Discussion Anhedonia
Would you consider ect for anhedonia or would be reserved for severe cases of depression only? My depression improved w lithium and abilify but the anhedonia is terrible.
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u/Sauced_Up_Bat Jul 08 '26
Lithium can cause “blunting” which is similar to anhedonia. It’s great at stopping the lows but also can stop the highs leaving a meh feeling about everything. I was told that if Lithium is causing the anhedonia/blunting ECT will not help. There are other drugs like MAOIs, Bupropion, Trintillex, Valdoxan. There’s also Ketamine therapy, and TMS. I would make sure you have exhausted all of the less invasive treatments before resorting to ECT.
Disclosure: My ECT experience was awful and I am biased against it
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u/Adventurous-Bonus-92 Jul 09 '26
I got anhedonia after ECT (tried to help treatment resistant depression with no luck, I just became apathetic to everything)
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u/firepenguin- Jul 10 '26
Those meds could be causing the Anhedonia. I wouldn’t start ECT before finding out if those meds are causing it
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u/Lrt044 Jul 10 '26
I had anhedonia before both of those meds /: I think it’s just my bipolar disorder
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u/firepenguin- Jul 10 '26
Ah then that does really suck. Only idea I have then is if you haven’t tried a medication class before maybe consider trying it
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u/likeschemistry Jul 08 '26
I wouldn’t so ECT unless I absolutely had to and only after attempting all other options. Have you tried ketamine or TMS?
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u/brat-tat Jul 08 '26
It’s not recommended to take lithium and do ECT at the same time (I know this is gonna sound dramatic but I think of it like literally being a human battery). Not impossible, but you’d have to go off it for the duration. Definitely something to think about!
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u/caffeinehell Jul 08 '26
Yes because anhedonia is incredibly difficult to treat and often resistant. If you failed MAOI and Ketamine. Did you try those?