Posted by ALANW on November 29, 2001, at 18:34:36
In reply to Re: PHOENIXGIRL! » PhoenixGirl, posted by Adam on November 28, 2001, at 23:06:49
> Hey, PG,
>
> I'm sorry I missed your reply until now...to answer your < 20 questions:
>
> I got bilateral ECT, a total of 8 treatments over about two weeks. I received my treatments around the beginning of 1999, near the end of January, I think. I was out of the hospital by the end of Feb. I did ECT as an inpatient. To make a long story short, I was actively considering doing myself in, and decided it was time to head for the psych ward at Mass. General, which I fortunately did.
>
> Am I depressed? I don't know! I guess it depends on how you define my condition (being someone who was severely depressed in the past). I seem to be doing quite well presently, and I'm not taking any meds or getting any other kind of treatment. It will take a bit to exlain how I have arrived at this point (to answer your final question), so I apologize if I'm being long-winded:
>
> To be honest, I was pretty ignorant about ECT until I got it. Of course, I had no idea that Psychobabble existed at that time! Anyway, I was in such bad shape by the time I was hospitalized I was pretty much in the mood to let them do whatever they wanted, because I was at the end of my rope, and figured I had nothing to lose. When I responded to the treatments, it was the doctors who were following me who steered me towards other drugs. I think, at that time, I actually wasn't aware of maintainance ECT, and no one really discussed it with me. After getting ECT, I relapsed about a month later. I tried a few drugs, either alone or in combination, but they didn't help. Then I got into a transdermal selegiline study, and responded extremely well to that. So I just continued on selegiline, evetually switching to high-dose oral selegiline once the study was over. That continued for a while until I started having some odd and distressing physical symtoms that seem to be connected somehow with the selegiline. I got off the selegiline so I could get some tests, improved almost immediately, and just never went back on it. My mood has remained good despite the change, and that's where I'm at now.
>
> > Hi Adam. Yes sometimes I've felt kind of weird. It is hard to describe, and it's not a bad feeling, just a weird one. I guess maybe it's because I am so not used to feeling alright, it's like a new experience for me. To me, life equaled suffering, so to not suffer anymore....I just don't know what to make of living in wellness. I hope that I can keep getting maintenance ECT, or whatever treatment to sustain this effect, and eventually feeling good will seem natural and feeling bad will be the unusual feeling. Adam, let's play 20 questions! : When did you get ECT, how many did you get, bilateral or unilateral, are you still depressed, why haven't you done maintenance ECT?
> >
I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO POST FOR TWO WEEKS ON ECT AND TOPAMAX. DOESN'T SEEM TO BE POSTING FOR SOME REASON. HAS ANYONE HAD ECT AND TAKEN TOPAMAX? ALANW
poster:ALANW
thread:84785
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011123/msgs/85551.html