Has anyone used vagas nerve stimulation to treat depression?

Question

HI!
I am one of those fortunate people who is running out of options to treat depression. I have bipolar depression and wonder if Vagas nerve stimulation would be ideal for this condition, if it really works and how long it takes before it works?

Additionally
I do have Bipolar. I have tried just about every med and there are mny I cannot take because the side effects are so terrible. My doctor is now down to Lithium and I really dread it.

Answer 1

Well, Lithium isn't the end of the world. The side effects vary from person to person, so it may be worth a try. You don't say what you have been on, but lamotrigine ha sbeen fantastic for me, and no side effects at all.

There's a board that covers VNS here: http://www.crazyboards.org/forums/index.php?showforum=89 and there's also a very good bipolar section, so you could ask around there, too.

Answer 2

I used to work as a R.N. on a psychiactric unit. I am disabled and can't work any more and now have Chronic Major Depression. Antidepressants have helped a lot but my symptoms are still severe.

My psychiatrist offered me the option of vagus nerve stimulation but for various reasons I chose not to do this.

You can look this treatment up on the internet if you do a Google search on it. Unfortunately, I could only find the information put out by the company that makes the device, so I expect some bias in it.

They say that from their research, that it helps 1/3rd of the people who try it, 2/3rd get no help. If it helps, it may take up to a year for you to experience any improvement. As far as I read, it's not been tried on anyone who has bipolar disorder.

People who have bipolar disorder and are on antidepressants are sometimes taken off of them when they go into a manic phase. This is because that medication can at times make the manic phase worse. The control unit that is surgically implanted under your skin can be turned off with a magnet they give you.

There is much more info on the internet than I can repeat here, so I encourage you to look there.

I doubt that this treatment would be "ideal" for you, but it might help. Are you sure your doctor has tried all the possible medication and combinations of medications available? I think that I would get a 2nd opinion from another psychiatrist before I would try this treatment. The control unit and wire that they surgically put in you can be taken out if it doesn't work, but the thing they put on your vegas nurve has to stay there.

I have mostly talked about the negative aspects of this treatment. That is because the info from the company is written with such a positive spin to it.

It is a difficult dicision, partly because it is such a new procedure and the people that have tried it have no real long term experience with it. I must add, however, that my psychiatrist was very positive about it.

I hope some people who have actually tried this procedure write answers to your question. I hope that something I have written has been helpful.

Answer 3

I would suggest you understand what is involved with vegus nerve enervation... Its function is primarily that of body functions mainly of the alimentary tract. You mention depression but do you also have the manic episodes? Why are the meds not resolving your problem? Is not your doctor aware of this situation? What has he recommended or prescribed for you in place of what you normally have been taking... Lots of questions in need of answers.. perhaps you can get them out of your doctor. Or, find another doctor.

The vegus nerve has nothing to do with the psyche... Used to be the method for treating ulcers of the stomache... Vegotomy was common in the 60' and 70's.

Stimulation of the vegus will also throw the autonomic nervous system out of balance.. Not highly recommended .If that is the logic for this type of treatment, you are inviting other problems other than depression.

Answer 4

I saw an article on Medscape a few months ago about VNS for treatment resistant Unipolar Depression - I think it is still fairly untried - don't know if it is recommended for bipolar.