Generic Name: Invega (paliperidone)
Invega Reviews
For Schizophrenia "I have been diagnosed with bipolar with psychosis in June 2020. I got 2 loading doses of Invega then two other doses in two months, a total of 4 doses. Now I am 10 months since the last dose still suffering from weight gain (20 Kg), erectile dysfunction with numb penis and shrinkage, less semen volume. This drug is awful. DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION AT ALL. Unfortunately, I did not have the choice to accept or refuse the drug because I was admitted to the hospital at that time. They took the consent from my parents who did not know what this drug is. This is a post for humanity, please do not use this drug, it ruined my life totally."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "If you are looking for the worst time of your life, this is the medication for you! Do you want to gain 100 lbs? Lose all your friends and be turned into a vegetable? If so, Invega will do the job. Don’t take this, it's terrible. You will gain weight, everything nice will be gone from your life, you will feel sick and foggy all the time, and your life will basically be over. It reduces you to a fraction of the person you should be, and it's messy and unpleasant. No one should take this."
For Schizophrenia "Do not take this drug! I was given two injections and don't want any more. I'm severely depressed because of this stupid, horrible drug. I cannot concentrate, it literally ruined my brain and caused severe brain damage. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG! THESE COMPANIES SHOULD BE SUED!"
For Schizoaffective Disorder "My son started Invega, and the drug made his symptoms worse. He couldn't sleep and became very agitated. He had hospital admissions after hospital admissions. I am sorry to say he killed himself about three months after starting this drug. Please don't let anyone you love start this drug, it is a very bad drug."
For Schizophrenia "Put on this medication for two years. I don't hear voices or anything, but yet I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It made me forget words, feel stupid, have impotence, erectile dysfunction, sexual problems overall, decreased ambitions, decreased confidence, felt swollen, and my life turned upside down. I got off the medication two months ago and have been increasingly feeling better. I hope all the side effects wear off and I can go back to normal. I hope."
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."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "I’m currently writing with trembles in my hands and muscle stiffness. I had a nervous breakdown and classified bipolar NIGHTMARE BEGAN. I have extreme paranoia, lost my job because Invega destroyed my hand coordination, TD (I believe I have permanent brain damage), sexual dysfunction, muscle stiffness, tremors in my whole body, hands shaking, face twitching, curling fingers. I can’t hold down food, severe anxiety, depression, suicidal, antisocial, no emotions, removed from relationships, no periods, infertile at this point, no sleep in 3 months, pacing, blurry vision, absolute chemical lobotomy - fear of body deteriorating. 39 years old, hard to find the energy just to stay alive. Everything in my body is dry. I’m a nervous wreck. Detoxing: I was trying to restart my body - No change in 2 months. Instead, have early signs of Parkinson’s."
For Schizophrenia "I got diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar in the hospital. I was taking risperidone which was helping me a lot, but then I started taking Invega. This medicine has ruined me. All of the things that I've loved doing now suck. I was on it for 4 months, but I've been off of it for 3 months now and I'm still dealing with side effects. I can't sit still or lay still. I'm always tired, my tongue is always numb, my speech is off. I can't have a simple conversation, I can't sleep at night. I hate waking up in the morning, my thoughts are all confusing, and I feel weak. My body is really sensitive...I just miss the old me."
For Schizophrenia "NIGHTMARE! I do not recommend this drug. I was taking it for 6 weeks (3 weeks to get me on 9 mg and 3 weeks to get me off). Terrible vivid nightmares that seemed more real than reality. I was wondering if I am dreaming or is it real all the time. My mind was empty. My muscles were in pain, I couldn't properly move my body because of 'hard' muscles. I had a feeling of being pregnant - smell and taste changed, I had contractions and I produced milk. Only when this happened doctors decided to put me off that drug. Thank God for body side effects, because doctors don't take it seriously when you tell them that a drug is bad for the mind, emotions, etc."
"I had psychosis for a week and was put in a ward, and the idiots diagnosed me with schizophrenia. They made me have Invega injections for 2 years. I'm off it now. I told them no way, no more. Invega ruined my life and has given me permanent brain damage."
For Schizophrenia "I started taking this medication for 3 months after I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and it has ruined my life. I now have trouble speaking, I'm always anxious, I can barely concentrate on anything, I'm depressed and sleeping a lot, and I no longer get erections and have trouble producing semen. I have been off of it for 2 months, and I'm still dealing with the side effects. This is the worst thing I have ever been on, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "I'm so depressed on Invega that I cry multiple times a day, can't maintain any friendships, too tired and demotivated to work out or play my guitar like I used to. I lay in my bed every day, no motivation for anything."
For Schizophrenia "So, I was high energy and a lovely person before taking this drug. After my second shot of 234mg, I became so tired and depressed like all the life had been sucked out of me. No longer bubbly and energetic, I would just lie down all day with no energy to move. Very sad. Very, very sad."
For Schizophrenia "My son (23-year-old) got the Invega shot. It's the worst thing ever. It's making him cripple, still hearing voices, shuffling when he walks, insomnia. This drug needs to be taken off the market. I am going to write to the FDA. It's very expensive and does nothing to help. Where are our tax money going? Why isn't there a cure? The insurance companies are bloodsuckers. The poor mental health patients cannot get any help. I am so sick and tired of this disease right now, I just want my child back."
"Worst experience of my life. I have absolutely no thoughts and no emotions. The doctor that gave this to me said it’d only last a month. Well, he lied. It lasts 300 days. I’m hoping with all my heart I will get better."
For Schizophrenia "I was sent to the hospital this January, with a plan of suicide after a big meth bender where they basically said, 'stop using drugs and stop bothering us' (been admitted to psychiatric care multiple times). My GP became infuriated with how they just simply dismissed me and put me back on Invega. Within a week, my mood improved majorly, my tendencies left, I haven't been using illegal drugs, my life has completely turned around. I have zero sex drive, but I'm back at Uni studying my Bachelor of Science. My parents are super proud of me, my attitude has changed, I'm happier, I have accepted my shortcomings, and finally have a goal in life. I think zero sex drive is better than cutting stuff into my face."
For Schizophrenia "Tricked into this at the mental ward because of psychosis caused by Bipolar 1, and I absolutely don't like it. I am unable to think and retain information. I get no joy out of music, food, books, or TV anymore. I am a visual artist who no longer has inspiration. I can barely remember my characters or their stories. I can't think or write with any regularity. I can no longer laugh regularly or feel most emotions. It has been a miserable experience. I can't imagine what kind of sadism it takes to create a drug that makes people so empty inside. I am missing memories and all kinds of pieces of my old self. I can deal with not having a sex drive. I can't deal with the rest of the side effects. I want my brain back."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "It's called Xeplion here in the UK. I had a bad 4 months on 100 mg for psychosis. I had akathisia and felt severely depressed, so I went onto 75 mg, and the difference 4 months down the line has been phenomenal. It was an instant difference when I got my fourth month jab. It has made my head feel lighter and improved my ability to think. Akathisia has been and gone, and I no longer have any movement side effects. It has eliminated my psychosis, eased my anxiety, and overall improved the quality of my life. I'm extremely thankful to be on this medication."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "I was forced to take Invega after a spiritual emergence was diagnosed as schizophrenia, bipolar, and schizoaffective disorder. I had the initial dose of 256mg, I believe, then 150mg for four months. My last shot was in August 2018. By the second shot, my thoughts had stopped. I could no longer think. It shut off my consciousness. My memory and retaining information have been affected. I developed anhedonia. I can no longer feel any emotion. I have no libido or menstrual cycles. I haven't had an appetite in 4 months. I have no desire to eat or get pleasure from it. I have insomnia. I believe this medicine has caused brain damage. Other drugs have reduced or no effectiveness such as cannabis, nicotine, caffeine, alcohol, and sleep medication. This drug has a half-life of 25-49 days. So it's going to take at least a year before it is completely out of my system."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "I've been on Invega for 3 years. The beginning was bad. I had so much energy I couldn't sit still or get comfortable. I gained weight but it got better. I started to see the benefits, for example, less tension and edginess, better decision-making, sleep improvements, and feeling less scared and paranoid. Then I got diagnosed with high levels of prolactin. It has been over a year, and they still can't get it under control, which means I'm always itchy and overweight. Now I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes because of the meds. I was told to eat right and exercise every day for the rest of my life. And then he laughed!! It has been about a month since the pre-diabetes diagnosis, and I have only lost 1 kg. That's with healthy eating and exercise. My doctor thinks the benefits still outweigh the risks, so they are constantly pushing the drug on me, but I'm itchy, pre-diabetic, and overweight."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "It's been 3 years since I took Invega, but I still think about it often because I have never been as depressed as I was on Invega. I would literally cry upon waking because I couldn't bear being conscious. I was sleeping ~13 hours a day for a few months. It made me catatonic a few times as well. I was so depressed there were times I couldn't lift my head or stand up or even talk. It was an actual nightmare, and my psych insisted it was just initial adjustment side effects, but I have never been on a medication that harmed me as much as Invega. I would have taken the psychosis over the Invega any day. I stopped taking it without permission, and I kid you not—the next day, I felt normal. I physically couldn't get out of bed, and my limbs felt like lead; it was ridiculous. I was in such a dark, dark place and started giving away my belongings, but stopped almost immediately once I stopped the medication."
For Schizophrenia "Suffering and miserable on this drug Invega. I take 117mg monthly injections. The frequent side effects I get are thoughtless, emotionless, akathisia, anxiety, a lot of difficulty with memory, focus and concentration like I can't learn much. Unmotivated, I sit around a lot feeling numb and mentally blank. Increased depression, dead sex drive or no interest in sex. Weight gain."
For Schizoaffective Disorder "I am living a productive, symptom-free life because of Invega shot 4 years, 6 mg pill for 1. Now a college grad, off disability, full-time job (40k) at an investment bank all made possible by Invega. I was severely sick and now I haven't been for 5 years. It took a couple of hospitalizations, several lost jobs, and even jail (which was a turning point) to find Invega. I did 3 full-time years in college and got a 3.9 in finance. The only side effects I've had are slightly high cholesterol and weight gain, which for me is somewhat manageable with diet although for what I eat I'd be 20 pounds less. I am now crystal clear and have zero symptoms. Life changer."
For Bipolar Disorder "I get the shot of Invega Sustenna 156mg once every 4 weeks. I am 62 and have tried everything in every research hospital in Indiana and Illinois. I use it as monotherapy along with counseling, and it has revolutionized my life. I have no side effects. I work full-time as a school teacher, and I am working on my master's degree and expect to graduate soon. I finally found my miracle in this medicine. I am so grateful to my new doctor, nurse, and therapist and now to you who are reading this."
For Schizophrenia "I feel that Invega is some sort of torture. I’m a man of God. I never in my life felt sicker on 234 mg of Invega. I felt like life doesn’t exist, and insects are my friend, not to mention the physical trauma my mind and body are going through. I cannot get off Invega because I don’t have a place to live, plus this is the go-to drug when they have power to advocate their own sick minds into the world with the doctors."
More about Invega (paliperidone)
- Check interactions
- Compare alternatives
- Pricing & coupons
- Drug images
- Side effects
- Dosage information
- During pregnancy
- Generic availability
- Support group
- FDA approval history
- Drug class: atypical antipsychotics
- Breastfeeding
- En español
Patient resources
- Invega drug information
Other brands
Invega Trinza, Erzofri, Invega Hafyera
Professional resources
- Invega prescribing information
- Paliperidone (AHFS Monograph)
Other brands
Invega Trinza, Invega Hafyera
Other formulations
- Invega Sustenna
Related treatment guides
- Schizoaffective Disorder
- Schizophrenia
