[BNLsMOM]

This is my new med. I am on 3mg each day. I know nothing about this med. Has anyone had experience with Invega.

Please post good and bad.

[AniManiac]

Originally Posted by BNLsMOM

This is my new med. I am on 3mg each day. I know nothing about this med. Has anyone had experience with Invega.

Please post good and bad.

Only know what I can find on Crazy Meds, which is a good starting place:
http://crazymeds.us/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...aBasicOverview

Good luck with it!

[Yoda]

I used the Invega patch for a year before switching to oral. It works well for me.

[Tsunamisurfer]

I used it for a short while. I was hospitalised with acute psychosis and Invega was the drug used to bring it under control quickly without needing to ramp up slowly to a therapeutic dose. By day 4 I was over the vivid hallucinations and a lot less confused. I did however feel drugged and numb - like biofeedback had been paralysed. I hated the experience. I had the somnolence and dizziness side effects, and couldn't drive for weeks after I was released from hospital (an 8 day stay). Weight gain was minimal - a couple of kilos (but admittedly I watched my food intake like a hawk).
My pdoc agreed to take me off Invega, but within a couple of weeks the hallucinations started up again.

[Jshect]

Invega is a newer antipsychotic. Antipsychotics are generally prescribed for schiophrenia or, if you are also bipolar, schizoaffective disorder. Antipsychotics can also decrease the severity of your manic episodes.

[SeekerofLight]

Invega is the reason I'm here. I need to get off of it. I started it when it first came out in 97 or so. My pdoc tauted it as practically a miracle drug.

Pros: works quickly, small pill, once a day, doesn't make me tired, works very well at keeping my moods stable.

Cons: unbelievable side effects, including: dizziness, high cholesteral, high blood pressure, gain of 45-50 pounds in 9 years, flat affect, loss of pleasure, loss of interest in activities, zero sex drive, headaches, sleep apnea, constant moving of my fingers and toes, irregular or absent menstrual cycles, lactation-like feeling, bizarre and epic dreams, increased salivation, constant sweating itching.

I've tried going off of it before but the withdrawal was dibilitating. I'll see my doc on the 8th and let him know he needs to wean me off of it. I may go back on the Lamictal, or just see how I do without it. I mean, seriously, 9 years? I'd like to know who I am now.

[hummingbird41]

Hello,

I hope you realize... How it works for other people won't have any bearing on how it works for you (but since you asked)...

In my case things worked out well; I didn't experience the side effects I read about from one of the other respondents & I feel good.

It's been about 3 years now & I have no plans to try anything else.

I hope it works out for you too. It takes a little time.



Cheers

[hummingbird41]

Hi again,

...I am hoping that things are going well for you. I just thought of adding this link for you, the information about this medicine can be found at Invega.com

[BNLsMOM]

Thanks Everyone.
I ended up going off of it because of a high prolactin level, and it caused a weird hypomanic episode, so my pdoc took me off. Right now I am not on an antipsychotic and I am doing well at the moment. I had a really hard winter of depression. I had blood work done and found out that I also have hypothyroid. It explains how exhausted I was. Also my Depakote level was way too high. My pdoc lowered my depakote dose and my gp got me on thyroid medication. I have been taking it for a month now and I am starting to notice a difference in my energy level.

That's my update.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by BNLsMOM

Thanks Everyone.
I ended up going off of it because of a high prolactin level, and it caused a weird hypomanic episode, so my pdoc took me off. Right now I am not on an antipsychotic and I am doing well at the moment. I had a really hard winter of depression. I had blood work done and found out that I also have hypothyroid. It explains how exhausted I was. Also my Depakote level was way too high. My pdoc lowered my depakote dose and my gp got me on thyroid medication. I have been taking it for a month now and I am starting to notice a difference in my energy level.

That's my update.

I hope things get better for you with the thyroid. Having enough of the hormone in the blood makes a world of a difference. If you take the type of medication that needs to be taken before food, not with food (mine, Levoxyl, needs to be taken at least 30-60 mins before food), try extending it as much as you can. I take mine 60-90 mins before, as opposed to 30 mins before as I did prior to getting hypo illness, and it seems to work very well for me. No symptoms. It probably gets absorbed better this way.