Posted by alexcanada on March 27, 2013, at 21:24:19
In reply to ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY!, posted by Trevpr on March 19, 2013, at 18:17:09
The success rates of ECT are extremely over stated. Just like medications there is zero guarantee that it will specifically work for you. Your odds of significantly improving on ECT are likely no better than another trial of an anti-depressant.
I have been on over 2 dozen medications and the few which helped me the most for severe melancholic depression were Paxil, Parnate, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Gabapentin and possibly Risperidal.
ECT I had several years ago when I felt desperate and was dealing with some terrible doctors at my old hospital. I will always regret it. My memory has been damaged and I suffer from Antero Grade Memory Loss every single day of my life. Difficulty retaining new information. That on top of my deep melancholic depression problems is a world of pain to bare.
Please consider other options. There have been some studies published a few years ago about how ECT can reduce a person's IQ by upwards of 40 points.
Please do not add brain damage to your list of health problems. Do not make the same mistake I did.
> Hey everyone, I'm currently on a trial of Parnate. I promised that I would update everyone with my progress. On day 8-9 on Parnate, I noticed an increase in libido, motivation/desire, and noticed that my moods were no longer dipping. A few days later, the motivational/libidinal effects faded for the most part (and I see this pattern with dosage increases), but my moods are still not dipping down as low, and I guess I feel more social and like things are less of a burden.
>
> Sounds good, right? Moods aren't dipping. That's the point of medication, right? Well, I still don't feel like myself. I still don't feel nearly as GOOD as I used to - like all my emotions are turned WAY down (because of the depression, not because of the Parnate). I can't romantically bond, truly enjoy music, feel a release from crying, deep empathy, etc. I'm too young to be like this! I haven't even gotten married or had kids yet! D:
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> Anyways, that's why I'm thinking about getting ECT in a month or two. Anyone had any experience with it? Did it help you get rid of feelings of "emptiness," "apathy," "emotional numbness," or "feeling flat?" Or did it just numb out your anxiety/agitation? I don't need something that just gets rid of the painful feelings of depression, but something that GIVES ME BACK my capacity to FEEL.
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> Please help! Any info would be appreciated - including advice and/or experiences!! It really sounds scary, but honestly I would have ECT every few weeks and suffer memory/cognitive problems (as long as I wasn't a complete basket case) just to feel completely like myself again!!
poster:alexcanada
thread:1040675
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130322/msgs/1041228.html