Video transcript
Linda:
I have to say, I do have several patients that were newly diagnosed and saw me that I was able to get on an LAI. And, you know, they're doing great. One…has gone to college, has a girlfriend, and before he moved to a different state, he was like, you know I had to, he just gave me a call, and said, “I'm leaving. But thank you so much for just making sure that, you know, my life is set up correctly, and I'm okay to move away, and I'll be sure to stay on my LAI.” And that itself was a really good story. You know, there's a lot of stories that stand out when it comes to successful stories with patients on LAIs who are doing well.
So, I do have a patient that came to me, and he was already on INVEGA SUSTENNA®, and he was doing very well. I had transitioned him over to INVEGA TRINZA® because at that time INVEGA HAFYERA® wasn't approved yet, he did very well on INVEGA TRINZA®. And finally, when INVEGA HAFYERA® came out, I actually transitioned him over to INVEGA HAFYERA®. And he's been stable. I see him twice a year in person for injections, and otherwise we do a psych visit every three months. And he's doing great. Works a full-time job, has a family, and no relapses in the past seven years that I've seen him. And he's just been living his life. So, a very great success story.
Terence:
One of the biggest concerns for our patients, you know, them adhering to treatment. And so, when a patient is taking oral antipsychotics every day, it reminds them of their mental illness every time they take their medication. That can actually lead to nonadherence because we tell them you have mental illness for the rest of your life, and you're going to be taking these every day. So, that's why bringing in long-acting injectables for patients is a good idea because now, if they transition to that, they don't have to be reminded about their mental illness every day. They will now be reminded about their mental illness maybe once a month, maybe once every three months, or maybe once every six months or twice a year. And that alone gives hope, right? Because once you are not reminded of your illness every day, you can move on, and think about other things that are fruitful in your life or that can help you, you know, meet your life goals. When you go on an LAI and you start seeing the benefits of an LAI, the chances of you relapsing reduces, you start being able to think clearly. You start being able to set your goals, not just…even small goals for patients. Some of our patients their goal is just to get up from bed every day and eat breakfast. It's such a simple goal, but just being able to get up from bed every day, eat breakfast or get up from bed and call my family member or something like that. To me, that's success.
Mia:
When we treat our patients with schizophrenia, it's not only the patient, it's the whole family unit that get affected because every time they get a relapse, and finish in the hospital, it’s affecting everybody. In this case, what I remember is a young mom in her mid-30s that she came from a discharge in the hospital. And, first time I'm seeing her and she's asking me to write the orals that she was discharged from the hospital. I look at her history. She's been admitted at least four times. Every time she gets admitted, her daughter is taken care of by a family member, and the daughter gets affected. Ten-year-old. I knew that every time the mom got admitted in the hospital, the little child was being affected, and I brought it to her in order that she would think what brought her to this point. I said, “Do you realize if you’re stable, your daughter is stable. And your daughter is going to do well as long as you do well?” She said, “I never thought that I have to be doing well so my daughter will be doing well.” I said, “Yes.” In this case, that stopping the relapse of this young mother and being able to have her stable. I was able to not only help the mom, I was able to change two lives because mom is doing better, that means that daughter would be also doing better. She is now on INVEGA HAFYERA®. She is working for a gas station behind the cashier. And the daughter is doing very well in a school. And she came and said, “My daughter is on honor roll.” For me, even though the patient doesn't tell me, Dr. Bobet, thanks for changing my life. And sometimes they don't do, most of the times, but when I go home, I feel better. I feel that I'm doing something for that patient.
LAI=long-acting injectable.