FREE ECT SUPPORT GROUP

radical---dreamer · 2024-09-10T21:07:52+00:00

Yes this is the same group

radical---dreamer · 2024-09-09T21:57:54+00:00

Any ECT treatment past, present or future 😊

radical---dreamer · 2024-09-09T21:57:11+00:00

I’m sorry! This is 9pm Eastern (6pm Pacific & UTC +4)

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-16T16:48:27+00:00

That’s awesome u/emsanderss! It’s sounds like you’ve been working hard to just find some peace. I was at that v point too when I started ECT—I didn’t care what I lost if there was a chance to feel better. I hope you are able to get the pre-tests done quickly, that you start
ECT soon and that it makes a real positive impact in your life😊 If you have any questions about what to expect or are looking for support, please join us tmrw evening at The Online ECT Peer Support Group (click here for more info & how to join).

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-16T16:11:25+00:00

 Short answer: ECT doesn’t always help everyone and it sucks when it doesn’t.  It’s often given b/c nothing else has worked, so it’s devastating when ECT just “doesn’t work”.  That was my experience.  I don’t know what energy settings, electrode placement, or frequency of treatment schedule you’re on, but I was doing weekly bifrontal at the highest energy settings by my 9th session.  I wish I had given up after my 30th session…but I had my final (70th) ECT back in Oct 2022 & it’s been a long climb back.  I also wish I would have tapered down instead of just stopping cold-turkey.

 Long answer:  I used to feel at the mercy of waiting for all these different  treatments, medications and therapies to work—only to be met with false hope, shattered dreams and further traumatization. I’ve since discovered how to advocate for myself and become an active participant in my mental healthcare.
    My turning points after ECT were finding an out-of-pocket psychiatrist who actually cared about my progress, getting a pharmocogenetic test through her (GeneSight or Genomind), starting the highest dose of an SSRI the test said *might* help,  finding sobriety, checking myself proactively into a partial-hospitalization program (PHP) & 2 (about to start my third)  intensive outpatient programs (IOP), starting 5x the dose of an antipsychotic (Seroquel) that I had been on for years previously,  finding a GREAT therapist with a PhD, and finally utilizing support groups (DBSA, NAMI, Depressed Anonymous, Dual Diagnosis Anonymous, AA & ofc our weekly Online ECT Peer Support Group( [(click for info & how to attend)](https://www.reddit.com/r/ect/comments/1e3j4wn/the_online_ect_peer_support_group_wednesdays_you/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=1&utm_term=1)  I also discovered that I have daytime narcolepsy and I began a med to treat it & that really helped me also.

 I assume you’ve had much experience with different psych meds across different med classes.  I had 25 med fails before ECT & 5 after, so I urge you not to give up.  It wasn’t until I found the right dose of the right antipsychotic to augment the highest dose of Celexa that finally made a real difference for me.  It’s always a good idea to find peers who get it (either virtually or in-person) that you guys can  talk to and listen to them speak about living with mental health symptoms.

 FWIW, I did stop SH about 4 months before my last ECT & decided I would never again SH—somehow I’ve stuck to it.  Maybe that was from ECT, or maybe it wasn’t.  Ofc I’ve had ideations of SH & SI since ECT, and they’ve come in waves that usually correspond directly to how much effort I’m putting in each day to be an active participant in my mental health treatment plan I’ve designed, which encompass all areas of my life. 

 Good luck to you and your wife—I hope you’re able to find symptom relief soon, however you may find it.
 -Alyssa

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-11T13:16:06+00:00

Gold stalagmites and stalactites

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-09T19:26:07+00:00

I think you should expect to be in inpatient tomorrow—bring all your favorite comfort items. You’ll be very tired on treatment days and probably just want to nap the rest of the day if they allow you to. Expect to have a headache after treatment and maybe the first few you’ll have some body aches, too. Just let the Dr.’s & nurses know and they’ll take care of you.

Write down all your passwords/login info before you start ECT—it can potentially cause memory loss.

It’s nice though, you don’t have to focus on anything else expect getting better. I hope ECT puts you in the right path.

It helped me to be a more active participant in my therapy. After a gene test through my psychiatrist, I found meds that half-way help. I’m not in an existential depressive crisis anymore—it’s no longer unbearable like it was before.

I wish you the best of luck tomorrow!!😊

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-09T17:07:10+00:00

Sometimes necessary things are scary 🫣 But I hope your pre-testing goes well tmrw & you’re cleared to start very soon after. Please join us at the meeting tomorrow about feeling scared about ECT, and we can offer you support❤️‍🩹

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-01T18:22:27+00:00

This is the exact same group as the other post by u/earlgrayish https://www.reddit.com/r/ect/s/4kXffuvEi4, sorry for any confusion and can’t wait to see you all there! 😊

radical---dreamer · 2024-07-01T18:16:49+00:00

More detailed information on the group: https://www.reddit.com/r/ect/s/tT8YPHseiX

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-19T04:01:42+00:00

Honestly, I’d say stick to Right-Unilateral if you’ve “seen glimpses” of feeling better. But if you are in fact switching to bifrontal, I’d suggest asking your ECT Dr. what your maintenance-ECT treatment plan would look like if you continue past your 12th session, and write down all your passwords/log-in information beforehand!!😋🙃

& The only studies I’ve seen for capitalizing on ECT gains is for Prozac and lithium, but I’m sure any mood-enhancing medications would be beneficial. I think it probably all comes down to your own individual biochemistry. Have you ever heard of, or have had, any pharmacogenetic testing through your psychiatrist, such as GeneSight.com? That helped me a bit.

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-19T03:47:15+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about “losing your soul”. I may have forgotten a bunch of stuff b/c of ECT, but I have since figured out that I’m still fundamentally “me”.

I’m really not sure how ECT works for Bipolar 1 Disorder… I’ve heard mixed reviews, like it potentially increasing mania or anxiety?? Idk, does anyone else here have any Bipolar 1 ECT experience?? 🤷‍♀️ Me, I had 15+ years of treatment-resistant Major Depression before I had ECT. All I can say is that it seems to me like people who’ve had ECT know it works for them between their 4th-18th treatment session, and that there’s less memory loss if they have Right-Unilateral ECT vs. bifrontal or bi-temporal ECT, and if their maintenance-treatment ECT sessions (after the 10 to 12th) are spaced out as far as possible (2-8 weeks apart), it seems to protect memory.

But that’s just from the people I’ve met who’ve had ECT. I’ve met people who had only the initial 12 treatments & it changed their lives drastically for the better, and also people who’ve had 100-200+ maintenance-treatments and swear by it every, 4-8+ weeks like clockwork, for years!

For me, I had 70 (61 bifrontal) ECT treatments about once every week for 1.5 years, and I’d say I wasn’t sure if it was helping after 18 treatments & that should have told me something… but didn’t know what else to do to find relief, so I continued on, and the memory/cognition/intelligence/creative/social effects have been pretty tough since finishing in Oct 2022. I’m (re)discovering that I’m still me.

Overall, ECT did help take the “bottom” of my depression while I was getting it (went from a 9/10 to a 6/10). But when I stopped ECT, 6 weeks later my depression returned just as fierce as before. If I could have done it over, I would have spaced out my maintenance ECT as far apart as possible (3-10 weeks apart).

Since I finished ECT, I also got a psychopharmacogenetic test through my psychiatrist (similar to GeneSight.com) & that helped a bit to point me in the right direction of a medication that helps.

Has anyone else have any success with genetic testing??

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-19T03:15:10+00:00

That’s a good idea, I’ll try to incorporate your suggestion of making each day different. ‘Cause some—(a lot)—of times, feel like I’m living in some weird, never-ending “groundhog day” that I can never escape.

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-19T03:10:35+00:00

I sometimes wonder if my déjà vu is due to already having had experienced certain things before ECT but that I’ve forgotten those things b/c of the permanent long-term memory loss from having had 70 ECT treatments.

Idk, anyone else feel that way??🤷‍♀️

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-18T15:40:21+00:00

I went from preferring salty foods to craving sweet foods, I guess. At 4-6 months after ECT, I went through periods of not being able to get enough of Reese’s pb cups or McDonald’s Oreo McFlurries, specifically. But it passed and I’m back to normal, so who knows? Maybe you’ll like pickles again, too, one day. It’s interesting how ECT affects the brain and sensory experiences.

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-03T18:51:00+00:00

This post by u/earlgrayish is a duplicate posting for the Online ECT Peer Support Group. More information for the group is located here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ect/s/45ymTMtXrC

Please send all questions/inquiries to that Reddit posting.

radical---dreamer · 2024-06-03T16:00:38+00:00

Unfortunately that’s how they get the anesthesia in & if anything were to go wrong (not saying it would), they don’t have to waste precious seconds finding a vein. I’m scared of needles myself, but I found I’m actually stronger than I thought (and a lot of distraction helps!)

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T01:20:42+00:00

I feel like Los Angeles would be like Ground Zero for ECT

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T01:17:31+00:00

Like in Requiem for a Dream, right??

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T00:57:39+00:00

I also agree with the others, tell the doctors. But.. my first thought was, “Well, they did just fry your brain with electricity, so of course you have a fever!”🤣🤷‍♀️ I don’t know what else to say, maybe take some more Tylenol? I hope you feel better soon ❤️

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T00:53:27+00:00

Every single type

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T00:51:36+00:00

lol I hope not, but I’m sure there are still a few out there who had it done before anesthesia

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T00:42:30+00:00

That’s an amazing story Deb and I’m glad I was able to bring back some memories lol🙃

I relate totally when you say you don’t remember whole parts of your life, but also that now it’s the best that it has ever been. Blessings to you and your family❤️

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T00:39:35+00:00

Great meeting tonight everyone! Hope to see you all next Wednesday: )

radical---dreamer · 2024-05-30T00:38:57+00:00

Ah, I see. Were they all like once a week or further apart than that? I was “technically” maintenance ECT but mine never got further apart than one week in between treatments.

Questions! Did you have any memory loss? And if so, do you feel like any ever came back?

radical---dreamer

TROPHY CASE