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Originally Posted by curlydee
my psychiatrist is running out of ideas - i'm now off most of my meds and will be for 2 weeks, after which i will start on an maoi. i have no hope that it will work... nothing else has. he said that if the maoi doesn't work, ect would normally be the next step - but it didn't really help me before - caused me to have ptsd, gave me memory loss which has not come back in over 6 years, and i flat out refuse to do it again. this left my psychiatrist no choice but to suggest vagus nerve stimulation if the maoi doesn't work. HOLLY CRAP! am i that messed up that the only possibility left is a form of brain surgery?!? i just want to curl up and die! i'm going to explode! i haven't really thought about this since my appointment - it's just sinking in now. for those who don't know, vagus nerve stimulation is when they put a pace maker type control in the chest with an electrode that goes to the brain and sends electric impulses to the brain that some how fights the depression. i know that i'm not describing it well, but that's the general idea. life sucks! i just can't do this any more... i don't WANT to do this any more! this is just too much for me to handle...
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Okay, take a breath. You still have one good step before the vagus nerve decision. Give the MAOI a try. Follow the diet restrictions carefully. It's not an easy path, maoi's, but it really can work for depression that nothing else works on. If I recall correctly, it takes about a month to kick in, so give it enough time.
Meanwhile, get on the net and do some research. Find out exactly what vagus nerve stimulation is, how it works, how long one generally needs it. Become comfortable with the subject and the information. Then, in a month or two, if the maoi's don't work, you won't be so freaked out at the very idea of VNS, and you'll be in a better place to make an informed decision.
In the meantime, take it one step at a time, and keep breathing. Freaking out doesn't help anything. Doesn't mean you can't Want to freak out, just try to keep the panic under control by learning all you can about VNS and even MAOI's. The more you know, the more control you have.
And while you're off your meds over the next two weeks, try and take very good care of yourself. Post all you need and let us know how this goes.
