Electroconvulsive Therapy

I have bipolar disorder I and am considering talking to my psychiatrist about Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) treatment. this is because I feel that the current combination of anticonvulsants and antipsychotics I'm on isn't working and honestly I'm tired of the rapid cycling. I have read about the success rate of this treatment and how it's the most effective treatment for manic depression. Would you recommend having this discussion? Currently I am on 300 mg Lamictal, 0.5/1mg Clonazepam, and 50mg Seroquel (as needed). I am going to see my psychiatrist this coming week and most likely my dose for Lamictal is going to go up again. I have a family history of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high blood pressure, migraines, Parkinson and Alzheimer. also, my dad suffers from bipolar/depression himself. With this background, is ECT going to be a good option for me?

I would really appreciate your feedback. thank you.

[Singingloonie]

I've just finished my 6th ECT treatment, and I have to say that I'm MUCH better. The memory loss is minimal for me, and well worth the benefits I'm seeing. I was in a suicidal depression, and it snapped me right out of it.

PM me anytime.

[compnet]

I am completely against ECT.

The memory loss can be SEVERE for people.

"It reportedly helps up to 80 percent of severely depressed patients, but opponents of treatment maintain that the relapse rate is high and that there is no proof that ECT remains effective for more than four weeks. A study by Harold A. Sackeim, Ph.D., of the New York State Psychiatric Institute, published in the March 14, 2001, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that without drug treatment afterward, all of the ECT patients participating relapsed within six months and that even with the most effective drug treatment the relapse rate was high."