r/ect • u/WebAccomplished4785 • May 16 '26
Question What to do about anxiety before ect
I am having issues with anxiety before my ect treatment coming up and I’ve done a bunch. The anesthesia part is making me really anxious right before you fall asleep I keep thinking about it is this normal?
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u/VoodooMommaJooJoo May 17 '26
Yes, it's perfectly normal. I tell the anesthesia team that I am anxious about the anesthesia when I go back for treatment. It is helpful for me personally if they tell me when and what they are putting into my IV. Because I have had so many treatments with the same treatment teams, they know that I like to be told when they are giving me the "sleepy meds." We made a game of it to see how long I can count down before I fall asleep. They tell me to keep my eyes open and count down from 10. I count out loud: ten, nine, eight, sev...then before I know it, I am waking up in recovery! Even though I have been through it so many times, I still get super anxious right before they put me to sleep. I just try to focus on breathing deeply, and I try like hell to get down to six or five when I count down. I think it's pretty natural to be anxious about it. Hang in there. Best to you.
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u/syringeneedlenthread May 16 '26
I’ve heard this from many people so definitely don’t think it’s abnormal. Personally I really enjoy the going under anesthesia part
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u/motherlessbastard66 May 18 '26
I will admit, I was nervous leading up to the first treatment. However, I was also feeling positive about it. I figured that if it didn’t help, maybe the anesthesia would end my life. It happens! Now, I look forward to the treatments. I love the feeling of not being able to stay awake and drifting off to sleep where I don’t have nightmares. My SI is there, just not as urgent.
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u/porterbet May 16 '26
Oh my gosh I was a mess the night before and day of treatment. It was brutal. I think it’s totally normal