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Invega Alternatives

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Last Updated on May 22, 2021 by Carol Gillette

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Alternative to Meds Editorial Team
Written by Diane Ridaeus Published Feb 24, 2020
Medically Reviewed by Dr Samuel Lee MD

Alternative to Meds Center’s refreshing treatment approach uses Invega alternatives vs the rote protocols of drug-based therapy. Our nutrition-based strategies incorporate other drug-free therapies — a change that results in less harm, and better health. 

Invega (paliperidone) and other antipsychotics may be temporarily helpful in the middle of an overwhelming crisis, but this does not automatically lay in the need for a lifetime of medication.

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Alternative to Meds has provided antipsychotic alternatives services for about 15 years. Our published evidence reflects our clients’ successes. Often, the underlying issues can respond to treatment that uses non-toxic protocols. It could be that medical conditions were not checked for or even misdiagnosed as “mental illness.” Perhaps factors that were relevant have now changed, and the “treatment” became problematic rather than helpful. Each case is different and requires careful assessment to get the full picture. That opens the door to real recovery.
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Natural Alternatives to Invega

holistic invega alternativesNatural alternatives to Invega might seem like an impossibility if uncertainty about getting off the drug acts as a barrier. We would like to reassure you that it is not necessary to fear withdrawal from Invega. This barrier has been resolved in our program of Invega withdrawal using Invega alternatives.

Invega alternatives can significantly lessen drug reactions and dreadful side effects and can open the door to safe dose reduction or elimination. For some of our clients, a reduction in dosage is the goal. For others, complete cessation is appropriate and possible. Each client’s program is customized according to their unique profile and their health goals. One great advantage is that alternatives to medication also address prior symptoms for which the medication was originally prescribed. Alternative to Meds Center uses alternatives to medication to get our clients feeling good, naturally, and engaged in life again.

Alternatives to Invega Include:

  • Removal of neurotoxic accumulations.5,11,12,13,14
  • Avoid recreational cannabis.31-33
  • Control blood sugar levels through strategic diet choices.7,8
  • Test for and correct nutritional deficiencies with diet and supplements.1,3,9,15,16,17,18
  • Switch to a ketogenic diet.9,10,19
  • Supplementation to support rehabilitation of neurochemistry.16,20,21,22
  • Exercise.23
  • Personal counseling, exposure therapy, peer support.25-29,30
  • Restore a healthy microbiome with diet and supplements.4
  • Avoid caffeine, MSG/glutamates.34,35,36

* Many studies show a link between toxic exposures and psychiatric symptoms such as psychosis, mania, depression, etc.

Why Consider Invega Alternatives?

symptoms of psychosisThere are several scenarios where a person might want to consider Invega alternatives. One could be a person in their 20s, with symptoms such as hallucinations or disordered thoughts, etc., who is more interested in drug-free treatment options to mitigate their symptoms.

Another scenario could be a person who has suffered a psychotic episode or has been diagnosed as bipolar with mania or similar, and who has already been put on antipsychotic medication. Perhaps the symptoms have abated, but help may be needed to now come off the drug(s) gently and safely. At Alternative to Meds Center, we see both of these scenarios and others, routinely.

We have seen much client success with discontinuing antipsychotics. This is to be expected when the person receives support, nutritional treatment, counseling, and education on self-care that can result in sustained remission without relying on neuroleptic medications. For those looking for Invega alternatives, today’s exciting and ever-expanding field of medical research, nutritional medicine applications, and other new information have all opened up safer and more effective treatment options besides simply drugging the patient.

Nutritional Treatment in Schizophrenic Patients

For example, supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid found in salmon and other cold-water fatty fish, has shown positive outcomes in the treatment of schizophrenia.20,22

Hoffer and Osmond’s clinical trials at 10-year follow-ups showed an improvement in 31 of 39 schizophrenic patients with the application of nicotinic acid, an over-the-counter vitamin supplement.16

Orthomolecular medicine and its nutrition-based treatments have been documented over many years to have positive results for many mental health conditions.18

Long-term use of antipsychotics is now considered less efficacious for many, compared to well-designed drug-free treatments as reported in global medical studies. This is especially important when considering the liabilities of long-term antipsychotics use.1,37,38,39

nutritional medicine for schizophreniaAlternative to Meds Center has been helping clients for many years and has a very high success rate using Invega alternatives that are designed specifically to support natural mental health without drugs. For those of us in the natural mental health field, such as holistic and nutritional psychiatrists and other practitioners, it seems like it has taken a very long time for mainstream medicine to catch up when it comes to alternatives to psychotropic drug-based treatments. But great progress has been and continues to be made.

Thankfully, alternative treatments for antipsychotic drugs are becoming much more mainstream, advantaged by a steady stream of research data and documentation on how effective such drug-free treatment can be.1,37-40 The drug industry continues to push its hard-line approach that seems to have hypnotized the general population that “drugs are the only answer.” Yet, we can see that is far from true and in fact, at Alternative to Meds Center, we see drug-free success every day.

Problems With Invega Treatment

There are some potential problems with using Invega or other drugs for treating psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar mania, etc. The drugs may develop unwanted side effects, especially after long-term use. These can include tardive dyskinesia, akathisia, obesity, diabetes, cardiac arrhythmia, sudden cardiac arrest, sedation, allergic-type reactions, deadened emotions, sexual dysfunction, and many others that can outweigh any perceived benefit of continuing drug-based therapy. 41,42

counseling talk therapyOne may have decided it is better to “put up with” these side effects as a trade-off for reducing or eliminating schizophrenic hallucinations, or other unwanted symptoms. But researchers have suggested that after long-term use, antipsychotics like Invega, Latuda, olanzapine, etc., stop working. Symptoms may return and in some cases, more intensified than before. After long-term antipsychotic use, one’s quality of life may be impaired significantly, which adds to the dilemma. The mechanisms of these medications have still not been fully identified. But researchers Miyamoto et al published an article in “Molecular Psychiatry” that takes an in-depth look at the long-term effects of various antipsychotic medications. 6

It is becoming much more common after an episode of psychosis has subsided, for instance, for the physician to suggest coming off Invega, sometimes to zero. Without proper nutrition and other support, however, the tapering process can go off the rails, and a person may begin to feel hopeless. Unfortunately, most physicians are not trained at all regarding how to help someone taper off prescription medicine. We can help. We believe our tapering protocols to be the best, the safest, the most comfortable, and the healthiest in the world.

Nutrition As Treatment vs Drug-based Treatment

nutrition as medicineAccording to recent research, nutrition can play a key role in the early treatment of psychosis, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric symptoms. For example, blood testing found that a significant number of those suffering from first-onset schizophrenia and/or psychosis had extremely low levels of vitamin D9 (folate) and very large deficits of vitamin D right from the beginning of the person’s onset of symptoms. They also found that these missing elements were linked to worsened symptoms especially in younger people diagnosed with psychosis or schizophrenic symptoms.3

Over the last decade and a half, researchers like those at the Western Sydney University mentioned above (and others all around the world) are documenting much that we have discovered in our own research, such as the powerful efficacy of nutritional intervention in mental health treatments.

Invega Alternatives for Natural Mental Health

holistic antipsychotic therapiesAt Alternative to Meds Center, programs are based on fundamental principles of treatment which we have found to be most successful. One fundamental is neurotoxin removal. First, we test for the presence of heavy metals and other toxic accumulations. Then neurotoxin removal is the next step. Cleansing these toxic substances from the body makes it easier for cells to absorb nutrition, vastly improving the efficacy of changes to diet and supplementation that supports rehabilitating neurochemistry. Clients see improvements in their sleep patterns, appetite, energy, and mood. This is a stable point, and an ideal time to begin the supervised tapering phase of the program.

Tapering from Invega is a gradual and gentle process, and clients are monitored 24/7 throughout the process. The center provides a warm and inviting social setting for inpatient treatment, and affords luxurious, toxin-free surroundings for a distraction-free experience.

Adjunct therapies abound at the center, including Equine-assisted therapy, personal counseling, Qi Gong, acupuncture, NAD+ IV treatments, nebulized glutathione treatments, and much more. The center is located at the foot of the majestic Red Rock Mountains, affording plenty of fresh-air hiking, biking, and photo opportunities in this breath-taking locale.

Find Out More about Invega Alternatives

There is much to learn and understand about achieving natural mental health without the need to rely on heavy and often harmful pharmaceutical drugs. We welcome your call and encourage that you ask for more information about inpatient Invega alternatives that we offer at Alternative to Meds Center.

1 (800) 301-3753 for Invega Alternatives Help

1. Jacka FN, Sacks G, Berk M, Allender S. Food policies for physical and mental health. BMC Psychiatry. 2014 May 9;14:132. doi: 10.1186/1471-244X-14-132. PMID: 24884515; PMCID: PMC4026829. [cited 2021 May 18]

2. Baxter AJ, Patton G, Scott KM, Degenhardt L, Whiteford HA. Global epidemiology of mental disorders: what are we missing? PLoS One. 2013 Jun 24;8(6):e65514. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065514. PMID: 23826081; PMCID: PMC3691161. [cited 2021 May 18]

3. “Nutrition may play a key role in early psychosis treatment” (Western Sydney University) published, 2017 Nov, Medical Press Psychology & Psychiatry, [accessed online 2021 May 18]

4. Wang HX, Wang YP. Gut Microbiota-brain Axis. Chin Med J (Engl). 2016 Oct 5;129(19):2373-80. doi: 10.4103/0366-6999.190667. PMID: 27647198; PMCID: PMC5040025. [cited 2021 May 18]

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6. Miyamoto, S., Duncan, G., Marx, C. et al. Treatments for schizophrenia: a critical review of pharmacology and mechanisms of action of antipsychotic drugs. Mol Psychiatry 10, 79–104 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.mp.4001556 [cited 2021 May 18]

7. Acute Hypoglycemia Presenting as Acute Psychosis Tanveer Padder MD, Aparna Udyawar MD, Nouman Azhar MD, Kamil Jaghab MD From the Department of Psychiatry, Nassau University Medical Center, 2201 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow NY 11554 USA.First Published December 2005. [cited 2021 May 18]

8. Brady WJ Jr, Duncan CW. Hypoglycemia masquerading as acute psychosis and acute cocaine intoxication. Am J Emerg Med. 1999 May;17(3):318-9. doi: 10.1016/s0735-6757(99)90140-7. PMID: 10337905. [cited 2021 May 18]

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10. Pacheko A, Eastwerling WS, Pryer MW. A PILOT STUDY OF THE KETOGENIC DIET IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. Am J Psychiatry. 1965 May;121:1110-1. doi: 10.1176/ajp.121.11.1110. PMID: 14283310. [cited 2021 May 18]

11. Environmental Exposures and Depression: Biological Mechanisms and Epidemiological Evidence Annual Review of Public Health Vol. 40:239-259 (Volume publication date April 2019) First published as a Review in Advance 2019 Jan 11 [cited 2021 May 19]

12. Collaborative on Mental Health and the Environment Mental Health and Environmental Exposures from the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative, November 2008. [cited 2021 May 19]

13. Bové J, Prou D, Perier C, Przedborski S. Toxin-induced models of Parkinson’s disease. NeuroRx. 2005;2(3):484-494. doi:10.1602/neurorx.2.3.484 [cited 2021 May 19]

14. Farina M, Aschner M, da Rocha JBT. The catecholaminergic neurotransmitter system in methylmercury-induced neurotoxicity. Adv Neurotoxicol. 2017;1:47-81. doi:10.1016/bs.ant.2017.07.002 [cited 2021 May 19]

15. Understanding nutrition, depression and mental illnesses Indian J Psychiatry. 2008 Apr-Jun; 50(2): 77–82. T. S. Sathyanarayana Rao, M. R. Asha, B. N. Ramesh, and K. S. Jagannatha Rao [cited 2021 May 19]

16. Hoffer A, Osmond H. TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH NICOTINIC ACID. A TEN YEAR FOLLOW-UP. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1964;40(2):171-89. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1964.tb05744.x. PMID: 14235254. [cited 2021 May 19]

17. Lakhan SE, Vieira KF. Nutritional therapies for mental disorders. Nutr J. 2008;7:2. Published 2008 Jan 21. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-2 [cited 2021 May 19]

18. Orthomolecular Treatment of Orthomolecular Schizophrenia Association of Great Britain; London, England, September 28-30, 1971. A. Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.P.A. [cited 2021 May 19]

19. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica Fat consumption and schizophrenia O. Christensen M.D., E. Christensen First published: November 1988. [cited 2021 May 19]

20. Amminger GP, Schäfer MR, Papageorgiou K, Klier CM, Cotton SM, Harrigan SM, Mackinnon A, McGorry PD, Berger GE. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids for indicated prevention of psychotic disorders: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;67(2):146-54. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.192. PMID: 20124114. [cited 2021 May 19]

21. van der Heijden, F., Fekkes, D., Tuinier, S. et al. Amino acids in schizophrenia: evidence for lower tryptophan availability during treatment with atypical antipsychotics?. J Neural Transm 112, 577–585 (2005). [cited 2021 May 19]

22. Malcolm Peet, Eicosapentaenoic acid in the treatment of schizophrenia and depression: rationale and preliminary double-blind clinical trial results, Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, Volume 69, Issue 6, 2003, Pages 477-485. [cited 2021 May 19]

23. Mittal VA, Vargas T, Osborne KJ, et al. Exercise Treatments for Psychosis: A Review.Curr Treat Options Psychiatry. 2017;4(2):152-166. doi:10.1007/s40501-017-0112-2.[cited 2021 May 19]

24. Environmental Exposures and Depression: Biological Mechanisms and Epidemiological Evidence Annual Review of Public Health Vol. 40:239-259 (Volume publication date April 2019) First published as a Review in Advance on 2019 Jan 11 [cited 2021 May 19]

25. Kråkvik B, Gråwe RW, Hagen R, Stiles TC. Cognitive behaviour therapy for psychotic symptoms: a randomized controlled effectiveness trial. Behav Cogn Psychother. 2013;41(5):511-524. doi:10.1017/S1352465813000258 [cited 2021 May 19]

26. APA Div 12, Society of Clinical Psychology, “What is Exposure Therapy?” Clinical Practice Guidelines, [Internet] 2017 Jul [cited 2021 May 19]

27. Health Quality Ontario . Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis: A Health Technology Assessment. Ont Health Technol Assess Ser. 2018;18(5):1-141. Published 2018 Oct 24. [cited 2021 May 19]

28. van den Berg DP, de Bont PA, van der Vleugel BM, de Roos C, de Jongh A, Van Minnen A, van der Gaag M. Prolonged exposure vs eye movement desensitization and reprocessing vs waiting list for posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with a psychotic disorder: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2015 Mar;72(3):259-67. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.2637. PMID: 25607833. [cited 2021 May 19]

29. Psychosocial Intervention With or Without Antipsychotic Medication for First-Episode Psychosis: A Randomized Noninferiority Clinical Trial
Shona M Francey, Brian O’Donoghue, Barnaby Nelson, Jessica Graham, Lara Baldwin, Hok Pan Yuen, Melissa J Kerr, Aswin Ratheesh, Kelly Allott, Mario Alvarez-Jimenez Schizophrenia Bulletin Open, Volume 1, Issue 1, January 2020, Published: 20 March 2020. [cited 2021 May 19]

30. Seikkula J, Olson ME. The open dialogue approach to acute psychosis: its poetics and micropolitics. Fam Process. 2003 Fall;42(3):403-18. doi: 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2003.00403.x. PMID: 14606203. [cited 2021 May 19]

31. Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: A Review Psychiatric Times, Vol 34 No 7, Volume 34, Issue 7July 14, 2017 Ruby S. Grewal, MD , Tony P. George, MD, FRCPC. [cited 2021 May 19]

32. Arendt M, Rosenberg R, Foldager L, Perto G, Munk-Jørgensen P. Cannabis-induced psychosis and subsequent schizophrenia-spectrum disorders: follow-up study of 535 incident cases. Br J Psychiatry. 2005 Dec;187:510-5. doi: 10.1192/bjp.187.6.510. PMID: 16319402. [cited 2021 May 19]

33. Rottanburg D, Robins AH, Ben-Arie O, Teggin A, Elk R. Cannabis-associated psychosis with hypomanic features Lancet. 1982 Dec 18;2(8312):1364-6. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)91270-3. PMID: 6129463. [cited 2021 May 19]

34. Kraal A, Z, Arvanitis N, R, Jaeger A, P, Ellingrod V, L: Could Dietary Glutamate Play a Role in Psychiatric Distress? Neuropsychobiology 2020;79:13-19. doi: 10.1159/000496294 [cited 2021 May 19]

35. Plitman E, Nakajima S, de la Fuente-Sandoval C, et al. Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity in schizophrenia: a review. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2014;24(10):1591-1605. doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2014.07.015. [cited 2021 May 19]

36. Leonardo Tondo, Nereide Rudas, The course of a seasonal bipolar disorder influenced by caffeine, Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 22, Issue 4, 1991, Pages 249-251. [cited 2021 May 19]

37. Does treatment of schizophrenia with antipsychotic medications eliminate or reduce psychosis? A 20-year multi-follow-up study Published online by Cambridge University Press: 24 March 2014 M. Harrow, T. H. Jobe and R. N. Faull. [cited 2021 May 19]

38. Whitaker R. The case against antipsychotic drugs: a 50-year record of doing more harm than good. Med Hypotheses. 2004;62(1):5-13. doi: 10.1016/s0306-9877(03)00293-7. PMID: 14728997. [cited 2021 May 19]

39. Sohler N, Adams BG, Barnes DM, Cohen GH, Prins SJ, Schwartz S. Weighing the evidence for harm from long-term treatment with antipsychotic medications: A systematic review. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2016;86(5):477-85. doi: 10.1037/ort0000106. Epub 2015 Dec 14. PMID: 26652608; PMCID: PMC4907881. [cited 2021 May 19]

40. Fenton WS, McGlashan TH. Sustained remission in drug-free schizophrenic patients. Am J Psychiatry. 1987 Oct;144(10):1306-9. doi: 10.1176/ajp.144.10.1306. PMID: 2889376. [cited 2021 May 19]

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This content has been reviewed and approved by a licensed physician.

Dr. Samuel Lee

Dr. Samuel Lee is a board-certified psychiatrist, specializing in a spiritually-based mental health discipline and integrative approaches. He graduated with an MD at Loma Linda University School of Medicine and did a residency in psychiatry at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle. He has also been an inpatient adult psychiatrist at Kaweah Delta Mental Health Hospital and the primary attending geriatric psychiatrist at the Auerbach Inpatient Psychiatric Jewish Home Hospital. In addition, he served as the general adult outpatient psychiatrist at Kaiser Permanente.  He is board-certified in psychiatry and neurology and has a B.A. Magna Cum Laude in Religion from Pacific Union College. His specialty is in natural healing techniques that promote the body’s innate ability to heal itself.

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Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.

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