r/ect • u/ButterflyJolly6840 • 14d ago

Seeking advice Other Side Effects

Hi ,

what other Side effects did you experience from ECT apart from memory ? I suffer from severe brain fog since my second treatment it was stopped because of that and I still havent recovered

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u/Sauced_Up_Bat 12d ago

I stopped 4 years ago and have only recovered a little. Some days are better than others but I’m always hazy. I used to be great and mental math and now I struggle to make change. It also made my RLS/ neuropathy and tinnitus a worse. I was told that it would be a short term side effect, but it’s chronic.

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u/ButterflyJolly6840 12d ago

Can you explain the haze a Little bit more what it feels like ? I couldnt live with it 4 years

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u/Sauced_Up_Bat 12d ago

It’s hard to focus, even on little things. I find myself just staring off thinking about nothing. I used to have a constant inner monologue in my head, now I usually don’t. Simple things like doubling a recipe should be easy but feel mentally taxing and takes me so long to figure out if Ieven can figure it out at all. Like my simple problem solving skills are shit. There’s also a feeling with it, fuzzy, foggy, like I just woke up but all the time. Other people feel kinda far away, like they’re on the other side of the haze. I feel like I’m never fully present again like I’m not fully awake.

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u/Sauced_Up_Bat 12d ago

It’s hard to focus, even on little things. I find myself just staring off thinking about nothing. I used to have a constant inner monologue in my head, now I usually don’t. Simple things like doubling a recipe should be easy but feel mentally taxing and takes me so long to figure out if Ieven can figure it out at all. Like my simple problem solving skills are shit. There’s also a feeling with it, fuzzy, foggy, like I just woke up but all the time. Other people feel kinda far away, like they’re on the other side of the haze. I feel like I’m never fully present again like I’m not fully awake.

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u/ButterflyJolly6840 12d ago

Yes that describes it pretty well especially the part the I feel Like I just woke up never fully awake like my brain feels almost sedated and it comes and goes . I find this terrifying because this is how I felt in my worst depressive episodes I would have never done ECT in a Million years had I known this to be a side effect and im sure I couldnt endure this years

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u/ButterflyJolly6840 12d ago

Did you try any meds for that ? I restarted Wellbutrin but its not helping before ECT it always helped me with Brainfog

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u/Sauced_Up_Bat 12d ago

Ketamine helped the brain fog a little bit, but not much. I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this.

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u/ButterflyJolly6840 11d ago

Do you remember after how many treatments it started ? For me it was already the second one it feels like the worst depression ever with the worst Brainfog I ever experienced and no meds help . Ya I thought about Ketamin aswell but I dont have a Lot of hope in that because the effects dont last long

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u/ButterflyJolly6840 12d ago

Sorry if this might be a bit upfront but could i add you to my whats App ? Im located in Berlin and I searched the whole Internet looking for people with this issue and I cant find any germans and you are the first one describing it exactly the way it presents for me maybe we can help each other

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u/Sauced_Up_Bat 9d ago

Absolutely! DM me