The most extreme treatment for any bipolar must be ECT. It’s that last-ditch effort to get someone back on track. The brain reboot. How they ever came up with the idea of shocking the shit out of someone’s head to fix them is beyond me, and how it works is even more mysterious. Well I am just about to that point. Dr. Drugs is trying one more drug on me, Latuda (Got an attituda? Try Latuda.). This is my last chance to pull my head out of my ass and stop obsessing about ending it all in the garage. I have this terrible aversion to hurting my family like that so I’m willing to try pretty much anything to keep from killing myself. But, what if pressing Ctrl-Alt-Delete on my skull doesn’t work? This is what really scares me. Plus, the treatment is three times per week under general anesthesia. I don’t think I could work while having these treatments, which brings its own set of anxieties. On the plus side, I think it might really do wonders for my hairstyle, which has been flat and boring for a long time. A straight-up-pointing frizz a la Billy Idol might be quite flattering. Also, I think it might really accentuate my eyes to have them bulge out like golf balls. Ah well, a day in the life of a bipolar….stop by and throw me a comment if you’ve had ect, will ya? Peaches.
I have been taking Latuda for awhile now and am not sure of its effects. I am currently taking a total of ten meds so I would say it just blended in with the rest, but perhaps it gave me the “whatever” attitude I have been experiencing lately. Not sure if that helps. My Pdoc is not to hip on ECT, but has talked about about Ketamine infusion as a possible alternative to ECT as a reboot. I have looked for others to comment on the infusion effects.
Ketmine infusion??? I haven’t heard of this. Oh I guess I heard of people taking ketamine before. I thought it was for fun. Shit nothing is fun any more. Maybe a little Vitamin K is just what the doctor ordered!! I’d rather do that than have my brains sizzled. If you try it PLEASE let me know at bipolaronfire@gmail.com. Thank you.
I had a friend who was doing it, and now I can’t remember her blog url. *grumps* I seem to recall it worked in the short term, but… I hope it helps though, I do. ❤
I am also going for a HRT consult, this may be a piece of my puzzle. We’ll see. I haven’t committed to it yet.
I’ve never personally had it since it’s not a very favourable practice but I know a person who did and they said the first session isn’t so bad, headaches and a little dizziness but then after a few sessions memory loss kicked in and she had to get someone to drive her home and she’d forget where the shops are or forget her way home from the shops and so she had to have someone around basically at all times and a lot of family on speed dial but she did it and got a lot better and the memory issues got better and in the long term it seemed the best thing.
Yeah those are my worries. The treatments are three times a week for three weeks to start and you can’t drive !!!!!!! for all that time and you have to have someone with you for 24 hours after the treatment which means I’d have to stay with someone since I live alone. I REALLY value my independence so this is a HUGE commitment that hopefully I don’t have to make. I’m feeling a little better now, hopefully it lasts.
I hope it does too, I don’t know if this’ll help but here is a link to people’s opinions and experiences to it (http://fuckyeahbipolarowl.tumblr.com/post/53883948928/electroconvulsive-therapy#notes-container).
Ultimately it’s your choice but I thinking looking at long term (years rather than weeks and months) would be the best bet.
You are such a wise young woman. You must be an old soul.
Yes, my soul is actually 107 years old. I just forgot to mention it 😉
I was thinking 135, close! 😀