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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 0:28:28
Just wanted to share a bit of good news and some relief I feel. I had 22 sessions of ECT this spring, and I have been worrying about the long term consequences. Thankfully I have an interesting way to compare -- last November, I took the GMAT (business school admissions standardized test), and got a 730 and 740. A 740 is 97% percentile (but if you can believe it, still not high enough to guarantee admissions to a top 5 program).
Today, after all of that ECT, the most difficult year of my life, a ton of med trials, and a laundry-list of current meds, I am happy and proud to report that I exceeded last year's score and got a 770 (this is 99.5%+).
Just a single data point, yes, but I was truly worried that ECT had permanently affected my cognitive abilities, but it seems that is not the case.
I am currently on:
Aplenzin (bupropion) 522mg
Zyprexa 5mg
Geodon 60mg
Deprenyl 5mg
Agomelatine 50mg
Lunesta 3mgToday, on test day, I also took 750mg of Aniracetam, 400mg of modafinil and 10mg of adderall IR just before the test, which I do believe helped with mental endurance and reduced distractions.
ECT did toast my memory, but apparently not my reasoning or analytical abilities.
Thanks be to God.
Goodnight,
Uncouth
Posted by SLS on September 18, 2009, at 4:58:09
In reply to Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 0:28:28
I am happy that you did so well on your test. More importantly, I am happy that you are feeling better. Without depression, you can do so many more things - and do them well. My cognitive abilities grow exponentially as I emerge out of depression. It's scary.
How do you know that your memory was affected by the ECT?
I hope your path through life brings you to a wonderful place. Good luck in school.
- Scott
Posted by bleauberry on September 18, 2009, at 5:28:27
In reply to Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 0:28:28
I just wanted to share that my experience post-ECT is similar. Except I don't take any medicines or supplements at this time.
Memory is definitely screwed. Especially in terms of name recall, navigating my way through a cash register at work, learning something new, remembering newly learned things, remembering dates, sometimes getting letters mixed up in a word, forgetting how to spell a simple word, and random difficulty doing a simple math, and stuff like that.
Some of it must be due to neuroborellia, but it was never even a factor until ECT. Prior to ECT, I was straight-A performance in everything.
Anyway, here's the weird part. Thinking through a complex problem...I am extremely sharp. Coming up with solutions...very sharp...such as in a work situation or a person-to-person conflict or just about anything that causes a group of people to stop and say, "Gee, how are we possibly going to fix this?" Seeing the obvious when no one sees it...very sharp. Insight...very sharp. Creativity (music compositiona and improvisation) significantly enhanced.
So it is weird. On one hand, parts of the brain have been weakened horribly while other parts have been dramatically enhanced.
Strange. I want to keep the good stuff, so I'm not complaining there. The negative stuff, well, I learn to live with it. It is a new chapter. What was will never be again.
Posted by linkadge on September 18, 2009, at 6:24:58
In reply to Re: Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by bleauberry on September 18, 2009, at 5:28:27
Sometimes different aspects of memory can go. With unilateral sometimes people maintain perfect memory for facts, language, etc. but say lose the ability to play an instrument or paint etc. (spacial skills).
Linkadge
Posted by Alexanderfromdenmark on September 18, 2009, at 6:48:31
In reply to Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 0:28:28
Did the ECT help your horrible depression?
Posted by Phillipa on September 18, 2009, at 10:51:17
In reply to Re: Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by Alexanderfromdenmark on September 18, 2009, at 6:48:31
Alex I wonder the same thing? What's each persons definition of depression? I could never do any of those things yet don't consider myself depressed just scared and bored? Phillipa
Posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 10:51:47
In reply to Re: Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by Alexanderfromdenmark on September 18, 2009, at 6:48:31
Honestly, since my memory is so screwed up from the time of ECT, including probably 6-9 months prior, I don't even remember if the ECT helped. If it did, it was only very temporarily. I think if anything it simply served as a distraction and something put my hope in when I was suicidal. However, I'm pretty convinced that had I been on the med regime i'm on now a year ago, things wouldn't have gotten so bad as to warrant ECT.
Elements of my memory that have been toasted the most are "the details" in the 6-9 month period surrounding ECT. During those two months, I don't remember anything with any clarity...emails sent, people hung out with, stories told. Only thing I do know is that I regret being so open with my struggles with certain people. I was very, very sick and not thinking straight.
Strangely ECT I think has slightly egatively affected my verbal composition skills, but not my verbal reasoning. The GMAT tests a variety of verbal skills, including reading comprehension, critical (logical) reasoning, and sentence correction. It's an interesting grab bag. I did extraordinarily well on that section, 99%+, but I believe my writing skills have suffered a bit since the ECT.
I cannot ignore the other meds, especially the atypical antipsychotics, bupropion, and modafinil, in helping my general cognitive ability.
Now all I have to do is get into business school. I'm hoping i'm lucker this year than last, with a better score and some better essays. For what its worth, I'm planning on including in one of my essays my struggles with bipolar disorder throughout my twenties. They want honest, heartfelt essays that project who a person really is and what that person finds important. Without striving for sympathy points, I feel I would be remiss in not addressing the life-altering affects of bipolar disorder, and more germane to business school essays, how i've transcended the challenges of illness to achieve what I have achieved, despite the often debilitating pain.
B-schools are notorious for seeking out the extraverted, "over"confident, type-a personalities....but I believe leadership and success can come in many forms and hopefully admissions committees do too.
I may ask anyone interested to read my essays if I do decide to write about mental illness before I submit them, as I so highly value the opinions and experience of people on this board.
Thanks,
Uncouth
Posted by SLS on September 18, 2009, at 11:05:41
In reply to Re: Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 10:51:47
I met someone once who had to retake an entire year of nursing school because ECT had knocked it right out of her head. That is VERY scary.
I really can't tell if my memory suffered from the course of ECT that I was treated with. My memory was so bad to begin with.
- Scott
Posted by Meltingpot on September 20, 2009, at 12:27:49
In reply to Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by uncouth on September 18, 2009, at 0:28:28
That's great news and reassuring, incase I ever manage to persuade somebody to let me try it.
Which medication is helping you the most do you think?
Denise
Posted by uncouth on September 20, 2009, at 13:54:36
In reply to Re: Cognitive performance after ECT, BP2, + Meds, posted by Meltingpot on September 20, 2009, at 12:27:49
Probably Aplenzin (bupropion), but recently the addition of zyprexa did help the suicidal thoughts. Aplenzin is good for motivation and drive and desire -- i actually have libido and desire for romance for the first time in a LONG LONG time. Unfortunately it hasn't worked on mood per se 100%...but I do know that I don't ever want to be on an SSRI again.
I think agomelatine will prove to be very beneficial in the long run, as well.
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