Hi Sam -
My mother was in the hospital last Oct for a month-long series of treatments. They were done MWF mornings. She was in the mental health unit of the hospital and participated in some of their group sessions etc.
The treatments seemed to help her physically almost at once, ie as they were just starting. She came in barely able to stand or walk with assist and almost totally unable to speak. She was also quite depressed at the outset.
Medicare apparently won't pay for ECT done for PD but will pay if done for depression.
So your neuro and your shrink need to collaborate. Apparently it's not uncommon for
a psychiatrist to have done a residency in neuro since the areas do overlap.
Treatment involves a brief period of full anesthesia and therefore fasting from midnight. As I understand it, the current is applied for a very short time (2 min max??), and can be applied unilaterally or bilaterally, with fewer side effects anticipated with unilateral treatment, and bilateral reserved for recalcitrant cases. The usual dangers associated with anesthesia are of course present, and you might want to check the archives for potential drug interactions.
Confusion is a definite but supposed-to-be-temporary side effect. This was true for Mom. Very confused.
That's one reason for the inpatient scenario.
Mom's psychiatrist said she would need a short series of treatments periodically, say every 6-8 wks, to maintain the benefits of the initial long series. She is currently undergoing them, after a nasty battle involving me, the NH, and (peripherally) the shrink --- they just had not been keeping tabs on her condition and ignoring my repeated statements of concern as she regressed and regressed. This time, the treatments are out-patient, which brings its own set of problems, another story. The improvement is dramatic.
One other thing - I read in a web site that ECT benefits are best maintained in conjunction with Clozaril. The NH and its house shrink didn't want to hear about it, saying they'd had too many bad experiences with the elderly on clozaril. The neuro is much more receptive to my concerns and suggestions, so I went to him and asked about clozaril or perhaps zyprexa a newer version. He prescribed zyprexa** and it seems to have really helped Mom's paranoia. The NH is not happy when outside docs contradict theirs, but the next time they complain about it I'm complaining to the state. so there.
** One list member reports horrifying side effects with her Dad.
I'd be glad to answer any questions about our experience or help your docs get in touch with ours. Good luck.
Mary Rack cg for Mom Louise 75/6
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Overland Park KS
