stopping ECT?

[gloeek]

I've been getting ECTs for awhile now, but it's really taking a toll on my memory and I want to stop it. When I went in the hospital they took me off all the benzos that I was heavily addicted to and now I've been clean off all drugs except for my prescriptions and weed since July (I think it was July when I went to the hospital. I may be wrong bc my memory is awful :/) anyways...

My question is how do you stop ECTs? My mom doesn't want me to bc she thinks it "saved my life" and the doctor who does the actual ECT doesn't want me to stop either, but I'm so tired of it. I want my memory to restore itself and I want my cognitive skills to come back. I can't even add small numbers anymore. It sucks. Do I need to taper down off of the ECT treatments or can I just all together stop them?

 

[theartofwar]

I'm sorry things are tough - first of all coming off is in my personal opinion the best thing you can do. My friend had 8 shocks and after that he simply stopped. I do not know by a long shot the correct method - I'm sure your doctor wll have his theory , and then their will be the truth somewhere in between.

You're mom cannot be the one making choices - this is YOUR brain , and YOUR body . You should and can do life without ECT and you are seeing the negative sides now, time to stop.

Do not let any one else dictate your day, let alone your brain !!!!

I truly hope this all works out for you, I know a few people who've gone through ECT and I had ppl try to get me to for 2 years but luckily i was old enough i had the option to say no, and fuck did I ever. My friends who've been through it were in awful places, so was I, so I know things mut've been super rough for you My best wishes to you.

 

[ocean]

glo- I'm glad to see you back around.....though sad you're struggling.

I know you are of age to make your own decisions, but I also know not wanting to disappoint the people in your life. Maybe you should try to clearly explain to the people who are against it, your side of WHY you want to stop.
Ask them to give you a chance without it, if its what you really want
Make a comprimise- If you don't show improvment without ECT, then give it a try again......??
You may also want to discuss this with a Dr. as B Complex or other vitamins may be beneficial.

I hope everything works out for you.. You are such a smart, sweet, and beautiful girl- you deserve nothing but the best

Please keep us posted.

 

[Jabberwocky]

Do I need to taper down off of the ECT treatments or can I just all together stop them?

What does your Doctor say? They have done ect in institutions I was in and usually there was a set regimen like every other day for two weeks then stop and evaluate efficacy and any detrimental effects with a possibility of ordering another regimen if depression recurred or worsened. Its not usually a maintenance treatment where I've been- though if it was the only thing that worked it could be re-initiated a lot.

Fish oil has studies showing it helps with depression, often not enough to be a sole treatment in severe depression but every little bit can help.

Hope things are much better soon.

 

[Lord]

Despite the advances made in recent decades, ECT is very risky. If I'm not mistaken it's more or less an electric shock sent through the brain with slight accuracy. Maybe it's a lot better now than it used to be but there's no denying the serious risks involved with ECT back then and now.

I went through mental impairment when I abused drugs and it was terrible until I just accepted the reality, not to mention a ton of other stuff that you may not have mentioned which we both may have similar experiences with, so I have sympathy for you. Give your brain time to heal once you've stopped.

And, IME, accepting the harsh reality of things, realizing that a huge number of people have basically been screwed over in this life, through financial issues, drug abuse, government-related BS, childhood abuse, etc, but it doesn't mean they can't improve it.
Use what you have learned in this weird life wisely, and with the right mind (which you can still have!) things will SLOWLY come together. People who have abnormal lives learn a lot of interesting stuff that normal people aren't able to understand... if they don't understand it, suggest that you talk about something else which both of you understand.

This has been said over and over, but it's so important: live healthily. It makes everything better later on. I have moderate trouble sleeping, and lately I've been eating a lot less than I usually do. It's hard, but it can be done, and like the snowball effect which happens when we go in a downward spiral of drug abuse or mental illness, there is a drastic snowball effect to being healthy as well. You start exercising... you get healthier. Eat well, even healthier. Sleep well, socialize, study, etc.

Being very healthy is of huge advantage to your mind, body, and life. But it can only be achieved if you are healthy in every, or nearly every way for an extended period of time (which includes abstinence from recreational drug use and ECT). Staying and becoming healthy will also get easier, but only after years, to reverse years or a lifetime of damage. But take it easy of course, start with one thing at a time, and if it really gets too hard to keep going up, a minor boost in health will still provide a minor boost in happiness and quality of life.

I don't know 'how' you should stop though.

My heart goes out to everyone who has gone through any more ECT than was absolutely necessary.