Posted by sailboat77 on February 2, 2012, at 21:10:08
I should first start by saying that I'm somewhere on the bipolar spectrum (almost always depressed and at times even worse) or have something like treatment-resistant depression. I've tried all the antidepressants, atypical meds, and even ECT. MAOI's (Parnate) has actually helped, but only somewhat. My doctor decided ECT was my best shot considering nothing worked much till then. It's a big commitment though because of the time and especially the money.
Long story short, I'm doing much better --- I would say somewhere in the region between mild improvement and significant/huge improvement in mood.... somewhere in the middle. Remember though, everyone reacts differently. I had ECT for 50min a session, 5 days a week, and about 5 weeks in total.
Your mood improves "very gradually". It can be hard to tell you're even getting better. I didn't really start noticing until 2-3 weeks in. Apparently their are residual benefits, meaning your mood continues to improve even after treatments are done. Because it's so new, the science behind it is still unclear, but my doctor explained it as the strengthening or alteration of the actual neurons, instead of the specific chemical changes antidepressant meds target.
Overall, it was worth it, but it wasn't a silver bullet. I still have to take 40-60mg of Parnate, 200mg of Lamictal, and work with my psychologist on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). **** I never gave CBT as much credit as I do now, considering that I'm actually on a better path; it's vital. Also really important... great doctors who listen and are willing to try new things.
I'm sure some of you may have questions and I'm happy to answer them the best I can. But what I've said already is pretty much the whole picture.
-Best to you all
poster:sailboat77
thread:1009118
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120202/msgs/1009118.html