When Psychiatric Medications and Respiratory Health Collide: My Experience with Invega Sustenna During COVID Gasping for air vs. Repairing Respiratory Lung Health while Removing Mucus Overload

Written, edited, created, and published By Nisa Pasha — Executive Political Health Guru, Peer Counselor, and Educator, MentalHealthRevival.org

During the height of the COVID pandemic, I was a middle-aged woman receiving long-acting Invega Sustenna injections as part of my psychiatric treatment. What I did not fully understand at the time was how deeply this medication would affect my respiratory system and immune health—especially during a global respiratory crisis.

Over the months that followed, I developed repeated respiratory tract infections that did not resolve easily. What began as coughing and fatigue escalated into chronic chest tightness, shortness of breath, and lingering weakness that made daily life feel physically heavy.

Each illness took longer to recover from than the last. During COVID, every cough carried fear. I could not tell where the infection ended and the medication side effects began. The injection caused deep sedation in my body. At night, my breathing felt slowed and shallow, as if my lungs could not fully expand. I often woke feeling oxygen-deprived, dizzy, and exhausted. My circulation weakened, my temperature regulation became unstable, and clearing mucus from my lungs felt nearly impossible. Once I became sick, my body struggled to fight back. That cycle—medication effects, environmental exposure, and immune suppression—kept repeating.

Emotionally, this experience was terrifying. Physical decline intensified anxiety and hopelessness. I questioned my strength, my future, and even my safety. When respiratory health is unstable, it affects everything—sleep, thinking, emotional regulation, and the ability to feel grounded in your own body. At times, I could not tell whether my distress was coming from my mental health diagnosis, the medication, or the physical strain of repeated infections. The lines blurred, and that confusion became one of the most painful parts of the experience.

My turning point came when I began documenting my symptoms and advocating for myself in medical appointments. I asked real questions about immune suppression, respiratory risks, and long-acting antipsychotic injections. With medical supervision, I made the decision to taper off Invega Sustenna slowly rather than stopping abruptly. Because it is a long-acting injection, the process required patience, monitoring, and emotional endurance. The medication remained in my system for months, and healing came in stages—not overnight.

Gradually, I began to feel real change. My breathing deepened. The constant chest tightness eased. I stopped waking up gasping for air. The pattern of recurring respiratory infections finally broke. My energy returned slowly, my circulation improved, and my thinking became clearer. For the first time in a long time, I felt my immune system regaining strength. The benefits of tapering were undeniable: improved stamina, stronger physical resilience, clearer cognition, and freedom from constant respiratory fear.

There are warning signs I now know should never be ignored—repeated respiratory infections, shortness of breath at rest, chest pressure, shallow or slowed breathing during sleep, persistent coughing with exhaustion, blue or pale lips, lingering fever, and extreme sedation paired with choking sensations. These are not “normal” side effects. They are red flags. They require immediate medical attention, especially for anyone receiving long-acting psychiatric injections.

This experience transformed how I understand psychiatric care. Mental stability should never come at the cost of immune collapse, oxygen deprivation, or silent physical injury. Recovery required more than medication—it required self-trust, medical oversight, slow transitions, rest, boundaries, and support. I had to believe that my body was worth protecting, even when the system felt harder to navigate.

Today, I share this story so others do not dismiss their symptoms the way I once tried to. If something in your body feels wrong, it matters. If you are experiencing repeated illness, breathing changes, or extreme sedation on psychiatric medication, you deserve to be heard. Healing is possible. Strength can return. And you are not alone in this process.

The cause and effects of mucus overload: How I stop gasping for air?

My testimony of resiliency began during a global respiratory pandemic, this created constant fear, confusion, and vulnerability. I could not always tell whether I was dealing with COVID exposure, viral infections, or medication-related immune suppression, and often it was a combination of all three.

The warning signs I learned to take seriously include repeated respiratory infections, shortness of breath at rest, chest pressure, shallow or slowed breathing during sleep, persistent coughing with fatigue, blue or pale lips, fever that lingers, and extreme sedation combined with choking sensations. These symptoms should never be dismissed as routine side effects. They require immediate medical evaluation, especially for individuals on long-acting antipsychotic injections.

This experience reshaped my understanding of psychiatric treatment. I learned that mental stability should never come at the cost of respiratory safety, immune collapse, or silent physical injury. True recovery required medical oversight, slow transitions, emotional support, self-trust, and the courage to speak up when my body signaled danger. Today, I use my story to educate other peers that they are not alone, that their physical symptoms matter, and that it is possible to reclaim both mental clarity and physical strength after medication-related respiratory harm.

As the respiratory infections continued, one of the most frightening symptoms was the thick buildup of mucus in my lungs and chest. The congestion became so heavy that it interfered with my ability to breathe normally. I experienced shortness of breath, sudden gasping for air, and moments where my body made involuntary sucking motions just to pull oxygen in. At times, swallowing became difficult because the mucus felt stuck in my throat and airway. This created intense panic, not because of anxiety alone, but because my body was physically struggling to move air. The sensation of drowning while awake is something I would not wish on anyone. Each breath required effort. Each coughing spell felt exhausting and never fully cleared the obstruction.

Sleep became nearly impossible. The medication already caused heavy sedation and breathing suppression, but the mucus made lying down dangerous. I would wake up coughing, choking, or gasping for air. Out of desperation, I began taking increasing amounts of ibuprofen PM just to force my body into sleep. At the time, I did not fully understand that combining sedating medications with respiratory congestion can significantly worsen breathing suppression, increase aspiration risk, and intensify oxygen deprivation. The sleep aid did not resolve the root problem—it compounded it.

My breathing grew shallower, the choking sensations worsened, and the fatigue became unbearable. The cycle became: medication sedation, mucus congestion, sleep disruption, increased sleep aids, and worsening respiratory distress.

The warning signs were there the entire time: thick chest congestion that would not break up, labored breathing at rest, gasping during sleep, difficulty swallowing, persistent coughing with exhaustion, and a feeling of suffocation even while sitting upright. These were not minor side effects—they were signals of serious respiratory compromise. At the time, however, I lacked the education to fully understand how dangerous this combination of sedation, infection, and suppressed breathing truly was.

After tapering off the medication, my body slowly began to regulate again—but the mucus did not immediately disappear. I had to actively support my respiratory system in clearing what had been trapped for so long. I learned to use mucus relief expectorants to help thin and mobilize the congestion in my chest so it could finally be expelled rather than remaining lodged in my lungs. As the mucus began to break up, I could feel my airways opening again. My coughing became more productive instead of strained and dry. Each time I cleared my chest, my breathing felt a little freer.

Later, I added N-acetylcysteine (NAC) as part of my recovery support for respiratory and immune health. NAC is known for helping to break down thick mucus, support lung function, reduce oxidative stress, and assist the body in detoxifying inflammatory byproducts associated with infections. Over time, I noticed that my chest congestion became easier to manage, my breathing felt smoother, and my resistance to repeated infections improved. My body no longer felt trapped in a constant cycle of mucus production, toxic buildup, and respiratory strain caused by medication effects and environmental viral exposure.

What I learned through this process is that psychiatric medication-induced respiratory suppression combined with environmental viruses creates the perfect conditions for mucus overload, oxygen deprivation, and repeated infection. When sleep becomes chemically forced while the lungs are congested, the danger multiplies. Recovery required stopping the source of suppression through tapering, rebuilding lung clearance, strengthening immune function, and allowing my body the time and space to heal its natural breathing rhythm again.

In the end, my experience made it clear that healing is not limited to managing a mental-health diagnosis—it requires confronting the full spectrum of environmental and medical forces that shape the body’s ability to survive. Gas contamination in the air around me, viral exposures in communal settings, indoor toxins from neglected housing conditions, and the immune-suppressive effects of Invega Sustenna all converged at the same time. As a middle-aged woman navigating the mental-health system, my lungs became the first place where the burden could no longer remain silent. The shortness of breath, the thick mucus, the chest pressure, and the recurring infections were all evidence that my environment, my medication, and my living conditions were working against my health—not supporting it.

Living in mental-health housing exposed me to poor ventilation, mold, chemical odors, and unstable sanitation—conditions that allowed viral infections and environmental irritants to circulate freely. With my immune system weakened from long-term psychiatric medication, my body had fewer defenses and far less resilience. The combination of polluted air, indoor contaminants, and physically suppressive medication created a cycle of respiratory distress that could not be separated from my mental well-being. Through this struggle, I learned that the lungs respond immediately to danger, especially when environmental gases, airborne chemicals, and lingering viruses overwhelm the air we breathe.

Yet this journey also taught me that recovery becomes possible when toxic exposures are reduced, when harmful environments are changed, and when the body is no longer fighting against both medication side effects and living conditions. Clearing my airspace, reducing chemical exposure, strengthening my immune system, and reevaluating my treatment plan were essential steps toward reclaiming my health. This is why I now understand, deeply and personally, that respiratory health and mental health cannot be disconnected.

My testimony is a reminder to other women in the mental-health system that symptoms are messages, not inconveniences. No one should ignore respiratory distress or endure contaminated housing conditions in silence. Healing begins with listening to the body, removing the harms that suffocate it, and reclaiming the breath that psychiatric medications and toxic environments too often take away.

Peer Mental Health Communities and Environmental Factors in Lue of Respiratory Health

For peer mental-health communities, these realities illuminate a powerful truth: respiratory health is not just biological—it is political, environmental, and inseparable from mental well-being. Around the world, marginalized groups, mental-health consumers, and low-income communities face higher respiratory risks not because they are weak, but because they are positioned in environments shaped by inequality, pollution, and neglect. The air we breathe is influenced by policy, by industry, and by the conditions of our housing—yet our breath is also a source of strength, clarity, and survival. When we understand this connection, we gain the power to demand better: safer housing, clean air standards, transparent health practices, and systems of care that honor the whole person. This awareness builds collective resilience. It reminds us that we are not merely patients—we are advocates, global citizens, and protectors of our own health. And when communities rise with knowledge, they reshape environments, influence policy, and inspire a new standard of justice where every breath counts and every person—regardless of background—deserves the right to breathe freely.

Exposure to environmental gases and the hazardous pollutions of mental health housing

Overexposure to environmental gases—such as exhaust fumes, chemical vapors, industrial emissions, smoke, mold toxins, strong cleaning agents, and indoor air pollutants—creates a direct and harmful pathway to respiratory decline. These toxins reduce access to clean oxygen and force the lungs to work harder under continuous stress. As the respiratory lining becomes irritated and inflamed, the body responds with airway swelling, excessive mucus production, and limited oxygen absorption.

These early signs of suffocation and oxygen deprivation often appear long before a visible infection is detected. When communities are exposed to these irritants every day—through contaminated housing, industrial neighborhoods, or unsafe ventilation systems—the lungs weaken over time. This weakened state leaves individuals more vulnerable to viruses, bacteria, chronic respiratory problems, and the cascading effects of environmental neglect.

Pathogens also enter the respiratory system through overcrowded settings, poor ventilation, contaminated surfaces, and unsafe food-handling environments—conditions that often mirror the realities of underfunded mental-health facilities, shelters, and community housing. When the immune system is already compromised—whether by chronic stress, limited nutrition, underlying illness, or the immune-suppressive effects of psychiatric medications—the body struggles to fight off infection. These viruses and bacteria travel deeper into the airways, intensifying mucus buildup, increasing inflammation, restricting airflow, and amplifying breathing difficulties. The interaction between environmental toxins and a weakened immune system forms a dangerous cycle: irritants damage the lungs, infections exploit the damage, and inflammation further erodes the body’s capacity to heal.

In Conclusion

The rise of respiratory tract infections among mental-health consumers—especially those prescribed immune-suppressive psychiatric medications like Invega Sustenna—cannot be separated from the environmental conditions surrounding them. During the COVID era, many individuals living in mental-health housing faced unsafe ventilation, overcrowded rooms, polluted air, heavy cleaning chemicals, mold toxins, and continuous exposure to exhaust fumes, smoke, and industrial byproducts. These environmental hazards compounded the medication-related vulnerabilities of the lungs and immune system, creating a heightened risk for infection, inflammation, and long-term respiratory decline.

In closing testimony, this message is to inspire empower and help the reader understand the severities of the underlying issues regarding unhealthy respiratory systems including the causes and effects and warning signs Colliding with psychiatric medications and the environment for consumers as well as the non-consumer of mental health impacting various populations in marginalized areas including family members and professionals within communities and sectors of healthcare services.

The truth is that respiratory illness in these settings is not an isolated medical event; it is the predictable outcome of structural neglect, environmental inequality, and a system that fails to protect the bodies of those it claims to serve. Recognizing this pattern empowers peer communities to advocate for safer housing, cleaner air, accountable health practices, and policies that acknowledge the full spectrum of risks faced by psychiatric consumers. In closing, this testimony stands as both a warning and a call to action: no one’s health should deteriorate because their environment or medication leaves them defenseless—and every individual deserves to breathe freely, safely, and without fear.

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