ECT and Side Effects

Is nausea a common side effect to ECT? Not just temporay but ongoing ? I had my first treatment on Wednesday and felt nauseous. After getting home I took Zofran which seemed to help. For my second treatment I told the medical staff of the nausea and they then gave me Zofran thru my IV. This time it didn't help. It is now Sunday and I am still feeling nauseous.  I am taking Zofran every 4 hours but it is not helping. Is this a result of the ECT or might there be an underlying cause? I was recently released from the hospital after being treated for Pneumonia and I know that treatment kills all bacteria, even good bacteria. After a month, could this still be a factor? I am reluctant to continue ECT, the nausea is unbearable!

[caregiver222]

I personally would not continue ECT.

There is a school of thought that the practice of ECT should be banned by law.

I am of that opinion.

ECT destroys brain cells. If you destroy enough brain cells depression stops.

Amazing discovery.

[clyons11]

My father almost completed his ECT treatment, but stopped because he couldn't handle the nausea-- something he and my family regretted for a long time. I think you really need to weigh the pros and cons. Things must be pretty serious if you are getting this treatment, so maybe you want to stick it out? Do you know the predicted trajectory of your treatment (for example, I was only about eleven at the time, but I think my father had two weeks left... I'm not sure if that's how the "scheduling" actually works, or works anymore)? ECT is usually a "last resort" kind of treatment nowadays, so you'd need to think carefully about what treatment plan you'd be putting in place instead.

ECT is a very controversial treatment, it's true. It's a little more complicated than it destroys brain cells and thus depression stops. It affects the chemical makeup of your brain. Lobotomies destroyed brain cells and thus muted personalities. They're two very different things. I don't know enough about your situation to advise you whether or not to continue. I think you need to have a serious discussion with your doctor, considering long term potential benefits and the seriousness of the side effects. Many people have trouble tolerating the treatment and if you feel it's too much to take, then by all means stop it. I'm not an advocate of ECT, but my point is simply that in the bigger picture you can't simply write it off as "bad."

[113]

I had 22 treatments of ECT. I had severe headaches and nausea the whole time I was in treatment. You might want to ask for something different for the nausea.