standard-title TMS Results TMS has been proven to be well tolerated and very effective amongst a large majority of patients who undergo treatment, but not everyone responds to TMS Therapy, and those who do respond to treatment do so differently.

TMS Results

TMS has been proven to be well tolerated and very effective amongst a large majority of patients who undergo treatment, but not everyone responds to TMS Therapy, and those who do respond to treatment do so differently.

Benefits Of TMS Therapy

Here are some benefits patients can expect from TMS Therapy when to expect them, and for how long the effects of TMS last. We also talk about what to do if TMS Therapy doesn’t work for you.

TMS Therapy can be a life-changing treatment for patients suffering from the most severe depression symptoms.  Benefits of TMS include:

  • Reduction in the emotional effects of depression
  • Greater control of anxiety issues
  • No big changes in appetite
  • Fewer body aches and pains
  • Prevention of lethargy

In clinical trials, patients treated with TMS reported relief from the emotional effects of depression and experienced improvement in anxiety, changes in appetite, body aches and lack of energy – all physical symptoms of depression.

It is widely observed that patients need 30 to 40 TMS sessions to derive the most benefit in the treatment of their depression symptoms. In clinical trials, 1 in 2 patients achieved significant relief of symptoms after four weeks of treatment and 1 in 3 experience complete remission after six weeks of treatment. Some patients may experience results in less time while others may take longer.

During the course of TMS Therapy, your TMS prescribing psychiatrist should consult with you to evaluate your progress, thus ensuring you receive the most benefits from TMS as soon as possible.

Maintenance TMS is not well studied and opinions vary greatly on its necessity and effectiveness. At this time, there is no solid evidence to support the use of Maintenance TMS once the initial course of treatment is over.  However, many psychiatrists believe that Maintenance TMS sessions can prevent recurrence of symptoms.  Some patients receive regular intermittent treatments after their initial course to alleviate symptoms such as low mood.  These patients report satisfactory results from Maintenance TMS.  TMS prescribing psychiatrists who support Maintenance TMS suggest a frequency of sessions that can range from 1 per week to as little as 1 per month.

It is highly recommended that you talk to your TMS prescribing psychiatrist about Maintenance TMS before starting your initial course.

While TMS Therapy has been proven to be widely effective and well-tolerated, not all patients will respond to this treatment. Recent clinical studies suggest this is the numbers breakdown of who benefits most from TMS Therapy.

  • 50 percent experience significant relief of depressive symptoms.
  • 30 percent experience moderate relief in depressive symptoms.
  • 20 percent experience minimal to no change in depressive symptoms.

Because TMS Therapy is seen as the next step in treatment when antidepressant medications don’t work, there is a lot of correlation between the two.  Here are some findings from recent studies:

  • Patients who have difficulty tolerating multiple medication trials are the same patients who have been shown to respond best to TMS Therapy.
  • In most of the clinical trials which are widely cited in research journals, half of the patients treated with TMS for the study had previously been treated with at least four medications.
  • Efficacy of TMS has not yet been established in patients who have not first received and failed to benefit from less than four attempts at medications.

Side Effects of TMS

TMS Therapy is widely considered to be safe, and there are no long-term or permanent side effects. However, it is important to point out that TMS Therapy is a new treatment, and as such it is important to understand exactly what issues may be encountered, regardless of how minute or remote the possibility.

Scalp Irritation

Mild to moderate scalp irritation and mild headache effect nearly one-half of all patients who receive TMS and usually go away after the first week of treatment. If symptoms do persist after the first two weeks, an over-the-counter analgesic may be taken. If symptoms still persist, the TMS prescribing psychiatrist can reduce the strength of the magnetic field pulses being administered to make treatment more comfortable. Less than 5 percent of patients treated with TMS Therapy discontinued treatment due to side effects.

Seizures

The most serious side effect associated with TMS Therapy is that of seizure. The risk of seizure is amazingly small – 0.1% per treatment course. In fact, this risk is no greater than what has been observed with oral antidepressant medications. However, TMS prescribing psychiatrists and doctors take the risk of seizure very seriously. All patients should expect to go through a screening to test for the presence of medical conditions associated with seizure disorder or epilepsy.

The Dip

The Dip is a possible effect which sometimes happens when the progress of your TMS Therapy is temporarily reversed. Symptoms of The Dip can include a sudden and deepening increase in depression, and it can appear as though there has been an almost complete reversal of progress. For this reason, The Dip can feel very defeating and cause undue stress to a patient undergoing TMS Therapy. However, it is important to remember that these effects are only temporary. People who experience this reversal in progress appear to usually gain it back.

TMS Safety

TMS Therapy was cleared by the FDA in 2008 after a decade of clinical trials. As such, the actual administering of TMS is very precise and well regulated.

Here are some things to keep in mind about TMS safety.

  • Mild scalp irritation and mild headache affects nearly one half of all patients.
  • Concentration and memory problems occur in less than 5 percent of patients.
  • No difficulties in perceiving speech have arisen from TMS in any study to date.
  • There is no evidence to suggest long-term hearing damage.
  • There is no risk of brain tumors from the magnetic pulses of TMS.
  • Risk of seizure from TMS Therapy is very low.

TMS Therapy is always performed by a trained TMS technician under the supervision of a TMS prescribing psychiatrist.  If you experience a side effect, you can ask the monitoring technician to stop a treatment at any time.   Furthermore, your TMS doctor may elect to give you a daily assessment.  Some clinics and offices utilize specialized depression rating scales as a way to monitor progress.

TMS Therapy does not require surgery, anesthesia, or sedation. Patients are fully conscious and awake throughout the TMS sessions, and are typically delivered in the supervising doctor or psychiatrist’s office on an outpatient basis.  After TMS sessions patients are able to resume normal activities like work or driving without interruption.