TMS and ECT

Have you tried one, the other, or both? Similarities? Differences? Side effects? Which works better? Why?

I just had to go IP again 2 weeks after I got out and stayed for another 2 weeks. They talked about ECT in the hospital because my depressions tend to last really long and this one is AWFUL! However, while we were discussing it, I had my mom check with my personal pdoc and she wants me to try TMS. So, we decided I would try the TMS and if it doesn’t work get re-admitted and do the ECT. Im just not sure what to think and still don’t have much info on either.

I did several rounds of ECT many years ago. It's difficult for me to say whether it worked, or not, to be honest. All I know is that after each treatment my head felt somewhat numb. While I'd heard memory loss often accompanies ECT, I don't remember experiencing much of that. I didn't care for the anasthesia...never have, though. Sorry I can't be much more specific than that, but it must have been about 20 years ago.

I've heard & read that hallucinogenic mushrooms show promise in halting depression (they're doing treatments at The University of Michigan now). I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable taking that route, though, given my past history with substance abuse.

I had one ECT treatment then they found out I’d had head trauma from a car accident and told me I wasn’t eligible. Apparently head trauma can get worse with ECT. Never experienced TMS. Like Buddha I’ve heard bout mushrooms and also ketamine treatments being useful.

Best of luck

I just got out of hospital last week after 20 rounds of TMS. My pdoc had originally suggested ECT but my partner said no way.

TMS is bearable. You’re awake the whole time. Kinda like someone tapping you on the head for 37 minutes at a time. I had 2 sessions a day. At the hospital I was at they don’t allow visitors but I was allowed to leave for 2 hours every day.

The pdoc who did my brain mapping said it will take 2 weeks after treatment to notice the full effects.

My mood has gone from a 1/10 to maybe a 3.5-4/10.

The thing I don’t like is that it requires maintenance sessions. Ughhhhhhh. I’m not leaving my family again. I have a 3 year old son. Those nearly 3 weeks in hospital were far too long. He said I’d need a top up of 6 sessions at 1 month then at 6 weeks.

He also said any “improvement” I might be feeling is temporary and will last 3 months. Hopefully the meds will have kicked in by then.

There’s places here in Australia that do TMS outpatient but that’s $$$

There were patients getting ECT. They all mentioned top up maintenance sessions of having to go back in because results of that are temporary too.

I only ever had ECT (one series). At the time, my insurance would not cover TMS. I suppose I would have opted for TMS since it doesn't require general anesthesia and the "recovery time" that ECT does. I'm unsure what the comparison is nowadays, in terms of efficacy.

I do believe ECT was helpful for me. It helped pull me out of a very stubborn depression after years of intermittent severe manias and mixed states. Though during the few years after my ECT series, I did have some bad episodes, I think it may have helped shorten that period. As for the physical experience, I did experience some temporary memory loss, and no memory of time during some of my treatments. As for the latter, I figured who wants to remember that time, anyway! After only my very first treatment, I had a sore throat, but that was no biggy. I had an issue during that treatment with the anesthesia, but that's not specifically related to ECT itself, as it can happen during other categories of procedures (incl. surgeries). The anesthesiologist rectified it for subsequent treatments. What happened to me is rare.

I only had ECT. It didn't cure me by any means, but I did notice I was more easily treated afterwards with meds as in stuff that didn't work before or only worked at very high doses worked better/at lower doses. I really enjoyed being knocked out too, but that's not everyone's cup of tea.

While I was being treated I had slight memory loss and felt kinda stupid, but that eased a few months post-treatment (I mean I still feel kinda stupid lol, but same stupid as pre-ECT).

I had ect at the same hospital you were probably at. I had a lot of memory loss but it did help pull me out of a depressions

My insurance doesn’t cover the TMS and I thought it would. I’m back to square one as I’m not going back in the hospital right now after I’ve missed a month of time with my kids in the last month and a half. I just want to scream. I guess it’s just as well because if I had agreed to ECT while I was IP, they would have kept me for another 2 or 3 weeks to do the treatments.

I might of had some of those and it helped with my depression for about 4 or 5 months.

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I did not know that I suffered from a closed head injury from being ran over by a drunk driver.

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It was 40 years ago so maybe they have more info now than they did back then. My doctors at that time were pretty conservative.