Tools & Resources
Making an Informed Treatment Choice Worksheet
Gives you space to organize your thoughts about what you would like out of your medication.
Actor Portrayal
Create Your Own Treatment Change Discussion Guide
Everyone’s schizophrenia treatment plan and journey are different, so there is no one-size-fits-all list of questions to ask when you or your loved one is considering making a change in medication. This customizable guide will help you have a better discussion with your treatment team based on the things that are important to you.
There are 2 kinds of questions in this guide:
Questions to ask yourself before meeting with your treatment team
Questions to ask your healthcare professional
Being on a long-acting injectable treatment, it's a lot easier to cope with the ups and downs of daily life because my symptoms are well-controlled. For me personally, I never have to worry about medication.
– A schizophrenia community member
There are decisions to be made every step of the way along your treatment journey, but with the tools below, you and your treatment team can be ready to make more-informed choices that work for you.
This list keeps the contact information for everyone who is helping with your recovery all in one place.
A plan that lists the things that might trigger an episode, so you and your loved one can recognize them, and create strategies to help avoid them.
It gives support for you and your loved ones on your continued recovery journey and offers space to organize your short-term and long-term goals.
Get started on recording the schizophrenia recovery process by downloading our journaling worksheet.
A guide that offers tips to keep you healthy and balanced.
Actor Portrayal
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that affects everything from how you think to how you feel and behave.
There are 3 kinds of schizophrenia symptoms, and they can vary greatly from person to person. Not everyone living with schizophrenia will have all the symptoms, and how symptoms are experienced can change over time.
Positive Symptoms add feelings and behaviors that are not usually present, such as:
Negative Symptoms take away feelings or behaviors that are usually present, such as:
Cognitive Symptoms affect a person's ability to complete daily activities, such as working.
This is not a complete list of symptoms.
The exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown, but what medical experts do know is that schizophrenia can be caused or triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including stress. There are several theories about other causes of schizophrenia and why it affects some people but not others.
About 2.4 to 2.8 million American adults live with schizophrenia.
About 1% of the world’s population lives with schizophrenia, and it occurs at similar rates across all ethnic groups and genders.
Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, there are treatments that can help control schizophrenia symptoms.
The types of medications that are most commonly used to treat schizophrenia are called antipsychotics and are prescription medications prescribed by healthcare professionals. They’re believed to help balance the chemicals in the brain, and can be taken in 2 ways:
A trained healthcare professional gives the injection.
Usually, the injection is given in the muscle of the upper arm or buttocks.
Injections are given by a trained healthcare professional, typically in a medical office or a mental health clinic. For assistance finding your options of where you can go to receive the injection, talk to your treatment team or search for locations near you with Janssen Connect Locator.
Not at all, it’s just a different way to take antipsychotic medication. Remember, a long-acting injection is different from the shots that are used in crisis situations like emergency room visits.
It is not known if INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA® will harm your unborn baby.
Tell your healthcare professional right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®, talk to your healthcare professional about registering with the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics.
You can register by calling 1-866-961-2388 or visit https://womensmentalhealth.org/clinical-and-research-programs/pregnancyregistry.
Infants born to women who are treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA® 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.
INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® and INVEGA HAFYERA® can pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare professional about the best way to feed your baby if you receive INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®.
It's possible. People may feel some pain or discomfort after receiving an injection of INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®. In the 5 pivotal schizophrenia trials for INVEGA SUSTENNA®, injection site reaction was one of the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5% and occurring at least twice as often as placebo). During a clinical trial, 3% of those treated with INVEGA TRINZA® experienced some sort of reaction at the injection site vs 0% with placebo. In the double-blind clinical trial for INVEGA HAFYERA®, injection site reaction was observed in 11% of patients who received INVEGA HAFYERA® and 5% of patients who received INVEGA TRINZA®.
Your healthcare professional will tell you how much INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA® you will receive and when you will receive it. If you’re receiving INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®, you and your treatment team can discuss options for programs that may be able to provide you with reminders for your injection appointments, depending on availability in your area.
It is very important to keep all of your appointments and get your injections on time.
If you miss your appointment, call your healthcare professional or treatment team as soon as you can. Your healthcare professional or treatment team will decide what you should do next and work with you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. If you stop coming for your injections, your symptoms may return. Just because you miss a dose doesn’t mean you should let it derail your progress.
You should not stop receiving injections of this medicine unless you have discussed this with your healthcare professional. If you are still experiencing symptoms or side effects, be sure to let your healthcare professional know, as they may be able to adjust your dosage to ensure the medication is safe and effective for you.
Your safety is always first. Your healthcare professional may give you a test dose with a pill just to make sure you can tolerate the active medication in INVEGA SUSTENNA® if you have never taken oral paliperidone or oral risperidone in the past. Then you will receive 2 starting doses of the long-acting injection and work with your healthcare professional to determine the right monthly dose of INVEGA SUSTENNA® for you.
The most common side effects include:
INVEGA SUSTENNA® can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of death in elderly people who are confused, have memory loss, and have lost touch with reality (dementia-related psychosis). INVEGA SUSTENNA® is not for treating dementia-related psychosis.
INVEGA SUSTENNA® may cause serious side effects including:
Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of INVEGA SUSTENNA®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Call your healthcare professional for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You should tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs and things like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Be sure to keep a list of the medicines and supplements you take to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
INVEGA SUSTENNA® may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how INVEGA SUSTENNA® affects you. And avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated.
The most common side effects include:
INVEGA TRINZA® can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of death in elderly people who are confused, have memory loss, and have lost touch with reality (dementia-related psychosis). INVEGA TRINZA® is not for treating dementia-related psychosis.
INVEGA TRINZA® may cause serious side effects including:
Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of INVEGA TRINZA®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Call your healthcare professional for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You should tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs and things like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Be sure to keep a list of the medicines and supplements you take to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
INVEGA TRINZA® may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how INVEGA TRINZA® affects you. And avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated.
The most common side effects include:
INVEGA HAFYERA® can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of death in elderly people who are confused, have memory loss, and have lost touch with reality (dementia-related psychosis). INVEGA HAFYERA® is not for treating dementia-related psychosis.
INVEGA HAFYERA® may cause serious side effects including:
Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of INVEGA HAFYERA®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Call your healthcare professional for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You should tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs and things like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Be sure to keep a list of the medicines and supplements you take to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
INVEGA HAFYERA® may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how INVEGA HAFYERA® affects you. And avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated.
Since out-of-pocket costs will be different depending on what coverage you have, be sure to check with your insurance provider for the exact cost. But the cost of your medication should be roughly the same per month, regardless of whether you’re taking INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®.
At Janssen, we don't want cost to get in the way of treatment you need. We can help you explore options to lower your out-of-pocket cost for your Janssen medication. No matter what type of insurance you have–or even if you don't have insurance–we can help find programs that may help you pay for your Janssen medication.
If you have commercial or private health insurance and need help paying for your Janssen medication, the Janssen CarePath Savings Program may be able to help. See program requirements.
If you don’t have commercial or private health insurance, we can provide information about other resources that may help with your out-of-pocket medication costs. Visit JanssenCarePath.com or call 855-452-6773, Monday-Friday, 8AM to 8PM ET.
Schizophrenia is a chronic mental health condition that affects everything from how you think to how you feel and behave.
There are 3 kinds of schizophrenia symptoms, and they can vary greatly from person to person. Not everyone living with schizophrenia will have all the symptoms, and how symptoms are experienced can change over time.
Positive Symptoms add feelings and behaviors that are not usually present, such as:
Negative Symptoms take away feelings or behaviors that are usually present, such as:
Cognitive Symptoms affect a person's ability to complete daily activities, such as working.
This is not a complete list of symptoms.
The exact cause of schizophrenia is unknown, but what medical experts do know is that schizophrenia can be caused or triggered by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including stress. There are several theories about other causes of schizophrenia and why it affects some people but not others.
About 2.4 to 2.8 million American adults live with schizophrenia.
About 1% of the world’s population lives with schizophrenia, and it occurs at similar rates across all ethnic groups and genders.
Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, there are treatments that can help control schizophrenia symptoms.
The types of medications that are most commonly used to treat schizophrenia are called antipsychotics and are prescription medications prescribed by healthcare professionals. They’re believed to help balance the chemicals in the brain, and can be taken in 2 ways:
A trained healthcare professional gives the injection.
Usually, the injection is given in the muscle of the upper arm or buttocks.
Injections are given by a trained healthcare professional, typically in a medical office or a mental health clinic. For assistance finding your options of where you can go to receive the injection, talk to your treatment team or search for locations near you with Janssen Connect Locator.
Not at all, it’s just a different way to take antipsychotic medication. Remember, a long-acting injection is different from the shots that are used in crisis situations like emergency room visits.
It is not known if INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA® will harm your unborn baby.
Tell your healthcare professional right away if you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant during treatment with INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®, talk to your healthcare professional about registering with the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics.
You can register by calling 1-866-961-2388 or visit https://womensmentalhealth.org/clinical-and-research-programs/pregnancyregistry.
Infants born to women who are treated with INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA® 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.
INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® and INVEGA HAFYERA® can pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare professional about the best way to feed your baby if you receive INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®.
It's possible. People may feel some pain or discomfort after receiving an injection of INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®. In the 5 pivotal schizophrenia trials for INVEGA SUSTENNA®, injection site reaction was one of the most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥5% and occurring at least twice as often as placebo). During a clinical trial, 3% of those treated with INVEGA TRINZA® experienced some sort of reaction at the injection site vs 0% with placebo. In the double-blind clinical trial for INVEGA HAFYERA®, injection site reaction was observed in 11% of patients who received INVEGA HAFYERA® and 5% of patients who received INVEGA TRINZA®.
Your healthcare professional will tell you how much INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA® you will receive and when you will receive it. If you’re receiving INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®, you and your treatment team can discuss options for programs that may be able to provide you with reminders for your injection appointments, depending on availability in your area.
It is very important to keep all of your appointments and get your injections on time.
If you miss your appointment, call your healthcare professional or treatment team as soon as you can. Your healthcare professional or treatment team will decide what you should do next and work with you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. If you stop coming for your injections, your symptoms may return. Just because you miss a dose doesn’t mean you should let it derail your progress.
You should not stop receiving injections of this medicine unless you have discussed this with your healthcare professional. If you are still experiencing symptoms or side effects, be sure to let your healthcare professional know, as they may be able to adjust your dosage to ensure the medication is safe and effective for you.
Your safety is always first. Your healthcare professional may give you a test dose with a pill just to make sure you can tolerate the active medication in INVEGA SUSTENNA® if you have never taken oral paliperidone or oral risperidone in the past. Then you will receive 2 starting doses of the long-acting injection and work with your healthcare professional to determine the right monthly dose of INVEGA SUSTENNA® for you.
The most common side effects include:
INVEGA SUSTENNA® can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of death in elderly people who are confused, have memory loss, and have lost touch with reality (dementia-related psychosis). INVEGA SUSTENNA® is not for treating dementia-related psychosis.
INVEGA SUSTENNA® may cause serious side effects including:
Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of INVEGA SUSTENNA®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Call your healthcare professional for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You should tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs and things like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Be sure to keep a list of the medicines and supplements you take to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
INVEGA SUSTENNA® may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how INVEGA SUSTENNA® affects you. And avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated.
The most common side effects include:
INVEGA TRINZA® can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of death in elderly people who are confused, have memory loss, and have lost touch with reality (dementia-related psychosis). INVEGA TRINZA® is not for treating dementia-related psychosis.
INVEGA TRINZA® may cause serious side effects including:
Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of INVEGA TRINZA®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Call your healthcare professional for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You should tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs and things like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Be sure to keep a list of the medicines and supplements you take to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
INVEGA TRINZA® may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how INVEGA TRINZA® affects you. And avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated.
The most common side effects include:
INVEGA HAFYERA® can cause serious side effects, including an increased risk of death in elderly people who are confused, have memory loss, and have lost touch with reality (dementia-related psychosis). INVEGA HAFYERA® is not for treating dementia-related psychosis.
INVEGA HAFYERA® may cause serious side effects including:
Tell your healthcare professional if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of INVEGA HAFYERA®. For more information, ask your healthcare professional or pharmacist.
Call your healthcare professional for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
You should tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including prescription drugs and things like over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Be sure to keep a list of the medicines and supplements you take to show to your healthcare professional or pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
INVEGA HAFYERA® may affect your ability to make decisions, think clearly, or react quickly. Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how INVEGA HAFYERA® affects you. And avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated.
Since out-of-pocket costs will be different depending on what coverage you have, be sure to check with your insurance provider for the exact cost. But the cost of your medication should be roughly the same per month, regardless of whether you’re taking INVEGA SUSTENNA®, INVEGA TRINZA® or INVEGA HAFYERA®.
At Janssen, we don't want cost to get in the way of treatment you need. We can help you explore options to lower your out-of-pocket cost for your Janssen medication. No matter what type of insurance you have–or even if you don't have insurance–we can help find programs that may help you pay for your Janssen medication.
If you have commercial or private health insurance and need help paying for your Janssen medication, the Janssen CarePath Savings Program may be able to help. See program requirements.
If you don’t have commercial or private health insurance, we can provide information about other resources that may help with your out-of-pocket medication costs. Visit JanssenCarePath.com or call 855-452-6773, Monday-Friday, 8AM to 8PM ET.
A way of listening where someone can show interest in what another person is saying and communicate that they understand what the other person is saying.
When a person doesn't show or have an emotional response or has an inappropriate response to what's going on around them.
Feeling nervous, restless, and anxious.
When someone has difficulty speaking with others or sometimes just gives short answers.
A class of medications that were first used in the 1990s that can help control the symptoms of schizophrenia.
When a person doesn't feel like doing anything at all. A person may sit for long periods of time and show little interest in participating in work or daily activities.
People who take care of a loved one in need of some help.
Not being active in any way at all.
When someone strongly believes in ideas that are false, although they feel real in their own reality.
When someone behaves in a way that seems unpredictable or nonsensical to other people.
Ongoing, rambling speech that does not make any sense.
When the symptoms of schizophrenia are present and/or uncontrolled after a person in treatment appeared to have their symptoms managed.
Hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, or smelling something that other people aren't experiencing. The most common hallucinations are those that affect hearing, such as hearing imaginary voices.
Someone who is professionally trained to treat those living with schizophrenia and other medical and psychiatric disorders.
Doing something without thinking about the consequences first.
A type of medication that is designed to be released slowly in the body, allowing the medicine to work for weeks at a time. As a result, the medicine does not need to be taken every day.
The reason for doing or saying something.
A lack of behaviors or feelings that are normally present, such as when a person loses interest in their normal activities; feels out of touch with people; and lacks feelings and emotions.
A specialized cell that is the building block for transmitting and receiving nerve impulses around the body’s nervous system.
A substance that transmits nerve impulses across a synapse. Common examples you may have heard of are dopamine or glutamate.
A type of medication taken by mouth. It can come in a form such as a pill or liquid.
A group of people who either live with or care for people living with schizophrenia. Because they have similar experiences, they meet to socialize and support each other, since they understand what each other is going through.
Taking care of your body, including taking showers, combing hair, and brushing teeth.
Extra feelings or behaviors that are not normally present, like seeing, feeling, hearing, or tasting things that other people aren't experiencing; believing things that are not true or real; and disorganized speech and behavior.
A sudden appearance of symptoms in which a person is not able to tell the difference between what is real and unreal.
An ongoing personal process of working to achieve your goals while keeping an illness under control.
A mental illness that can affect a person's ability to think clearly, manage feelings, make decisions, and relate to others.
When too much is happening at once around a person, causing them to feel overwhelmed.
A comprehensive care plan made with your treatment team that can include medication, therapy, and support.
A class of medications that were first used over 50 years ago to help control the symptoms of schizophrenia.