ECT treatment?

@Lostandfoundandlost

Were the drugs you tried all SSRI only? I've heard in some places they won't prescribe SPRI until a patient has tried all the SSRI types and doses but often does work better on some people...which is really unfortunate for the people that end up going through that much to get a med that works for them. I lucked out finding one right away which was escitalopram oxalate. I have read/heard that ECT does seem to work for some people but no experience with it myself. I'm interested to know also if there's all that much effect on memory and other side effects. Hope somebody here knows.

Hi. It seems that no one who has replied so far has actually gone through ECT. But I did. I was in a similar situation in that I had been on so many different medications and nothing seemed to work. I was severely suicidal and desperate for any kind of relief. I then went for ECT. I had 6 treatments in the space of 2 weeks. My memory loss was mainly short term memory loss and I would repeat myself, because I could not remember that I had already said that same thing before. It corrected itself after a few months. I did not have to work at the time, so I am not sure what the effect on my work would have been. But the bad news is that it did absolutely nothing for my depression. I know it does work for some people, but not for all and there is no way of knowing beforehand. I continued seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist and I discovered 7 Cups, learned about acceptance and commitment therapy and made some changes in my life. I had ECT in January 2014. For some the effects can become apparent as early as after the 3rd treatment, but I did not feel better until about a year afterwards and it had nothing to do with ECT. So, you will have to decide for yourself if that is something you want to try. It might work for you; it might not. I sincerely hope you find some relief soon.

I have been doing ect for the past month now getting 3 treatments every week. Ive had depression/bipolar with intense suicidal thoughts for the past 30 something years. You name the anti depressant or mood stabilizer and ive taken it with no success. ECT has been wonderful so far. No more suicidal thoughts. Depression is improved drastically. I was worried about the side effects of ect (memory loss and cognitive funtion) and so far there has been none at all. I remember everything up to the point of falling asleep from the anethesia to waking up (usually about 20 mins). I understand that some people have concerns but this has been the best treatment for my mental health out of everything tried so far. The only downside of the treatment is it doesnt last and maintanence treatments are needed to follow up with. If this is an option for you please consider it. You will thank yourself for doing so.