ECT for Depression when You Have Kidney Disease

[Happy_Mouth]

Hi everybody,

I'm a 58 year-old male with an eGFR of 21. I had a partial nephrectomy (right kidney) last September to remove a cancer; the treatment was successful, and my eGFR is hardly worse now than it was a year ago. So that's the good news.

The not so good news is I'm tired most of the time, sleeping badly, and depressed. I've been depressed for much of my adult life so it's not totally new; I've been treated with meds, talk therapy, and CBT. But now the fatigue and insomnia are so much worse that I am considering a course of ECT (electro-convulsive therapy.)

I was wondering if anyone else with advanced kidney disease has had experience with ECT, and whether or it not it helped your depressive symptoms?

thanks,

Happy_Mouth

[Badger2024]

I can’t comment on how it affects the kidneys but it certainly wipes a lot of your memory. It’s usually used when everything else has failed. Perhaps join a support group where you meet in the flesh. Human connection and sunshine will make you feel better. The brain fog and loss of memory isn’t pleasant with ECT. Only my opinion having seen it used many times in my time as a nurse and also a friend’s daughter. I’m so sorry you feel so low. When you feel so hopeless sometimes it helps to believe in other people’s hope for you. Try and find a support group nearby and go from there xx

[Live4Hope]

Hi there. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and what coping mechanisms you've tried so far? What is the image you have of yourself?

[OldTownhammock]

Do you exercise? I have some neck and back issues which cause me a good deal of pain. It's very painful for me to do P. T. And yoga but I feel a little better later. I'm going to ask my doc about tramadol

[Transalp]

You might consider TMS before your go down the ECT line - similar sort of thing but far less side effects and other problems.

[Sapphire187]

I have a friend who had ECT treatments (she doesn’t have CKD) and she lost some of her memory. She said the memory she lost from the few months prior to the ECT never came back. She said it didn’t do much at all for her depression and she wished she never did the ECT. Hope you find something that gives you some relief.