has anybody had electroconvulsive therapy

[lowT]

I have been suffering with anxiety and depression for 2 years now, main symptoms are chronic nausea, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and dizziness/light headedness.
I have been tried on about 10 different anti depressants which cause intolerable side effects and the 2 that i could tolerate in small doses had no effect, i asked my doctor about electroconvulsive therapy but he refuses to entertain this idea as he sais i am not sick enough.
I have been out of work for a year now and see no light at the end of the tunnel.

Has anybody had ECT and what were your experiences.

[lowT]

No luck yet although i did have 3 good days in the last week not back to the way i used to feel but better than i've felt for quite a while, but unfortunately i woke up feeling nauseous and anxious 2 days ago and have felt sick again ever since.

[lowT]

Has your husband seen an ear nose and throat specialist? his episodes of severe vertigo and nausea sound a lot like Menieres disease which is what they think may be contributing to my symptoms, i have seen an audiologist who sais i dont have it, an ENT who sais the same and another ENT who thinks i might have it.
I personally dont think i have it as my diziness/lightheadedness is mild and pretty much constant where Menieres is severe and comes in bouts with the world spinning around you, my nausea is also constant, it varies from mild to severe, in Menieres the nausea and vomiting usually subsides when the vertigo does.

[Hensley258]

Sorry. Perhaps I misinterpereted your post.

About the BPPV.....I wish. Was already checked and treated for that a few times.

My Vertigo is severe and continues to be a life limiting factor for me. Don't ask my Neurologist because he has no clue either. It seems to go hand in hand with my depression, so I can only assume that they must be tied together in some way.

I know it's not medication related because even prior to AD treatment I had it and back then (with no AD meds) It was really bad, even worse that now.

It's a big neurological mystery. Wish I could find the answer because it really kick my ***. It always worst while walking or running.

[jo929]

I did not mean that the ect was cruel i was talking about the water shock treatment i do know just how the ECT are given, i do know they do not suffer while being given ECT. I do know many people that have had them and i do know that a lot have had a memory loss, yes some people do benifit from ECT, but then again if you notice i said some do not  i do not approve of water shock treatment that is an old treatment indeed yes i have been right there when the ECT was given i was just making a statement about ECT sorry if some people call it poppycock also hensley i do not care for old movies have you been checked for BPPV Benign Paroxsmal Positional Vertigo it is caused by the inner ear and it takes 2 sessions it can vcause nausea vertigo mjust trying to help sorry if i offended anyone im out of here now  luck  jo

[Hensley258]

I noticed that you also have some of the same unusual symptoms I get from my Depression. I also get chronic nausea, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and dizziness/light headedness.

The worse my depression is, the worse the above symptoms are. Most people with severe Depression can not relate to my symptoms of nausea, vertigo, and light headed ness. Nice to hear from someone that is experiencing the same symptoms.

Mine are so bad that I spent a lot of time and money with Neurologists trying to understand why I suffer these symptoms. They couldn't find any logical reason for this and I still suffer from these symptoms to this day.

When and if I happen to get lucky enough to hit on an AD med combination that works for me then the symptoms go away.

There must be some connection to this vertigo and Nausea that is somehow connected to our Cronic resistant depression and anxiety, but it's a mystery to all of Psychiatric science.

Just wanted you to know that I do totally relate to your symptoms.

Have you tried Nortriptilyne yet? It worked for me pretty good for about 18 months and the side effects were pretty easy.

P.S. Don't get freaked out by the comment that other person posted regarding ECT and how they "give nothing but shock or cold water tratments very cruel indeed."

That's old school PoppyCock. It's not like that at all anymore and it wont "burnout or fry your brain."

Someones been watching too many old movies. This is not anything close to what ECT actually is, nor is it cruel and painful. Rltz has had ECT before and she said it's not like some mid-evil torture from the 1950's such as many people imagine now days.

I wish others on the forum wouldn't try to scare people like that.  

[jo929]

I have not had ec but have worked 40 year aound people physucal and mental. i have seen many people have ect some it can help, some it hurts after so many the DR and nurses call them burn outs as you know electricity can have an effect some good some bad, some DR will not even consider giving them, before meds came out most people were given nothing but shock or cold water tratments very cruel indeed some DR beleive in them, i myself have seen what they can do to some people so i am against them, but if you are really depressed it  is your decision, the reason being called burnouts they burn the brain to a certain degree Do you see a therapist, and you say you have had this only 2 years something must have started this off try to remember just what started it and going to group therapy may help also keeping busy with the mind and hands can help a lot i am not a nurse ot therapist   i do wish you luck and remember this is just my opinion others may differ from mine    lots luck  jo

[lowT]

Hi there it's been a while i just couldn't be bothered turninig the computer on.
You mentioned you are on parnate, how long does it take to work and what side effects do you get? please dont say nausea.
The MAOI patch is not available in australia according to my psychiatrist.

Excuse my ignorance but what is an internist i have never heard it mentioned down here?

ECT may be out of my reach because the psychiatrist sais it would be very expensive and i dont have private health cover.

I did tell my psychiatrist i am suicidal and he just said, Take your mediaction then.

Have you heard of a device called Alpha-Stim? it supposedly delivers a small electric current into your ear lobes which increases Alpha brain waves, Endorphins and serotonin, it's only just getting mentioned down here but they say it has been used in other countries for years, do you know if it works, how quickly and what side effects?

Sorry for all the questions
Thanks for your thoughts
Lowt

[lowT]

Thanks for your response,
My Psychiatrist has said he has run out of ideas and wants to send me back to the Gastro enterologist who after extensive testing to find the cause of my constant nausea decided it was the anxiety and depression that was causing it.
The medications i have taken are

Zoloft
Paxil
Cipramil
Lexapro
Dothiepin
Effexor
Mirtazapine
Mianserin
Risperdal
valium (which does help somewhat with the anxiety but not the depression)

As for memory loss i wouldnt care if i never remembered the last 2 years, if things dont improve soon memory loss wont be a problem.

[Hensley258]

Hey lowT,

Sorry that your having such a rough time right now. Like rliz, I also suffer from severe refractory depression that is a tough nut to crack with medication.

Unlike your doctor, My Psychiatrist has offered me ECT. This could be because I am a 16 year sufferer and have to keep changing meds because they "poop out" or stop working for me after a year or two.

Regardless, I think your doctor is just trying to "play a smart hand." I commend him for his reservations about reccomending you for ECT.

I know you have been thru a lot of medications, and yes they all have side effects. I take meds and I get side effects too, everyone does.

I'm just putting myself in your doctors head right now and this what I think he or she is thinking...... "Humm, lowT has only suffered Major Depression for 2 years. I realize that he (or she) has tried many meds, but I'm just not out of options yet."

You see what I'm saying. There is a time for ECT, but my friend the side effects from ECT can also be just as bad as the side effects of medication. There are memory issues associated with ECT.

I'm not saying that you should rule out ECT, but I am a firm advocate of it only being done as a last resort simply because it can harm memory.

It's also important to keep in mind that ECT is not effective for everyone. Rltz mentioned that and she knows her stuff when it come to treatment.

Has your doctor tried you on the MAOI patch yet? It is an Antidepressant patch that is designed for people with medication resistant depression like us. It is also in a tablet form, but the problem with the oral tablet is that when MAOI is ingested, then you will have diet restrictions because when MAOI is taken oraly can cause problems (even death) if the wrong foods are taken with it. BUT, this new patch form by-passes the digestive system and by doing so there is no risk of food interaction.

Studies indicate this MAOI patch to be very effective (low side effect) solution to medication resistant patients.

This is my next step should Remeron fail to work for me.

Talk to your doctor about this MAOI patch. It may do the trick.

Also, I don't know what meds you have already tried, but if you haven't tried the Tri-Cyclic and Tetra-cyclic meds, give them a shot because they are more effective than many of the newer SSRI and SNRI meds.