Treat schizophrenia
with 1 dose
a month*
with INVEGA SUSTENNA®
*after 2 starting doses
About
INVEGA SUSTENNA®
When you live with schizophrenia, you may worry about experiencing another episode. But with a long-acting injection like INVEGA SUSTENNA® (paliperidone palmitate), you can feel confident that the schizophrenia medication you need is being gradually released into your system every day for a whole month to help control your schizophrenia symptoms and help delay another episode.
According to the 2020 American Psychiatric Association Practice Guideline, other benefits of LAIs “include greater convenience as a result of needing to take fewer medications daily, and reduced conflict with family members or other persons of support related to medication-related reminders.”
As with any medication, there are side effects to consider. But it’s important to be informed of all the treatment options available that could be a good fit for you.
Real people,
real stories
Elizabeth* was diagnosed with schizophrenia while working as a nurse. When the side effects of oral medication made it difficult for her to be the person she wanted to be, her Treatment Team suggested INVEGA SUSTENNA®.
* Elizabeth is a volunteer with the SHARE Network, a volunteer program dedicated to helping adults living with schizophrenia share their personal health stories.
Do these stories inspire you? Do you want to inspire others with your story?
How to start treatment with
INVEGA SUSTENNA®
INVEGA SUSTENNA® is different from daily pills in that it’s an injection given once a month. To make sure that the medication is prescribed appropriately to be both safe and effective for you, there are steps that your Treatment Team will take:
- Once you and your healthcare provider have determined that INVEGA SUSTENNA® is the right treatment for you, you may need to test for tolerability using the active medication in INVEGA SUSTENNA®
- Once your healthcare professional has determined that you can tolerate the medication, you’ll receive 2 starting doses of INVEGA SUSTENNA®, each dose 1 week apart, into the muscle of your upper arm
- After your starting doses, your healthcare professional will prescribe the appropriate dose of INVEGA SUSTENNA® for you (39 mg, 78 mg, 117 mg, 156 mg, 234 mg), and you’ll be scheduled to receive a maintenance dose every 4 weeks into the muscle of either your upper arm or buttocks
It’s very important that you go to all of your appointments to get your injections. If you miss an injection, talk to your Treatment Team as soon as possible. If you are experiencing symptoms or side effects, be sure to let your healthcare professional know so they can help adjust your medication. You and your Treatment Team members can also discuss options to help remember your injection appointments, and if you might be able to receive your injection at a place near you other than your healthcare provider’s office.
Proven results
In a 15-month study in patients with a history of incarceration, INVEGA SUSTENNA® delayed time to first relapse when compared to a group of seven commonly prescribed daily pills.
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The results
At 15 months, the group of people taking INVEGA SUSTENNA® had 30% lower risk of a relapse than the group of people taking one of the 7 most commonly prescribed daily pills, and longer average times before first relapse.
The average time to relapse in the INVEGA SUSTENNA® group was 416 days, compared to 226 days in the group taking daily pills.
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The study design
A group of 444 adults living with schizophrenia was selected to participate in this 15-month study. These adults were often excluded from trials due to recent histories of arrest and jail time, prior self-reported substance or alcohol abuse, or homelessness.
They were then divided into 2 treatment groups: 1 group took the once-monthly injection INVEGA SUSTENNA®, and the other group continued taking 1 of the 7 most common daily pills prescribed by their doctor. The study was not designed to compare INVEGA SUSTENNA® to each individual oral pill.
The rate of relapse was studied among these participants over 15 months.
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How was relapse defined in this study?
- Being admitted to a psychiatric hospital
- Getting arrested or going to jail
- Quitting treatment because of safety or side effects
- Stopping the treatment they were assigned because it wasn’t working
- Adding other treatments because the treatment they were assigned wasn’t working
- Seeking additional help to prevent going back to the hospital
- Suicide
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The most common side effects of INVEGA SUSTENNA® seen in this study were:
- Injection site reactions
- Insomnia
- Weight gain
- Feeling restlessness or needing to be constantly moving
- Anxiety
Other common side effects seen in previous studies include: sleepiness or drowsiness, dizziness, and abnormal muscle movements including tremor (shaking), shuffling, uncontrolled involuntary movements, or abnormal movements of your eyes.
What to discuss
with your doctor
before starting
INVEGA SUSTENNA®
Your Treatment Team always wants to work with you to find what is best for your treatment, so it’s important to be open and honest when discussing your health. It’s important that your healthcare professional knows everything about your medical history, especially if you:
- Think you might be allergic to paliperidone, paliperidone palmitate, risperidone, or any of the ingredients in INVEGA SUSTENNA®. See the Full Prescribing Information for a complete list of ingredients
- Have had Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS)
- Have or have had heart problems, including a heart attack, heart failure, abnormal heart rhythm, or long QT syndrome
- Have or have had low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood
- Have or have had uncontrolled movements of your tongue, face, mouth, or jaw (tardive dyskinesia)
- Have or have had kidney or liver problems
- Have diabetes or have a family history of diabetes
- Have had a low white blood cell count
- Have had problems with dizziness or fainting or are being treated for high blood pressure
- Have or have had seizures or epilepsy
- Have any other medical conditions
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Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if INVEGA SUSTENNA® will harm your unborn baby
- If you become pregnant while taking INVEGA SUSTENNA®, talk to your healthcare professional about registering with the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics. You also can register by calling 1-866-961-2388
- Infants born to women who are treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA® may experience symptoms such as tremors, irritability, excessive sleepiness, eye twitching, muscle spasms, decreased appetite, difficulty breathing, or abnormal movement of arms and legs. Let your healthcare professional know if these symptoms occur
- Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. INVEGA SUSTENNA® can pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare professional about the best way to feed your baby if you receive INVEGA SUSTENNA®
You should also tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements. It can be helpful to keep a list of your medicines to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medication.
Patients (particularly the elderly) taking antipsychotics with certain health conditions or those on long-term therapy should be evaluated by their healthcare professional for the potential risk of falls.
Know about side effects
Like any other medication, INVEGA SUSTENNA® may cause side effects in some people. The most common side effects include:
- Injection site reactions
- Sleepiness or drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Feeling of inner restlessness or needing to be constantly moving
- Abnormal muscle movements, including tremor (shaking), shuffling, uncontrolled involuntary movements, and abnormal movements of your eyes
Please see Important Safety Information below for additional information.
Janssen CarePath
Information you may need to help you get started and stay on track. Janssen CarePath is here to help answer your questions about treatment with INVEGA SUSTENNA®. Once you and your doctor have decided that INVEGA SUSTENNA® is right for you, we will help you find resources you may need to get started and stay on track. We will give you information on your insurance coverage, potential out-of-pocket costs, and treatment support, and identify options that may help make your treatment more affordable.
Once-monthly INVEGA SUSTENNA® is only 1 option for adults living with schizophrenia. After being adequately treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA® for at least 4 months, you can also consider INVEGA TRINZA®, which is the same medication but in a 3-month dose, or INVEGA HAFYERATM, which is the same medication but in a 6-month dose. Making the change to INVEGA TRINZA® was right for Patrick.* Talk to your healthcare professional to discuss your treatment options.
† Patrick is on a schizophrenia treatment journey with INVEGA TRINZA®, given by injection from a healthcare professional. He began treatment after being adequately treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA® (paliperidone palmitate), the once-monthly version of the medication with the same ingredient, for at least 4 months.