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Drug side effects

paliperidone Side Effects

The reactions most often reported to the FDA for paliperidone (also sold as Invega), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.

Data updated 2026-05-15

22,775
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2007 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.

The most commonly reported side effects of paliperidone come from 22,775 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 22,775 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for paliperidone (Invega): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.

Total Reports

22,775

Reports Mentioning Death

801

3.5% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

4,563

20.0% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

INJURY
4,331
GYNAECOMASTIA
3,664
ABNORMAL WEIGHT GAIN
1,660
WEIGHT INCREASED
1,361
HYPERPROLACTINAEMIA
1,255
GALACTORRHOEA
1,051
SEDATION
735
DYSTONIA
695
DYSKINESIA
686
SUICIDE ATTEMPT
662
TREATMENT NONCOMPLIANCE
651
SCHIZOPHRENIA
645
EMOTIONAL DISORDER
589
EXTRAPYRAMIDAL DISORDER
587
SOMNOLENCE
575
TREMOR
514
OBESITY
511

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 5,980 (31%)
Male 12,927 (68%)
Unknown 95

Age Distribution

0-17 1,496 (16%)
18-44 5,235 (54%)
45-64 2,377 (25%)
65-74 382 (4%)
75+ 129 (1%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2007 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 801 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
COMPLETED SUICIDE 213
DEATH 153
TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS 107
SCHIZOPHRENIA 52
DYSTONIA 47
BLOOD GLUCOSE INCREASED 45
DYSKINESIA 45
SEDATION 45
SUICIDE ATTEMPT 45
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 44
METABOLIC DISORDER 43
ANOSOGNOSIA 42
BLOOD PROLACTIN ABNORMAL 42
DISTURBANCE IN SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR 42
SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION 42
PERSONALITY CHANGE 41
ADVERSE DRUG REACTION 34
OVERDOSE 32

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 4,563 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
HOSPITALISATION 492
SCHIZOPHRENIA 250
TREATMENT NONCOMPLIANCE 245
PSYCHOTIC DISORDER 236
WEIGHT INCREASED 210
NEUROLEPTIC MALIGNANT SYNDROME 196
EXTRAPYRAMIDAL DISORDER 191
TACHYCARDIA 187
SOMNOLENCE 184
DRUG INTERACTION 183
TREMOR 182
SUICIDE ATTEMPT 179
CONFUSIONAL STATE 176
OVERDOSE 163
AGGRESSION 161
ANXIETY 155
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 146
SUICIDAL IDEATION 145

Compare paliperidone vs acamprosate →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About paliperidone Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 22,775 voluntary reports linked to paliperidone and its brand equivalents (Invega), spanning 2007 through 2025. Of those, 801 (3.5%) listed death as an outcome and 4,563 (20.0%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 31% were female and 68% male; age distribution skews toward 18-44, with 5,235 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is injury with 4,331 submissions, followed by gynaecomastia and abnormal weight gain.

How to read these numbers

FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.