ECT Experience?

[Woolybluecurl]

Hi Everyone....I may have asked this before, but I'm considering ECT and I'd like to hear from anyone who's had experience with it. I'm really scared and feeling a sense of urgency to make a decision. I saw a doc on Tuesday who thinks I'm a candidate, but will have a second opinion today. I haven't signed anything yet and I'm really scared. Thanks for your help....

[Raggedy-Ann]

It is scary. I had 21 rounds a long time ago. I was put under( if that is an option go with that) It is nice to be totally at peace for a while. I was suicidal at that point, so I was hoping they would kill me, but that didn't happen. When I woke up in recovery, drowsy and still alive I was disappointed but I had those moments of peace when I was under. It took me longer than most to get the benefit of it due to my level of depression. The important thing was it did help. Eventually I started getting out of bed, then short walks, then group therapy ..... I think the methods have improved. I know there are a lot of options. I was diagnosed with medicative resistant chronic depression thus ECT was an answer for me. It is strange to think about it, but it can help. I have seen others benefit and the procedure takes less time now and I believe it is less traumatic. I hope whatever you decide will give you some relief.

[jnelson66]

I too had it. I did 11 sessions in 2022.

The positives.

It’s the gold standard treatment for severe depression

It’s another way to hopefully get you some relief

The negatives.

Given my experience and several others I know well who have received it the results are across the board. Some got some relief but need to keep doing it less frequency but folks I know who have seen results keep it part of their routine. The majority didn’t find relief. I for instance only got side effects of memory loss and dizziness.

The technology was invented prior to WW2 which blows my mind. That tells you what you need to know about how broken our system is. We live in supposedly the best country in the world but are using technology created before the first McDonalds restaurant was created is absurd. So we have a stigmatized treatment for a stigmatized brain disease to which I am proof of that it is a brain disease.

I participated in a clinical trial for deep brain stimulation at the end of 2022 and it put me in remission immediately. All I have after a decade or living through hell is an electrical deficiency. That’s it. Continous electricity to two sections of my brain and the disease was gone immediately.

The clinical trials for that just began with Abbott. Look it up. They are doing the surgeries at 25 sites and are doing 100 people.

I would provide the link for the trial in an attempt to be helpful but I’ve learned being helpful is offensive to some people here 😊

[jnelson66 in reply to jnelson66]

Another option to consider if you haven’t a tried it yet is transcranial magnetic stimulation. Its is less disruptive than ECT but same thing based on my experience (36 sessions) and others that I know its results are across the board.

Psychedelics are another option. Ketamine clinics are a possibility, Spravato and also movie dosing psylicibin has seen some positive results in clinical research. I did ketamine and it was prescribed relief for me. It didn’t have long term relief but it was prescribed relief in the short term which was a win. As you know we don’t get many of them.

[Woolybluecurl in reply to jnelson66]

Thank you....yes, I've tried TMS, ketamine, microdosing psylicibin.....nothing. It's hard to find hope....

[jnelson66 in reply to Woolybluecurl]

Keep fighting. Look up the clinical trial. You are as treatment resistant as I was. Search Abbott and Transcend (the name of the trial)

[teakabeagle in reply to jnelson66]

I had 40 TMS and the last 10 treatments were paired with TBS(Theta Burst Stimulation). In my mind TBS was more rapidly effective than TMS. 3 months out from last session and still doing well. The fall season will be the big test. SAD bites me every year.

[Woolybluecurl in reply to teakabeagle]

Thanks....I haven't heard of TBS....

[teakabeagle in reply to Woolybluecurl]

It is another form of TMS but is more intense and stimulates a little deeper. None of it is painful, but it is time intensive. It’s 5 treatments a week for 6 weeks, then a taper for a few week every other day. I wasn’t quite where they wanted me to be, so we added 10 more TMS treatments (20 minutes,) then TBS ( 3 minutes)

[Woolybluecurl in reply to jnelson66]

I tried to look up the study you referred to but couldn't find it....would you please send me the link? Thanks!

[jnelson66 in reply to Woolybluecurl]

abbott.mediaroom.com/2024-0...

[Woolybluecurl in reply to jnelson66]

Thank you.....interesting stuff. Any idea if they're doing the trial in the San Diego area?

[StillClimbing]

I had 10 treatments when I was very depressed during my 3rd pregnancy. It did not seem to help my depression much. I did lose almost all the memory of that specific month as well as about 2 months on either side of it, but I don't think there has been any other lasting cognitive damage.

[StillClimbing]

Oh- in regards to the other options people mentioned. I think TMS has far less probability of cognitive side effects; I had many treatments of this too and it did not work for me but it seems like a good option. Ketamine infusions did not work for me either and I did not like how they felt, but they didn't cause any harm as far as I could tell.

[Woolybluecurl]

Thank you.....I've tried TMS with no results. Also ketamine....again, no results. I also tried microdosing psylicibin....nothing. So that's why I'm at this point....kind of a last resort. But I know there's no guarantees ECT will do much either.....

[designguy]

I read that another new treatment is VNS (vagal nerve stimulation) that has good success rates whcih you might check out. I haven't tried it myself but is another option.

[Woolybluecurl]

Thanks....I'll look it up