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Posted 1/14/2014 5:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I was wondering what people's thoughts and experience is with ECT. I haven't done any research yet. I will do that in the next couple of days. I will be talking to my therapist on Thursday about it, but she thinks it works well for lots of people and a friend also asked her therapist's opinion on it and she thought it was a great idea.

Side effects?

Good or bad experience? Did it work?

How many treatments do you have to have?

If it works would I still need to take meds?

I suffer from headaches, does this make a difference?

I'm sure I have more questions but for now this is all I can think of. I suffer from Depression with a very mild case of Bi-polar(More on the depressive side) I've been on pretty much any and all meds. I am currently on Wellbutrin 300 mg, klonopin as needed. I do have anxiety attacks. Does it help with anxiety attacks? I can read all I want on the internet but I like to hear from people's actual experience with it.

Thanks.

Posted 1/14/2014 7:10 AM (GMT 0)
hi gambler. there are pros and cons to ECT. for me it saved my life. yes there are definate side effects for a lot of people, including memory loss. ECT is mainly given to people as rhe last resort for severe depressive illness. i was not eating or drinking for some time and i was clearly shut down. i was hospitalised and my psychiatrist strongly recommended it to me. yes there is a bit of a weird head, fuzziness after treatment and possible headache. remember we are all different. i did lose some memory but it was a long time after the treatments. i have regained a lot of it back.

i had six treatments. i took awhile to kick in but when it did i felt much better, for over a year actually. i am a advocate of the treatment in dire circumstances. some people do have maintaince treatment a month or so after. some have this regularly. some people have more than a course, which i had (6) it is dependant on each individuals situation. i strongly urge you to consult with your psychiatrist and supporting professionals. yes whilst having treatment i stayed on my medications. we are all unique and different thus some people may have variations regarding this.

i hope this information has be of benefit to you. remember that this treatment is not for every body. but in saying this if your psychiatrist has recommended it then you need to look at it. i wish you well. i hope others come on with further wisdom for you.
Posted 1/15/2014 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
Hello The Happy Turtle,

Thank you for the information. Just like with medications one might work extremely well for one person but won't do anything for another. My doctor had recommended it to me a while back but I don't think I was ready or was like no way. I did a little research last night. I definitely plan on talking to all my doctor's and really think about it and weigh the pro's and cons. I've been hospitalized 3 times in the past. I have been on pretty much all the different meds and they tend to work for a while and then they fade out. I just decided it was an option that I should look into. Based on your experience is pretty much the information I read about ECT.

I am grateful you had a positive experience with ECT and it worked really well. I am going to do some more research so I can write stuff down when I talk to my therapist and go from there. So far the people I have talked to about it, thinks its a great idea, but I will definitely have to talk to my doctors and see if it would be a good thing for ME.

Stay well and thank you again for sharing your experience.

Gambler
Posted 1/15/2014 4:42 AM (GMT 0)
you are welcome.
Posted 1/16/2014 9:03 PM (GMT 0)
I have had ECT. For me it did not work as well. I would still say try it if your doctor and therapist highly recommend it. I have had memory loss and it took a while for ECT to kick in. It did get me back on my feet, but I am slipping backwards again. For me, I wouldn't go through it again. But then again, I am only one opinion in the woods. Do your research and speak with your doctors. Best of Luck.

Peace.
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