Invega

Invega is a prescription medication used for the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Invega belongs to a group of drugs called atypical antipsychotics. It may work by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain.

This medication comes in an extended-release (long-acting) tablet form and is taken once a day in the morning with or without food.  Swallow the tablets whole with plenty of water or other liquid. Do not split, chew, or crush the tablets. 

Invega is a prescription medication used in the treatment of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take Invega exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Continue to take Invega even if you feel well. Do not stop taking Invega without talking to your doctor.

Schizophrenia

• The recommended dose with Invega (paliperidone) for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults is 6 mg taken once daily. The maximum recommended dose is 12 mg a day.
• The recommended starting dose with Invega (paliperidone) for the treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents 12–17 years of age is 3 mg administered once daily. Dose increases may be required, and should occur at increments of 3 mg/day at intervals of more than 5 days.

Schizoaffective Disorder

• The recommended dose with Invega (paliperidone) for the treatment of schizoaffective disorder in adults is 6 mg administered once daily. The maximum recommended dose is 12 mg a day.

WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS

Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of 17 placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients. Over the course of a typical 10-week controlled trial, the rate of death in drug-treated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature. Observational studies suggest that, similar to atypical antipsychotic drugs, treatment with conventional antipsychotic drugs may increase mortality. The extent to which the findings of increased mortality in observational studies may be attributed to the antipsychotic drug as opposed to some characteristic(s) of the patients is not clear. Invega is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis.

• Invega has caused some rare, but serious side effects including Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS), Tardive Dyskinesia (TD) and changes in heart rhythm. It has also been associated with high blood sugar and diabetes, changes in cholesterol and triglycerides, and weight gain. Invega and similar medicines have been associated with decreases in white blood cell counts.
• Invega should be used with caution in people with a seizure disorder or those at increased risk for seizures.
• Tell your doctor if you are allergic to Invega, risperidone (Risperdal) or any other medications.
• Tell your doctor if you have heart problems. If you have or have ever had a rare heart problem that may cause fainting or irregular heartbeat (prolonged QT interval) or a heart attack, you should tell your doctor before taking Invega.
• Tell  your doctor if you have or have ever had any condition that causes blockage or narrowing of the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. Also tell your doctor if you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and kidney or liver disease.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding. Invega may harm your unborn baby or your nursing baby.
• Invega may cause drowsiness. You should not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how it will affect you. You should not drink alcohol while on Invega. Alcohol may add to the drowsiness caused by Invega.
• While taking Invega, you may experience increases in your blood sugar (hyperglycemia) even if you don't already have diabetes. You may be at an increased risk of developing diabetes if you take Invega or similar medicines.
• Invega may make it harder for your body to cool down during exercise or in hot weather. 
• Get out of bed slowly, resting your feet on the floor before standing, to avoid dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting while taking Invega.

Invega may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• dizziness
• extreme tiredness
• weakness
• headache
• dry mouth
• increased saliva
• weight gain
• stomach pain

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these, call your doctor immediately:

• fever
• muscle pain or stiffness
• confusion
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
• sweating
• unusual movements of your face or body that you cannot control
• slow or stiff movements
• restlessness
• painful erection of the penis that lasts for hours

Invega may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

Some medicines may interact with Invega which may increase side effects, and increase or decrease the action of either drug. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medicines or carefully monitor for side effects if you are taking medicines that interact with Invega.

Tell your doctor about the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• antidepressants
• certain antibiotics such as erythromycin (E.E.S., E-Mycin, Erythrocin), and moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• certain antipsychotics such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine), pimozide (Orap), risperidone (Risperdal) and thioridazine
• levodopa (in Sinemet, in Stalevo)
• medications for anxiety
• high blood pressure medicines 
• medications for seizures
• medications for irregular heartbeat such as amiodarone (Cordarone), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), procainamide (Procanbid, Pronestyl), quinidine (Quinidex), and sotalol (Betapace, Betapace AF)
• sedatives
• sleeping pills
• tranquilizers

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Invega falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Invega is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.

Call your healthcare provider about any movements you cannot control in your face, tongue, or other body parts. These may be signs of a serious condition called tardive dyskinesia. Tardive dyskinesia may not go away, even if you stop taking paliperidone. Tardive dyskinesia may also start after you stop taking paliperidone.

Before you receive paliperidone, tell your healthcare provider if you have diabetes or high blood sugar or a family history of diabetes or high blood sugar. Your healthcare provider should check your blood sugar before you start receiving paliperidone and during your treatment.

Undesirable changes in cholesterol and weight have been seen in patients treated with atypical antipsychotics such as paliperidone.

Paliperidone may make it harder for your body to cool down during exercise or in hot weather.