Has Anyone Else Had ECT

I started ECT again in Aug. ACt first, they worked very well. Then it sort of fizzled out. Last week, I called the hospital and told them I was stopping them. I'm so upset that they didn't keep working. It was my last hope. I had unilateral ultra brief pulse treatments. My memory wasn't affected very much.

Well, as far as memory....I forgot I posted on this thread

Newgal, I was disappointed that I didn't get the same dramatic result after a while. The memory thing is minor. When I had ECT years ago , I had bilateral and my memory did take a hit. I don't really miss what ever it was I forgot. Couldn't have been THAT important. I just wish they'd work for me now as I'm a total slug, dependent on my husband for almost everything. If you have the lose dose (voltage) the memory loss is negligible. Good luck to everyone having ECT.

I wonder if having DID makes a difference when having ECT treatments? Does anyone know?

The way ECT is done its a non triggering procedure. the patient is given a full medical work up and the treatment providers take time to explain the procedure, answer questions, so that the patient is not in a dissociated state of min, everything is done in a calm relaxed non triggering manner, the patient is given anesthesia, an IV and a muscle relaxer, then when the patient is fully relaxed, unconscious the electrodes are placed, and an electrical current given for a designated amount of time and dosage determined by the patients height weight and other parameters, the electrical current causes the patient to have a seizure (the same kind of seizure an epileptic has only its medically induced and controlled,) the whole process only takes about 10 minutes from beginning to end. when the treatment is done patent is brought out of the anesthessia.

those that I know who have had this done say despite the memory loss they feel better, less dissociative because their other associated symptoms of anxiety, depression that were their triggers for dissociating are no longer as severe. other that I know say their dissociative symptoms remained the same. No one that I know has said they have gotten worse. (which falls in line with the statistical data the hospital in my location has for this. that it does not make things worse. either things get better or stay the same because its a non triggering procedure with the patient in an unconscious state, not an aware state where they are at risk of being triggered into dissociating)

but like any other treatment for mental disorders each person reacts their own ways to the same treatment options. to actually know how you would react and how it would affect your own dissociative symptoms you would need to contact your own treatment providers.

I started ECT in Jan. of 2010 and I am currently still doing Maint. every 4 weeks. I have some Memory loss, but have noticed that I am getting back some of my long term back. I have an appointment in April to talk about the possibility of trying TMS. otherwise I will be doing ECT for the rest of my life..

Where I go as an out patient to have treatments, I think it's around $600 per treatment.

I am now going once a week for bilateral higher dose treatments. My husband says he can notice an improvement.

That good effect didn't last long. What's left, after ECT? anything ?? Should I just suck it up and whatever happens, happens?

In my case: clozapine. It has been known to in some cases improve mood. So that's what I'm on now.

I know this is a late post in this thread and I did not read all the replies, but my husband is receiving ECT and here is what I, as his wife, experienced.

My husband received two treatments a week for 6 weeks. We have insurance, so I don't actually know what the cost is. He is now on ECT once a week for 4 weeks, then we go to once a month (I have a call into his Doc about that right now).

He had an increase in the power of the ECT (bi-lateral) on about the 7th ECT. On the 9-10th ECT, he was telling the Doctor "I don't think it is working, but I will keep going". I was there, in the room when my husband said this, and I was stunned, that my husband said this!

When we started the ECT, it was because my husband was not planning to hurt himself, but had thought about it (he told me and his Doc), he could not go to work because of severe panic/anxiety, his depression was in control of all of his thoughts, and I could not go to work because leaving him home caused a total breakdown. Twice during the early ECT time I almost called/took him to the hospital because he could not stop crying and hyper ventilating.

At about the 7th ECT my husband began to "come back" in small bits and pieces. By the 9-10, he was able to go to work two days a week and spend at least one day home, alone, while I got a chance for some "me" time.

So, when I asked him about why he thought the ECT was NOT working, he said, "I don't feel anything happening". I refreshed his memory about what things were like at the beginning of the ECT, and he absolutely does not remember ANYTHING from that time. So, to him, the ECT was not working.

Either time, ECT, or meds have helped my husband onto the road to recovery. It is not a cure, but a treatment and as such it has the bad side effect of memory loss. As his wife, I don't care what he loses of this year, this treatment was an option we chose and it has helped get him back to me faster.

YOU as the receiver of ECT may not feel much at first, but those around you may. And, you may have to come to terms with not remembering how bad things were before you chose ECT. No, it does not work in all cases and memory can be affected. But, there are side effects to each medication taken for depression and those can last a lifetime as well.

I did ect treatments for 2 years at first i was going 3x a week then slowly got down to once a month it helped me when i was going frequently but then it stopped working now i have permanent memory loss so bad i can barely function

Thank you for being so candid in sharing your experiences from living with someone undergoing ECT. I still won't do it because of the memory loss. I hope your husband gets better.

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