Posted by Adam on July 6, 1999, at 14:51:14
In reply to Re: What would be right for me?, posted by David K. on July 6, 1999, at 4:17:14
Hey, David,
ECT has its pluses and minuses, just like
everything else. It's a last resort intervention,
IMO. It really made me feel a lot better almost
immediately (I had six treatments, and started to
feel better after about three). But it's certainly
a lot more involved than taking a pill. And for
about three to four weeks my memory was terrible.
There are entire days that I just don't remember
anything that happened, almost as if those days
never occured. If I could have felt like I did
after the ECT indefinitely, I would have been quite
satisfied, but for me the improvement in mood only
lasted a couple of months. Since then it has been
a slow return to a depressive state, and I think
with ECT this is to be expected. It's not a long-
term fix. The idea is to get you stabilized and
onto a good antidepressant ASAP. So if you're
looking into it, I would caution that it's not a
permanent solution by any means, and it's not an
easy treatment to go through. You have to be
anesthetised, and after the treatments I'd say your
memory will be screwed up for at least a couple
weeks if not more. And events right around the
time of your treatments may very well be lost for
good. As good as it made me feel, I'm not hoping
for another course of ECT.
> Adam,
>
> I've been on various meds too, with varying
> degrees of success and side effects. I don't think
> there is such a thing as a happy pill. There is
> such a thing as a anti-sad pill. It is just a matter
> of finding the right one.
>
> BTW, look at the thread at the top of the page. ECT is
> being discussed and I'm the one asking the questions.
> I am considering ECT, and I'd like to know what it
> was like for you.
poster:Adam
thread:8316
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990628/msgs/8345.html