Anybody had ECT recently

[Juneywoony]

I'm so desperately ill at the moment and a hospital inpatient, they have been changing my meds but no change as yet.

I've got bipolar type 2 and suffer mainly lows but I've not had a bad as low like this since I was 18 and I had ECT then and it totally brought me back to life. I've begged the consultant for ECT but she's not keen as she says we should try meds first and there are strict guide lines for ECT nowdays.

I just can't go on like this anymore, I feel like I'm trapped in a nightmare that I cant wake up from.

Didn't want your post to go unanswered. Sorry to hear that you are unwell and struggling. I have no experience of ECT but just wanted to post to wish you well and that you do recover soon. One day at a time.

My husband has ECT in 2005 and again in 2006. Best thing they ever did and he has never looked back since! Do hope that something works out for you.

Poor you. My dad has had ect many times and it literally saved his life. I hope that you find a peaceful resolution very soon. Thinking of you

I had it in 2007 and it saved my life x

I'm so desperate to feel well again that I feel that ECT is the only thing that will get me out of this horrible dark hole. I don't know why they won't even consider it, I could go on for months like this trying various meds again and again. When I had ECT it was like magic it really worked, I hate the thought of it at the same time and I worry about the risks of loosing long term memory but I've got to the stage now where I can barely function, just washing and dressing is so hard to do, I can't bare the thought of going on like this for any longer.

It's good to hear that other people have positive experiences from it too, why is it seen as such a bad treatment and the last resort.

Do you have a mental health advocate? Someone outside of your care team that you can talk to about this? If you don't have one, maybe see if you can get an advocate. The Mind website might be able to help, or speak to nursing staff.

My dh had ECT last year. It was horrible at the time and he could only stand 4 sessions, but since then he has been better than he has been for a decade, overall.

I think talk again to the consultant. Do you think you could write her a letter? The fact is, whatever the protocol is, you have responded really well to ECT in the past. I think you have a right to hear from her exactly what the protocol is and why meds are being tried at such length before a treatment that is proven to work FOR YOU. Presumably you're not talking about giving up medication as well.

If you don't think you can write a letter like that, could someone write it for you? Can the nurse get hold of an advocate for you, or could the nurse advocate for you?

x-post Selks

No I havnt said I won't take my meds, although I feel I am too heavily medicated at the moment. I'm on 6 different drugs, some of which I am on the maximum dosage. Personally I feel like I should be titrated down on some of the dosages as they maybe making me worse but when I try and mention this in my ward rounds it just gets dismissed. Obviously I don't know the chemistry of how these drugs work but I really feel like they don't either it's all trial and error but ultimately it's me that suffers this and my family. I am going to ask about ECT in my next ward round and find out why they are so against it and what exactly these guidelines are.

Thanks for the posts they are really helpful.

Another thing is that I am benzo dependant and I read that it doesn't work as well when you are as the seizures aren't as strong or something to that effect. Were any of you dependant on benzo's whilst having the treatment?

No dh wasn't. He uses diazepam occasionally, like for a day or two every couple of months.

If the consultant feels it won't work for that reason, then fair enough, but that's not what she said. It sounds like you need to see her again.