Posted by Nohope on August 22, 2003, at 3:43:25
This is my third and (unfortunately) probably final report on my ECT experience.
Had treatment #6 today; both this and the previous one were bilateral, since I wasn't responding to unilateral treatments.
Got a very nice result from treatment #5 (first bilateral) - I felt really *well* for the first time in many years. Unfortunately, the feeling only lasted 1.5 days, and I was very depressed and anxious by next treatment. After treatment #6: nothing. No antidepressant effect at all, just felt very depressed and anxious again.
Both myself and my pdoc are very surprised. We both expected I would respond quickly. Finally I found a treatment that didn't have unbearable side effects - but no 'effects' either, for that matter.
To be honest I am pretty devastated - too depressed to eat even. I was looking forward to feeling well again for the first time in more than a decade. Since I am not insured, I probably won't invest any more money in the treatments, since they are very expensive (I'd been saving for a while).
My pdoc seems to be unsure of what to do next, since we have tried virtually everything. Buprenorphine seems to get a fair amount of press on this board. Could someone knowledgeable (sp?) please describe the effects and side effects of this drug to me? I have not tried it - seems to be one of the very few I haven't.
To anyone else considering ECT: I hope it works for you. I had a taste of success for 1.5 days, and it was very sweet.
poster:Nohope
thread:253010
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/253010.html