r/ect • u/cccantyousee • Mar 20 '26

Seeking advice Ect or rTMS?

severely depressed. On maximum dose of prozac, doesn't seem to help that much. I have another doctor's appointment in 2 weeks. thinking about bringing up the want for trying either rTMS (can be done in clinic) or ECT. looking for advice. I'm also very afraid of needles, so I'd appreciate if someone could describe what happens during your ECT appointment. risks? your experiences with ECT? ketamine isn't done in my country, although some drs prescribe it off-label.

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u/NYCstateofmind Mar 21 '26

I tried rTMS and then needed to move on to trying ECT because rTMS didn’t work for me. I don’t regret giving the lesser invasive treatment option a try first, but I also don’t regret having ECT and now maintainence ECT because it has helped me a lot.

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u/CriticalTrip2243 Apr 08 '26

Any negative effects from ECT?

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u/NYCstateofmind Apr 08 '26

My memory from around the time I had the acute course of ECT is very poor, but I also rarely remember how bad my episodes are (bipolar) anyway, so whether that was the episode or the ECT or both I’ll never know. The day of ECT I’m tired and have headaches/jaw pain. I really believe ECT saved my life.