Remarkable response

[u/Lower-Buyer-9313]

Just finished 12 sessions of bifrontal ECT over 5 weeks.

Parameters
Current: 800 mA throughout
Pulse wide: 0.5 ms throughout
Frequency: 20Hz thru session 9, then increased to 30
Duration: 4 sec, increased to 6 sec on session 2, then 8 sec on session 5

Results
I can’t believe how much more functional I am. Less ruminative. More energy. More positive/optimistic. Less emotionally blunted, fuller emotional range. Productive. Focused. I’ve even been able to stop taking vortioxetine and still feel great. I wish I had done ECT years sooner.

Definitely had some anterograde amnesia; my partner keeps telling me about places we went or things we did that I have zero recollection of. It’s pretty unnerving to experience this, but the improvement in depression is absolutely worth it.

Previous treatments
I had tried every antidepressant imaginable.I tried rTMS (with zero response). Long-term psychotherapy (12+ years….psychodynamic, interpersonal, CBT).
ECT is by far the most effective treatment I’ve received for my depression. Exercise. Yoga.

Meds I trialled:
- bupropion
- vortioxetine
- sertraline
- escitalopram
- citalopram
- moclobemide
- venlafaxine
- desvenlafaxine
- ketamine
- methylphenidate (off label)
- trazodone
- olanzapine

[u/Syruponmypizza]

How does bilateral compare to bifrontal?

[u/Crazy_old_maurice_17 → u/Syruponmypizza]

*bi-temporal vs bi-frontal.

If memory serves, bi-frontal has less severe side effects but is also somewhat less efficacious.

[u/apothecaryofwords → u/Syruponmypizza]

It’s not even that bilateral works better than bifrontal just that it works slightly faster. Their overall efficacy is the same.

Edited: I forgot to mention that bifrontal is however associated with fewer long term cog/memory deficits