Overview
After years of taking antidepressant medications with no real relief, your doctor has recommended repetitive TMS therapy. You have heard that TMS therapy is an FDA approved brain stimulation technique used to improve the symptoms of depression, but what is it exactly? What are the side effects? Like anyone in your situation, you need a little more information.
Here at Life Change Associates we offer transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS therapy. TMS is a non-invasive magnetic therapy technique used to stimulate the brain cells that regulate mood. Once you have undergone your free TMS consultation and TMS therapy has been determined a good option, you will be scheduled for your first appointment. You’ll be awake the entire session, sitting comfortably and alert.
What To Expect
A Life Change Associates technician will gently place a magnetic treatment coil lightly on your head. This coil will deliver focused magnetic stimulation, like those used during an MRI scan, directly to the target areas of your brain. This will last 3 to 20 minutes, depending on your treatment plan. You may feel a slight tapping sensation on your head or hear clicking sounds. This is coming from the mechanism that creates and delivers the magnetic pulses. Unlike other, more invasive medical procedures, there is no need for anesthesia and you are in no danger of seizures.
Side Effects
During the first week of treatment, you may feel a slight discomfort at or near the treatment area. This typically goes away by the second week. Some people do report mild headaches while others have experienced nausea, a slight tingling, spasms or twitching of facial muscles. If you do experience any of these symptoms, don’t worry. They will improve after each session and will decrease over time with your additional sessions.
Though most people start to notice positive mood changes within two to three weeks of starting treatment, TMS therapy may not work for everyone. If not adequately treated, there is a risk that depression symptoms could worsen. In some patients, specifically those with underlying bipolar disorder or severe anxiety, TMS can be overly stimulating to the brain. This can worsen anxiety, panic, and/or insomnia. The clinicians at Life Change Associates will be carefully assessing your progress each treatment day and obtaining mood rating scores once weekly to closely monitor for these symptoms.
Compared To Antidepressants
TMS therapy doesn’t come with the side effects of oral antidepressant medications like weight gain, dry mouth, loss of sexual desire and other sexual problems, or diarrhoea or constipation. There are no cognitive side effects like with electroconvulsive therapy (ETC). That means you will be able to safely drive yourself to and from each appointment and go about the rest of your day as you normally would.
Don’t Wait
The positive changes that occur as a result of TMS therapy are long lasting, so rest assured that your time with us will help you improve brain function for a depression-free life.
What are you waiting for? Sign up for your free consultation by calling (208) 233-5433 or just click here.
Deric V. Ravsten, DO, FAPA
Diplomate in Psychiatry, ABPN
Owner, Life Change Associates
“Feel better. Do more. We can help.”