Posted by ed_uk2010 on February 4, 2012, at 7:54:13
In reply to pdoc mentioned ECT today :(, posted by Roslynn on February 3, 2012, at 15:20:53
>I thought I had a couple more medication options to try before ECT.
In general...
ECT appears to have a reasonable success rate for severe acute depressive episodes, with or without depressive delusions. Although ECT can provide short-term relief in some cases, there is obviously a risk of adverse effects and the relapse rate (after treatment has ended) is fairly high.
ECT is not often appropriate as a long-term treatment. A small number of patients have 'maintenance ECT' ie. regular ECT sessions over a long period of time to prevent relapse after the initial course of ECT. The safety and efficacy of this type of ECT is less clear, and it is hardly used at all in Europe.
So, most patient who have ECT will need medication after the ECT to prevent relapse. If you are in a crisis, it might be something to consider to get you out of a black hole. If you have other med options still to try and your depression is not so severe than you are at crisis point, I would go with the meds for now. As you mentioned, an MAOI could be appropriate, and is certainly worth discussing with your pdoc.
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:1009180
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120202/msgs/1009269.html