Chris

I just had 5 ECT treatments.  I have been plagued with chronic fatigue since 1996 and was told it was depression.  After getting no where with doctors, I tried alternative med for about 1.5 years, to no avail.  My primary had been trying to convince me to see a psychiatrist.  After alternative med failed I agreed.  After going through all the available meds, ECT was recommended.  I refused and the psych would no longer see me as I "refused treatment".  My primary's only suggestion was finad another psych.  I did.  The fatigue was getting worse.  It had been 12 years.  It was becoming almost impossible to do my job.  I was very worried.  I agreed to ECT.  My 1st 2 sessions were unilateral and although I did not feel any better, I had no real adverses side effects.  Apparently since I did not respond to the 1st 2 treatments, the 3rd was bilateral.  I was not told ahead of time.  It makes a big difference, as I had no idea where I was or what was going on when I came to.  This was a Monday.  I had treatments Wed and Fri, each being even more disorienting upon awakening.  I spent most of my time in bed since the first bilateral.  The last bilateral was on a Friday.  I spent all weekend in bed.  On Monday I felt terrible.  I had chest pressure, head ache, shortness of breath, the fatigue was significantly worse.  I had a heart attack in 2005.  I called my cardiologist who directed me to the ER.  I spent 3 days in the hospital.  Nothing could be found wrong, however I am still exhausted, my anti anxiety meds and antidepresents have been doubled, and I am still unable to work.  I had been scheduled for 8 treatments, but no more than the 5 I have had are now recommended.  Of course, if I had known then what I know now I would not have done it.

It shoud be noted that my wife, while in the waiting room, talked to the husband of another patient undergoing treatment.  He indicated that the treatment made all the difference in the world for his wife.  She had it done originally 12 years before and it had helped her this long.  She had relapsed and was undergoing it again, and he could see a positive difference in her.

For what its worth

Chris

The Blooded Rose

1/ 2/09 6:05pm

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I am considering ECT, but all the side effects scare me to death. I spent around 4 years searching through tons of medications.... nothing has been my "fix." You seem ambivalent about whether it works or not... that is a place where I am. My doctor tells me it has a greater success rate than medication... but I just don't know. I'm worried that I'm not as bad off...and so don't need it... but then again, I can't function when I'm alone. And I'm on disability. I'm 19 and female. I'm scheduling a time to go to the hospital to watch a video about it.... If I make a decision, I'm going to check myself in. Thankfully, I have Medicaid now that should cover it. IT is scary to make... I mean, there is risk of death, permanent memory loss...there aren't things to take lightly. Any input?

John Christian Sorensen

1/ 8/09 2:00pm

I can only speak about my own experience.  And as I said, I wouldn't do it again.  I really don't know anyone else other than Dick Cavett (old TV fame) who has had it done.  It worked for him.  I believe that the hospital put me in touch with another ECT patient, but I don't remember for sure.  If so it must have worked for this person. I am still not working.  Perhaps if I hadn't waited so long it would have worked better.

 

No two people are the same, but I do have at least a degree of understanding of your situation and I wish you luck.

Ali

2/10/11 3:47pm

I am also considering ECT. I am a 20 year old female and have been on meds for 4 years. Depressed for at least 5. I can't do it anymore. But I already have memory troubles and concentration troubles because of post concussion syndrome. I'm worried that I won't be able to remember anything. But I can't keep going the way I am. I just want someone to tell me to do it or not to do it.

Help.

Please.

Solaiman Abbasi

11/13/11 1:44am

Slaiman Abbasi

 

Dear Sweet Girl, you are very young, May you have long Life Ahead of you,Unilateral

One sided ECT has a lessor Chance of having permanent Memory loss than A Bilateral

Both-sided One. But still There is a chance of some Memory Loss, where Bilateral ECT

is More Effective in Treating Depression,  I am Age 47 and I am having a Very Tough

Time Deciding wether I should Have an ECT or Not. I 've been on Medications for 22 Years

 But Don't loose Hope You are Still Very Young, there might be Some Medications out 

there that Will Help You, Like (Effexor) Dual Chemical Based Anti-Depressant Works

on Both Serotonin and Nore-Epinephrine Inside the Brain I take 150 mg Twice/day,

there is Ativan or (Lorazepam) wich also Works Well for Anxiety I take 1mg Twice/day. Another Medication that Works Good on me is Neurontin I only take it on

low dossage 100 mg Once/Day . Do some Research Before You Decide on ECT.

ECT May Not be that Bad Both for You and For Me. But Again How do we Know

for Sure There are some videos on YouTube of People Who have Taken ECT and Some Say  ECT Worked Good Some say It didn't Work.

I too have A Poor Memory to Start with and I too Worried That if I take ECT and Loose any More of Memory where Will i Be? I have Bad Concentration and Bad Cognitive Thinking. Thank God Medications I mentioned above are Doing me Some

Good, But if I can take ECT and Be Much Better then Why Not But I Don't Know if

ECT will Do me Some Good or Some Bad,

 

Well Good Luck to You, May You Get Well and Your Days Be Filled With Brightness,

Happiness, and Joy.

I want it how can i get it

I was hospitalized for depression in 2007.  After several med changes and none of them helping they told me they thought I should have ECT.  Unfortunately, they barely told me anything about the treatment, in fact they pretty much minimalized the potential effects and led me to believe that it was no big deal.  They told me it sometimes caused short term memory loss but it would only be temporary. In reality, at the time I was in no shape to be making decisions like that but I thought they knew better than I did so I agreed.

I had 3 treatments a week for a month.  It left me with huge holes in my memory.  I could'nt remember lots of things, including how I came to be in the hospital.  It makes me forget things right in the middle of talking about them.  Words that I know perfectly well I know just fly out of my head and may take days to come back to me.  I usually remember the definition of the word I want to use, I just cannot come up with the word for it. For example, I was talking to a friend and I was saying I had been to the doctor.  I wanted to say dermatologist but couldn't come up with the word so I had to say "the skin doctor".  It drives me crazy.  I have always had a huge vocabulary, and to now not be able to remember stupid little words makes me crazy, because I know I should know them.

Also, there was a guy in the ward with me who was also prescribed ECT at the same time I was.  He had like 1 or 2 treatments and then the next one he had a seizure during the treatment and then another one after he was brought back to the ward.  He was still there when I was released and still having random seizures, though they hadn't given him any more treatments.  He told me he had never had a seizure before ECT either. 

But frankly the worst of all of this is that it didn't even help my depression.  It just left me messed up with nothing to show for it.  If I had known all this to begin with I would never have agreed to the ECT treatments.