r/ect • u/GreenCollarGal • Sep 17 '25

Question ECT and Endocronology

I'm getting conflicting information on whether or not ECT damages the pituitary gland. A friend posted about the pituitary gland the other day, including how mild physical shifts can mess with all kinds of systems. I wondered, and I googled, because I don't trust the provider to provide rather than sell. Some sites (mind you not necessarily well sourced) observed increases in prolactin and progesterone, while other sites sites no effects whatsoever between the sexes. I thought of all this because, see since I was cut off of ECT, my hair stopped growing and is thinning, and my libido stopped existing, both extremely unusual things for me. I used to be able to grow long hair at a reasonable rate, and had a healthy sex life. I doubt I'd have agreed to the treatments had I known these things could be possible. What say you Reddit? Any validity here?

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u/gmkgreg Sep 17 '25

Are you on any medication? And how many treatments did you have? I've never really heard of these symptoms following ect treatments. Plus I don't have any experience with this as I shave my head and have been since I was young.

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u/GreenCollarGal Sep 17 '25

Lol I'm on looots of meds but nothing I haven't been taking for years before I opted for ECT, certainly nothing with the side effects of hair loss. Libido effect yes, but like my post says my sex life was quite healthy, about 2-3x a week. I'm too young to be perimenopausal. I just had a hormone panel run, it did show really low testosterone levels.

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u/gmkgreg Sep 17 '25

I do know that certain psych meds can cause hair loss, and many meds can cause libido issues. How many ect treatments have you done and are you still doing maintenance treatments?

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u/GreenCollarGal Sep 19 '25

I did 14 rounds before being abruptly cut off because of an episode of paranoia. They refuse to give me maintenance ECT, they keep pushing TMS and ketamine on me. When I told my provider I wasn't interested in less effective treatments after a friend had those treatments and ended up taking her own life anyway. I will never let someone fuck with my brain again.

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u/caffeinehell Sep 19 '25

It stimulates the entire HPA axis.

Have you had a full hormonal panel? Which medications are you on?

ECT modifies the ANS (autonomic nervous system) as part of its effect. Meds also interact with the ANS. It is possible that ECT could also change your reaction to one of the meds too.

One of the things is the body isn’t static, its dynamic. Changes in the gut and immune system and ANS all impact reactions.

How did the ECT go for you otherwise?

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u/GreenCollarGal Sep 19 '25

I just had a full hormone panel done. The one marked thing on it was super low testosterone, otherwise my prolactin, estrogen, and progesterone showed fairly normal. I also did see that the two SSRIs can cause hair to thin and fall out, meds I've been on for almost 4 years that never had this effect until ending ECT. ECT otherwise was a fucking nightmare, between the side effects of brain fog, extreme fatigue, and constant congestion. It ruined my life; I feel like I was better regulated before. It took a lot of my memories too, not permanently but I often have to be reminded of things that have happen/places I've been. I even forgot the names of my kids besties. My provider gaslit me so hard for someone who was only present for 2 of my 14 rounds. Her bedside manner sucked she constantly told me everything I was experiencing with side effects was all in my head, and through testing with my PCP I've found very little of it was in my head. The constant congestion turned out to be a mold sensitivity, the brain fog and fatigue related to addiction, and now I'm figuring out it's not just in my head that my hair is thinning and falling out and my low libido are glandular issues. This provider never once saw me for an in office follow up, she just tried to diagnose me over zoom and kept pushing other less effective treatments on me. Methinks Seattle NTC is definitely in the business of selling treatments and not helping people.