Bipolar Support Group

I'm kind of sick of the whole doctor and pills thing. I have so many bottles in my medicine cabinet I had to move them to a new cupboard. Pills for this and that. Pills for everyday, pills for when I am too happy, pills for when I am too sad, pills for when I am too blah. Nothing works, nothing makes me normal. When I am happy, I know its not me, I know its an episode, I can feel it. I let it ride out a little so I can experience some joy in my life before I take the joy killing pills. Medication doesn't seem to help though. I still get the episodes. The last few months I have been severely depressed, barely left the apartment, if it weren't for the zombie drugs, I would probably just end it. But what's the point of living this way.

I heard about ECT. I am only 25, but it seems so hopeful, like a way out, anyone try it? I can't keep trying pill combos. I want something to live for.

I know multiple people who have had ECT, and many of them (almost all) still take some form of maintenance drugs. It's less complicated than the pre-ECT cocktails, but drugs are still involved. Still, this is an option to discuss with your pdoc, and you should also discuss your feelings of pointlessness and hopelessness towards life.

I woudln't recomend it

One time when i was hospitalized they said i was so depresed meds werent working and they wanted to do ECT on me - at first i was like w/e

then i saw another guy going through ECT, after his second treatment (u need to take like 5 in the course of 2 weeks) but after his second he seemed normal - but if u talk to him he thought it was winter when it was summer, he couldnt remember basic things of the conversation and was just a mess (and this was like more than 24 hours after his last treatment.)

also nowadays when they do ECT, they put u under anesthesia, but that anesthesia combined with the pre-ect meds have a small chance of killing you. (was told this by the doc who was going to administer my ECT, lovely chap)

I know of a number of members have had great success with ECT in terms of their depression and other symptoms. I don't know about their meds regime.

I had ECT way back in the prehistoric days when it was considered barbaric (1970's). ( was about 15 yrs old and profoundly depressed for years and no meds had touched my depression. I was so depressed and vegetative that I was institutionalized. ("Vegetative" is an old fashioned term for symptoms of depression you rarely see anymore because of the advent of the antidepressants.) I had several series of treatments.

I had no negative side effects from my ECT except for the usual, transient short-term memory loss that lasted only slightly longer than the treatments. For example, I would come back from treatments and not remember if I had eaten my breakfast. Or I couldn't tell you the day of the week. I had to be watched when I smoked because I would forget where I put my cigarette. (Those were the glory days when everyone in mental hospitals smoked. lol)

After my ECT treatments my depression miraculously lifted. I was released from the hospital and allowed to go home. I left home at 17, moved across the country, graduated college on a full academic scholarship, and went on to graduate school.

And I did all of this without medication. I did not need any medication again until I was 25 years old.

So sometimes there are instances where people can go without meds after ECT. In my case, I did not need medication again for 10 years.

I had ECT in January of 08. I suffered no ill side effects. I would recommend ECT to anyone. I had no problems. However it did takes about 6 months on maintenance meds to make me feel 100 percent. I think it is good for the depression. Not scary at all. I swear by it. Some people need maintenance ECT, but so far I've been lucky.

Thanks everyone for the information. I am going to go to the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, they have a Mood Disorder Center where they take patients for ECT treatments. I will talk to the doctors and professors there. I will let you all know what they say too.

I've had ECT and I would say it saved my life. No meds were touching my depression. I did have some memory loss, but that is because I had bilateral ECT. Unilateral is supposed to cause less memory loss. It's definitely an option if you think you need it. I would talk to your doctor. It's not the same as it was back in the day. They put you under with a short acting anesthetic, and do the procedure and you wake up a little while later.

Sarah,

How many treatments did you have back in the ice age? And, would you get a touch up today knowing what we know now?

Christian

Hi Christian,

Back in the ice ages we were herded into the ECT room 3 times a week for 2-3 weeks and that was considered a "round" of treatments. After that you had a week or so off. I think I had a couple of "rounds." It was definitely bilateral ECT. I would do it over again in a heartbeat.

I would actually like to have ECT done again now. Meds have not made a very significant impact in my severe depression. However, there is no one in my city that does ECT. It would require significant out-of-town travel and expense.

Sarah,

We have ECT clinics at every corner in Kansas - come here and you'd see why - I am offering you (seriously) a great and safe place to stay and you could even stay with my soon to be ex the physician!