Posted by Crotale on June 1, 2008, at 13:16:51
In reply to I'm curious, too, about the effects, posted by Racer on May 31, 2008, at 17:36:09
I'm having ECT (unilateral) at present. Memory loss if any is minimal (I tend to have a sort of cruddy memory anyway!). I have mild headaches the day of treatments, relieved by OTC pain relievers like Advil. That's the only side effect so far as I can tell.
I've only had 7 treatments (my next one's tomorrow) but I really think it's starting to work. I was able to go on a trip out of town this past week, and I had a really good time, better than I've had in ages.
Just about any psychiatric treatment is expensive if you don't have insurance. Medicare covers ECT. Complaining about the cost of ECT is like, I don't know, saying you shouldn't get antivenom if you get bitten by a snake or something because of the cost. If I had a close encounter with a rattlesnake, I'd still rather get the antidote than not!
Yes, some people have bad experiences with ECT, but the 80% figure is accurate. Now, bear in mind that the percentage will be lower for refractory cases of depression (which I suspect is most of us here), but even then, the odds are higher than with most other treatments (more like 50-60%, IIRC).
I should note, too, that ECT is more effective for some types of depression than others. My doc says it's not great for bipolar d/o, for example, or atypical depression, that it's better for "classic" endogenous depression.
Bear in mind, some people have very bad experiences with particular medications, too. For example, I had a dreadful time on Nardil, and later on Cymbalta. But I don't say that these meds are evil or that they should never be tried.
Crotale
poster:Crotale
thread:832202
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080528/msgs/832370.html