ECT, this is my second time posting this question

[Crystal413]

I need advice and opinions. Has no one had ECT? If so, could you share your experience. It would help me a lot.

[Crystal413]

Thanks so much!

[opus88]

thks for the update.....wow a 3 hr appointment, he sounds like a very thorough and competent pdoc...and they are hard to find, that alone should put you more at ease with your decision
good luck dear, hope an answer is found for you soon((♥))

[Crystal413]

Thank you. Also my appt went well. Met with pdoc for 3 hrs. Before we get started he is going to ck with his Neurology friend about voice issues I am haviing along with jaw and ear pain.  No ear infection. He doesn't want to make jaw worse. He was a terrific pdoc. I will look for Mikes journal.

[opus88]

first of all Crystal good luck with your consult next week:)

I don't have Bp but my 43 y.o. son has and he's on many drugs that so far are controlling this for him

regarding info abt ECT treatments....there was a man named Mike on MH that I friended when I first joined MH...and he journalled all abt his decision and consequently his journey thru the months of ECT treatments. He is no longer on MH but you can find all his posts and journals if you click on this link, its all very informative and not nearly as scary as one has been led to believe. let us know your decision.

http://www.medhelp.org/personal_pages/user/901137

[stormbear]

I'm really sorry to hear that about your meds Crystal , i hope you can find some stability soon . It is very hard to deal with when the symptoms start running wild and continue on . It's just comming into winter here where i am and i've had some mild like rapid moodswings a bit lately it like going from happy to depressed in hour intervals , i'm just glad i mention it to my psych last week and i see her again Monday . I'm on Lithium too , so maybe it's not working on me anymore either , i take seroquel too , it helps me sleep , but doe's not help my paranoia or audio hallucinations. have you tried Lamotrigine or Epilem before ?

[Crystal413]

Thank you so much for your comments. I feel better about having this knowledge. I have taken 1200 mg total of Lithium for about 6 yrs. Doesn't stop the cycling. Have tried every med under the sun. I get manic on antidepressants too. I am extremely med sensitive. They either don't work which was very few or I get the rarest of rare side effects on everything.  I've been in the ER twice for an allergic reaction to (Geodon and Neurotin )Two meds gave me severe tremors of the neck, face and know my voice. My episodes are one after the other with maybe a 3-4 day break in between. I am and have not been stable. I go to therapy too. I take clonazepan too. So yes, I'm at my last resort. I can't live like this any longer, ithe Bipolar has only gotten worse. Thanks to everyone.
I have my ECT consult next week.

[stormbear]

To be honest , i really don't know what to think about ECT , it never really pop's up in conversation very often . I do believe in movies it is portrayed very badly and scary , but i have know idea about the real deal , only what i've been told which was not very detailed information.

[stormbear]

Hi Crystal, I asked about Amanda the woman who i know who had the ECT , And apparently she is doing pretty well and she still see's a case manager each fortnight. And she is also doing some volunteer work at Salvation Army .

[weaver71]

I agree, lobotomy, ECT, meds, therapy, none of it is a joking matter. No method of recovery is right or wrong, it's a matter of what works for the individual. If my no-meds efforts don't work, I think I will look into ECT. I am actually looking for a new doctor who can help me with nutritional therapy, but they are hard to find. From the research I've done, ECT seems to have less side effects and is proven more effective than meds for many, though I haven't met anyone personally to try it. Memory loss is a problem on meds for some people. Suicidal tendencies are a warning on many anti-depressants, but nobody jokes about that. I think doctor's opinions and ideas often come from their professors and schools, not from science. The same doctor who made that comment said, "well, there is no reason to keep seeing me if you don't want to take meds." It is difficult to get info on any kind of BP therapy, other than meds. I hope that changes with new discoveries and the opening of people's minds.

[persephonedemeter]

I'm also a little disturbed about the lobotomy comment by a doctor. There are people running around and performing jobs very well with a lobotomy and they are thinking very well. Laughing about it on top of that just makes that comment even more insensitive, There are people out there who aren't perfect or who had to go through radical surgeries or congenital conditions  removing parts, pieces and total organs or body parts.

[persephonedemeter]

Crystal, it may be the short term memory loss people experience with ECT during and at least, 6 months after. It was offered to me early, in my first 2 years, but I refused because I cannot deal with the short term memory loss and would be uncomfortable depending on others, even if it was for a short time.

I know a few people who had it, and it is true that they don't really talk about it, but then, I don't really ask, unless they bring it up themselves. It's nothing like a lobotomy. I am a little taken aback that a psychiatrist actually said that, but people do have their prejudices and opinions.

I have actually seen the procedure twice as an observer 10 years ago and 20 years before that. It is nothing like what is portrayed in horror movies. A lot of care, foresight, and planning goes into making sure it is done without anxiety, fear, pain or whatever. The room lighting is soft, the technician and ECT specialist are calm and very aware of the stigma that goes along with ECT. It only last for seconds, People don't remember anything about it. When I see people finish their treatment, they are still watched and supervised and never left alone, and they are pretty calm afterwards. The voltage is not massive. There is a little convulsion but it is really eased up with medications given and doesn't last long. It's like a small epileptic occurence, and then people just relax afterwards. I have never seen or heard of anyone having emergent treatment in the years that I've seen it. Everyone always comes back walking into the therapy session or when they are picked up by their family member who is driving them home. No one is acting like a walking vegetable. They like things quiet, calm and soft,  and don't really talk very much but I can still carry on a light conversation with them.

I've never seen anyone foaming out of the mouth, convulsing or screaming about going through anything horrific.

I have seen people go theough it during, after, and months down the line, and years after their ECT treatments. It's just like psych drugs. It works for some people and it doesn't work for others. For some people I know who had bad depression, it made them a lot better...in fact, back to normal. i've seen bipolar people go through it, and I've seen mixed results. A couple of people I know did really well, but they also take psych meds like lithium as well. Some didn't have any change at all. one became more depressed, but he also didn't combine with drugs,

A few  got upset easily. A couple had vivid disturbing dreams or went through extreme anxiety when they tried to analyze their own minds, nearly to obsession because they sensed a change but couldn't figure it out or leave it alone, but it dissipated in a few weeks during the later treatments in the series. The 2 people who I saw went through that, I saw years later, and you would never know they had ECT or bad episodes like that. The only times I have seen people upset is when they got upset with something their family members said that was, in my opinion, kind of unreasonable, like going to a movie or taking a long Holiday trip. People generally like to have a routine and stay close to home during and a few months after the treatments. So, having good direct family support is really important.

Shocking people out of ventricular tachycardia and flat lines is more brutal and at a higher voltage than the low voltage given in ECT, but people can be resusitated out of bad situations. We're not talking Frankenstein here.

[weaver71]

By the way, if you do. Medhelp search on ECT, there are quit a few responses of various kinds. From anxiety, bipolar, and depression forums, there are some opinions pro and con. I unturned you tried that, but wanted to mention it. Good luck.

[weaver71]

ECT is considered a last resort, with all the new drugs that came out the last 20 years, I don't think many actually make it through all the drugs. Pharms don't make money on ECT, my theory, few has actually tried this form of therapy because of all the other options. It would take 20 plus years to try all the chemical therapy, so it is difficult to make it to the last resort. My doctor laughs about ECT, equating it with lobotomy, though there is more evidence of it's effectiveness than drug therapy, which has very little evidence in clinical trials. Success is difficult to calculate with a disorder that never goes away completely. Is this something your doctor brought up to you or did you bring it up to your doctor? I have no experience with ECT and know nobody who does. I don't think anyone is avoiding your question, it's simply a hard question to answer.

[Crystal413]

Do you think people are just afraid to talk about having done ECT or maybe people just don't do it so they have nothing to say. This is a pretty big sitte with a lot of people. Someone had to have had it done., I would think. I am dissappointed in the lack of feedback, good or bad at this point. I am running out of time to make an informed decision. I have my consultation next week. I do appreciate your input though. Thanks, Crystal

[Crystal413]

Thanks

[stormbear]

My memory is not great either but it would of been in the later months of last year. She spoke ok , just a bit slower then usual , but i would say myself she was stable , compared to how she was before , she was very manic person  always overly confident and loud , always broke , arguing with people , basically text book mania you know .

I will ask one of our activities counceler's today to see how she is going and i will get back to you ok .

[Crystal413]

Thanks for the response. Do you know how long ago she had ECT. I understand you saw her 2-3 months ago. I was just wondering before that how long ago she had the ECT?  When she seemed space out, could you hold a conversation with her?

[stormbear]

Hi Crystal, I know a woman who had ECT ,i have not seen her for a while though, she has told me  it helped her well though, she used to be very manic almost every time i seen her and medication was of no help for her . She did also mention she has very bad troubles with her memory after ECT, the last time i saw her she seemed kind of spaced out to me , that was 2-3 months ago.

[Crystal413]

If you know anyone, that would be helpful too.