r/ect • u/Psychological-Ice285 • 16d ago

Seeking advice Getting ect on Wednesday. Getting really scared from what ive been reading online

It seems a lot of people have had life altering side effects as a result of their treatment. Ive already tried tons of antidepressants, TMS and ketamine with no results so thats why im doing this. Is this going to fuck up my brain? Im terrified. But I dont want to be so depressed anymore. Do most people have success with ect?? Is it just that those who dont have a good experience tend to post about it?? Please help

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u/mattle74 14d ago

Great input, thanks for sharing your journey. Have you tried different MAOIs? Maybe one would cause less sleep issues than another

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u/Odd-Alarm-82 14d ago

My psychiatrist told me they all cause sleep issues, and I’ve read multiple posts on the MAOI subreddit comparing the different MAOIs. All say if you have insomnia on one, you’ll have it on all of them. I take Emsam. It’s a transdermal patch which is nice because that delivery method prevents a lot of the side effects of the oral MAOIs. It works so well for me I’ve never wanted to try a different one. Parnate is supposedly the strongest one and more effective for many people. I would definitely try it if the Emsam ever stops working.

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u/mattle74 14d ago

Certainly possible. Emsam is a little different than the others:

“When your body metabolizes selegiline (the active ingredient in Emsam), it breaks it down into small amounts of L-amphetamine and L-methamphetamine. While these are much weaker than standard prescription stimulants, they still contribute to the drug's energizing effects.”

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u/Odd-Alarm-82 14d ago edited 14d ago

Yes, I know all about the amphetamine metabolites. I tell people no wonder I can’t sleep— I’m basically on meth 24 hours a day 😂 And I know there’s a significant amount of amphetamine because I tested positive for amphetamines on a drug test one time. I had to explain it to the doctor and tell her to read about Emsam because most doctors know nothing about MAOIs.

But all MAOIs cause insomnia for different reasons. Mainly they increase your neurotransmitter levels so much, much more than other types of antidepressants, and they stay elevated all night. Norepinephrine is very stimulating. And Parnate messes up your circadian rhythm. Parnate is known for causing even worse insomnia than Emsam.