Posted by phoeb on April 8, 2004, at 15:57:38
In reply to Re: My ECT experience's » Mags, posted by Phil on May 7, 2002, at 19:30:29
I really don't mean to scare anyone; this is just a warning to consider if you're thinking about getting ECT.
I experienced several negative effects of ECT without any improvement.
One was that when I woke up from the anesthetic I felt extremely anxious and in general felt worse all day.
The most damaging thing was that I lost about four years of memory. It's almost completely gone except for a few very important events like my wedding, thank goodness. But last May (had the treatments Nov/Dec) I went with my family to Mexico. The year before we had gone to the exact same place, same condo, same restaurants, same staff, etc. I was freaked out when I realized that none of it even rang a bell in the slightest. It was exactly like I was there for the first time. I also don't recognize some people I've known well in the past, which can be very embarrassing. I've also lost the memory of certain important events in my childhood. Any book I read in the past several years, if I re-read it, is exactly like I'm reading it for the first time.
I'm pretty sure that this much memory loss is rare, but it does happen. I know a woman who had ECT who doesn't remember the births of any of her three children.
Don't get me wrong; ECT can be very effective for some people. But I think people should know of the risks, which they don't tell you beforehand.
What would I have done differently? I definitely would have tried an MAOI before ECT. Nardil was considered a last resort, even after ECT. Nardil made the difference. I am completely a-symptomatic now. I'm on nortrypteline and lamictal too.
So don't let your doctor tell you s/he won't prescribe a MAOI and that you should try ECT first. ECT is much more invasive, more risky in terms of brain damage (causing memory loss), and MAOIs are often more effective than other types of drugs, both for atypical and melancholic depressions (Mine is melancholic with severe psychic pain and anxiety but no lethargy or lack of motivation).
poster:phoeb
thread:105268
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040407/msgs/334182.html