ECT Treatments

[Jikan]

I'm looking for feedback from anyone who has undergone ECT treatments and the effectiveness of those treatments. I'd also be interested in knowling how many treatments you underwent, how long the positive effects lasted(if you had positive effects) and the general feelings of the community about the treatment itself.
I recently underwent a series of 7 treatments over a three week period and have felt a positive effect from those treatments although not as strongly as I would have liked. I also suffered some serious agitation during the sessions.
Amy comments would be appreciated.

Michael

[ILADVOCATE]

I never underwent ECT but I almost had trans cranial magnetic stimulation (it was still experimental at the time, if not I would have undergone it). What do you mean by "agitation"? Do you mean that the procedure was distressing as a person is unconscious during it? Usually when a person wakes up from ECT they feel relaxed but may have some physical uncomfortability. There are some cases where ECT worsens mania so if that's what you mean by "agitation" you should speak to the psychiatrist who administered it more closely. I'll let someone post who underwent the procedure but standard clinical knowledge is its highly effective for about six months and then sometimes has to be performed again. If it didn't work out as you hoped TCMS is now FDA approved and a possibility to ask about.

[Jikan]

By agitation, I meant that after two of the seesions when waking from the anesthesia I had the sensation that I could not breath and seem to recall screaming and flailing my arms and legs while being restrained and comforted by the staff. During my last treatment during wakening, I became extremely distraught crying, sobbing and shaking which seem to last for 30 minutes or so. Since I only have vague memories of the events a lot of my information is derived from my treatment records.
Thanks for your comments.

Michael

[ILADVOCATE]

Oh then it wasn't the ECT in itself that caused the agitation so much as some issue with the anaethesia running out too fast I would believe. That's a highly clinical question as to why that happenned. If you want to know more you might post in the ask a doctor forum. Thanks.