ECT Treatments

My psychiatrist and I have decided to do ECT treatments to try and control my positive schizophrenic symptoms as well as my major depressive disorder. I had my consult, and they said i was a good candidate, so now we are just waiting on my insurance to approve it. Has anyone here gone through ECT? Any advice? How were you during the acute treatment phase? Im hoping im not a zombie for a month. But im also hopeful that this will help me. I appreciate any insight into ECT you can share. Thanks!

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@Pandy you may have good insight for this person on ect

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I had four done a year ago while I was in the hospital. I can honestly say it didn’t help nor hurt. For me anyways, and I only had a mild headache afterwards.

A mild headache isnt bad. My p.doc said it takes 6-12 treatments to see any difference. We are planning on doing 9 (3 a week for 3 weeks) and then re-evaluating to see if i need more in that acute phase. Then they go to once a week, then one every two weeks, etc until you are at once evey 2 months. And then you continue maintance for as long as you need to.

I get migraines so i am worried about the headaches. But i can deal for a month or so. I just dont want to be out if it for weeks on end. My mother is coming to visit my town (she’ll be staying in a hotel for work) near the end of that acute phase, and i dont want her to know im getting ect done. So im hoping it doesnt effect me too much.

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I’ve had loads of ECT. It helped, but ultimately the side effects (memory loss) were too great for me.

It gave me a headache and made me nauseous, but they were able to put meds in my IV to control that so it was no big deal.

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I did them. It messed with my memory. :snake::snake::snake:

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I would never do it, but perhaps I’ve seen too many movies.

Imma do ECT, here in San Diego. This Summer.
Yeah! Be Brave.

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I admit I’m strongly biased against ECT. In extreme cases it has saved lives but overall, looking at the relapse rates in successful treatments for depression (and in most cases you don’t even get significant improvement), short term but also long-term memory loss and, more controversially, subtle but potentially irreversible cognitive impairments, it doesn’t strike me as being that good a deal.

I’m also concerned about his claim that it might help you with your positive symptoms. May I suggest that you scour through the medical literature on this? My impression is that your pdoc is promising too much.

PS. Sorry to ask, but who is paying for all this? My impression is that monied people are usually offered more choices, and at least here in Denmark ECT gets offered a lot because it supposedly saves money

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I did rtms (repetitive transcranial magnetic therapy) it improved my mood and stabilized me but if i didnt do 1 treatment every two weeks id slip back.

Alao it caused an anxiety/akathisia state for 10 days when the dose was too high.

I did like 80 treatments most of them were covered by research grants

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Ive done TMS, 5 days a week, for 5 weeks, 4 separate times. It dosnt work for me unfortunately. Which is one of the reasons they say im a good candidate for ECT.

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I have done a lot of research, and it has a very high success rate when compared to other treatments ive tried, including medication. ECT helps with depression as well as psychosis. And my P.doc isnt making any outlandish promises, like that it will definitely work. Its just that ive tried so many other treatments (countless medications, TMS, katamine, residential trauma treatment, inpatient stays, PHPs, IOPs, CBT, DBT) that i am a good candidate for ECT.

And insurance is covering most of the cost, and we are paying my out of pocket max to cover the rest. Im in the US.

@Pickpink Sounds good. Best wishes.

Do you have MCT (magnetic seizure therapy) therapy in your area?

I heard that is basically a targeted version of ect.

I just remember that scene from Requiem for a Dream. That basically ensured I never let anyone try that ■■■■ on me

Lol that isnt an accurate portrayal. You get put under for one, and they dont use a big metal contraption to send the current. Movies make it seem scary when really you dont feel the electrocurrent at all. I always said i would never get it done either. But when you’ve tried everything else you get to the point of willing to try anything.

The research supporting ect dosent stand up as well as say meds.

Studdies werent as academucly rigerous back in the day. :frowning:

In extreme cases maybe as a treatment of last resort, otherwise give it a miss…

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I think @Pandy , @Schwann and @GrayBear have tried it. Don’t know if anyone else.

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I’ve seen ECT do a lot of good before. This guy had tried to commit suicide, so they left him strapped down to a bed for about four months. He was barely responsive to his environment. It sure didn’t help his writing ability, though. I read something he wrote, and it was barely coherent.

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In catatonia its surposed to help, but otherwise take supporting evidence with a pinch of salt.

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