientific thing in Psychiatry.

 

You are correct. The "chemical imbalance" theories in all their variations are dead. Psychotropics do occupy or affect receptors. But nobody knows how to reverse receptor adaptation to a drug, and it's more prudent not to try, because of unanticipated consequences.

[Rygenus]

I'm reading some interesting things here that I've not heard before and would like to read more. Do you have some links to some sites that discuss this?

 

Also, I was only on one SSRI from 2009 until 2021 and had no issues with it. It wasn't until Feb 2022 that I was force fed a cocktail of meds from a hospital stay. I am since off those except for the INVEGA Sustenna which I can't really help. And also the Zoloft. Just wanted to clear that up.

[Altostrata]

It's such a waste of time to discuss "chemical imbalance", such discussion is effectively embargoed from this site. See