Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy: What's your experience?

Posted by clutch @clutch, Jun 3, 2020

Just started my Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy (TMS). Would like to hear from others who have had this experience. Thanks!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

@blessedintx

I have MDD and anxiety and am now, apparently, "Medication Resistant". Dr recommended Spravato but we ran into a stumbling block because I am 65. Also it is almost impossible to get Medicare or Supplement to pay for it. Switched focus to Ketamine infusions. No insurance covers.
I am, though, willing to pay out of pocket for either, even though it would be a stretch on the budget because I am desperate for help at this time.
I feel as if I can't breath at times and as if I will shatter if anyone touches me.
I am a Chemical Dependency Counselor and love what I do, but it takes everything I have to do my job each day. I am struggling. Then I get home and I have nothing left. The "smiling, compassionate, loving" me disappears and I am an absolute bitch to my husband and son. I can pull it together for my 7 year old granddaughter who can always make me smile (outwardly at least).
Has anyone done TMS treatment? I have an appointment for a consult. I figure if it doesn't help, I can move on to one of the other two.
I apologize for rambling and moaning. I have always been one of the "helpers" even with my bouts of anxiety and depression. I just don't know if I can continue to juggle the masks and continue.
I am currently on: Lexapro, Welbutrin (450 mg), Effexor, Trileptal, Trintellix and Trazadone. Crazy # of drugs, right? No way to even begin to know which, if any, are working...it's all such an experiment and I've been on the merry-go-round way to long.

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Well, that is scary. And that little girl was going to have to do 35 treatments?
I just don't even know what to think...

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@blessedintx

12 mental health drugs??? I am on Medicare. TMS is noninvasive, lower risk of side effects. It's been around since 1985 and was FDA approved in 2008 for MDD and medication resistant MDD and is covered by Medicare. I just think maybe it is the better place to start for me. I'm doing loads of research on all 3. Now would love to hear from people who have experienced it (good or bad). Thanks for your input.

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@blessedintx - they aren't all mental health drugs, but they are all chemicals. Boo.

I have a lot of body problems - heart failure (Mom and Little Bro died of it in the last two years), RLS, gastroparesis, blah blah blah. I hate all the meds, but they determine survival (RLS makes one want to quit life after awhile...). So I shove down my horror at all the pills and swallow them... 7 times a day because their timing is so complicated. Blech.

I'm going to try energy healing. I'm also looking for a dietician who is good with both heart healthy and gastroparesis diets, because I can't figure it out - the diets are exactly opposite from each other!

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@blessedintx

I have MDD and anxiety and am now, apparently, "Medication Resistant". Dr recommended Spravato but we ran into a stumbling block because I am 65. Also it is almost impossible to get Medicare or Supplement to pay for it. Switched focus to Ketamine infusions. No insurance covers.
I am, though, willing to pay out of pocket for either, even though it would be a stretch on the budget because I am desperate for help at this time.
I feel as if I can't breath at times and as if I will shatter if anyone touches me.
I am a Chemical Dependency Counselor and love what I do, but it takes everything I have to do my job each day. I am struggling. Then I get home and I have nothing left. The "smiling, compassionate, loving" me disappears and I am an absolute bitch to my husband and son. I can pull it together for my 7 year old granddaughter who can always make me smile (outwardly at least).
Has anyone done TMS treatment? I have an appointment for a consult. I figure if it doesn't help, I can move on to one of the other two.
I apologize for rambling and moaning. I have always been one of the "helpers" even with my bouts of anxiety and depression. I just don't know if I can continue to juggle the masks and continue.
I am currently on: Lexapro, Welbutrin (450 mg), Effexor, Trileptal, Trintellix and Trazadone. Crazy # of drugs, right? No way to even begin to know which, if any, are working...it's all such an experiment and I've been on the merry-go-round way to long.

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Hello,
I'm sorry for what you are going. I have Severe Treatment Resistant Major Depression. I've been on all but one of meds you mentioned. I have tried ECT, TMS, Spravato and Ketamine infusion. The only one of those that helped was ketamine infusion. It was a game changer!! I didn't realize how depressed I really was until I was on the other side. The effect of the first infusion lasted close to two weeks. It was amazing! I was hopeful, getting out of bed and getting things done..I had zero suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, the clinic stopped doing it by infusion and would only do it by injection. It just didn't have the same effect at all. I'm on SSDI for my depression and anxiety, so I only work part-time. I can't afford to pay out of pocket at another clinic that does the infusion. TMS didn't do a single thing for me, but for others it has helped. My PCP has suggested that because of weight, the medications aren't working. He said that the drugs are tested on people who are average weight and I'm morbidly obese. I'm working towards bariactric surgery this summer, so I'm hoping that he is right. I know I'll definitely feel better losing weight but I don't know if it will be the "cure". Only time will tell. What he says makes sense, though, that my weight impacts the medication working properly. I hope you will try ketamine infusion, I know that everyone is different and responds differently, but it certainly was amazing for me.

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@doorman

I’m dying to know how it works! It’s usually prescribed for depression. I would like to know if it works for anxiety.

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I was told by TMS treatment team that depression is left prefrontal cortex and anxiety is on right. Hard to believe. Does anyone else know specifics?

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@chistiania

Dear @blessedintx,
I was able to find what I wrote to a father who was considering TMS for his young daughter. I wrote about my experience with TMS. I have copied what I wrote to him then, hoping this can be of help to you. So here, it is:
"I hope TMS is going to work for her. I know it does for many people. I heard about Transcranial Magnetic therapy from a close friend. For her, it worked after only 6 (six !) treatments, so I hope it is going to help your daughter too. I couldn't take it, even though I so much wanted it to work. I know it is NOT listed among the side effects, but all of a sudden I got toothache and I started having such bad pain in the right side of my belly, where my right ovary is, that I had to go to the emergency room after my fifth treatment. I also started getting hot flushes like crazy. When I called the center where they gave me TMS and asked them to check with the doctor if TMS in some way affects the endocrine system they said the doctor had said it did not, that the only side effects they knew of were the known ones: pain at the treatment site, headache, and toothache and they all go away after a little while. Well, to make a long story short: I stopped after my 5th treatment. I kept having a pain in my ovary for a little while after I interrupted TMS, while hot flashes continued bothering me for much longer).
But, as I said, I hear TMS does help many, so I do hope the 36 treatments your daughter is going to take also will help her to get ridden of her debilitating depression and anxiety. I wish you and your daughter the very best and thank you so much for sharing your experience. 😊 Merry Christmas to you and to your family!".

This is what I wrote then, and it is pretty much all I can say about TMS.

I hope the TMS treatment - if you decide to undergo it - will be beneficial to you, with no side effects.

All the best to you. ❤

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Hello and thanks for your response! Since I posted, I have had to leave my job due to all of this. Never thought i would see the day that i couldn't make myself work though!! Not a good feeling.
I did drop (as approved by my Psychiatrist (PA) the Lexapro and Trintellix and cut Trazadone down to 50mg. Anxiety escalated so they added Klonopin .5mg 1/2 to 1 pill per day as needed. I haven't used it much as it makes me extremely sleepy.
I did begin TMS last week. I did my 5th treatment today. Am doing 5x week for a total of 35 or 36 treatments. I am feeling "hopeful" today. But who knows what tomorrow will be like?
I definitely don't like the feeling of the treatment itself! But it was slightly less uncomfortable today, so maybe I'm building a tolerance?

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@netter9064

Hello,
I'm sorry for what you are going. I have Severe Treatment Resistant Major Depression. I've been on all but one of meds you mentioned. I have tried ECT, TMS, Spravato and Ketamine infusion. The only one of those that helped was ketamine infusion. It was a game changer!! I didn't realize how depressed I really was until I was on the other side. The effect of the first infusion lasted close to two weeks. It was amazing! I was hopeful, getting out of bed and getting things done..I had zero suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, the clinic stopped doing it by infusion and would only do it by injection. It just didn't have the same effect at all. I'm on SSDI for my depression and anxiety, so I only work part-time. I can't afford to pay out of pocket at another clinic that does the infusion. TMS didn't do a single thing for me, but for others it has helped. My PCP has suggested that because of weight, the medications aren't working. He said that the drugs are tested on people who are average weight and I'm morbidly obese. I'm working towards bariactric surgery this summer, so I'm hoping that he is right. I know I'll definitely feel better losing weight but I don't know if it will be the "cure". Only time will tell. What he says makes sense, though, that my weight impacts the medication working properly. I hope you will try ketamine infusion, I know that everyone is different and responds differently, but it certainly was amazing for me.

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Also, I got lucky and my Medicare and Supplement Insurance approved the treatment and cover 100%!

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@blessedintx

I have MDD and anxiety and am now, apparently, "Medication Resistant". Dr recommended Spravato but we ran into a stumbling block because I am 65. Also it is almost impossible to get Medicare or Supplement to pay for it. Switched focus to Ketamine infusions. No insurance covers.
I am, though, willing to pay out of pocket for either, even though it would be a stretch on the budget because I am desperate for help at this time.
I feel as if I can't breath at times and as if I will shatter if anyone touches me.
I am a Chemical Dependency Counselor and love what I do, but it takes everything I have to do my job each day. I am struggling. Then I get home and I have nothing left. The "smiling, compassionate, loving" me disappears and I am an absolute bitch to my husband and son. I can pull it together for my 7 year old granddaughter who can always make me smile (outwardly at least).
Has anyone done TMS treatment? I have an appointment for a consult. I figure if it doesn't help, I can move on to one of the other two.
I apologize for rambling and moaning. I have always been one of the "helpers" even with my bouts of anxiety and depression. I just don't know if I can continue to juggle the masks and continue.
I am currently on: Lexapro, Welbutrin (450 mg), Effexor, Trileptal, Trintellix and Trazadone. Crazy # of drugs, right? No way to even begin to know which, if any, are working...it's all such an experiment and I've been on the merry-go-round way to long.

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What is TMS? I have never heard of it before. Thank you in advance.
Hope you can feel better soon! Pat

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@blessedintx

12 mental health drugs??? I am on Medicare. TMS is noninvasive, lower risk of side effects. It's been around since 1985 and was FDA approved in 2008 for MDD and medication resistant MDD and is covered by Medicare. I just think maybe it is the better place to start for me. I'm doing loads of research on all 3. Now would love to hear from people who have experienced it (good or bad). Thanks for your input.

Jump to this post

What is TMS and MDD. I haven't heard of these two terms before.
Thank you, Pat!

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@blessedintx

I have MDD and anxiety and am now, apparently, "Medication Resistant". Dr recommended Spravato but we ran into a stumbling block because I am 65. Also it is almost impossible to get Medicare or Supplement to pay for it. Switched focus to Ketamine infusions. No insurance covers.
I am, though, willing to pay out of pocket for either, even though it would be a stretch on the budget because I am desperate for help at this time.
I feel as if I can't breath at times and as if I will shatter if anyone touches me.
I am a Chemical Dependency Counselor and love what I do, but it takes everything I have to do my job each day. I am struggling. Then I get home and I have nothing left. The "smiling, compassionate, loving" me disappears and I am an absolute bitch to my husband and son. I can pull it together for my 7 year old granddaughter who can always make me smile (outwardly at least).
Has anyone done TMS treatment? I have an appointment for a consult. I figure if it doesn't help, I can move on to one of the other two.
I apologize for rambling and moaning. I have always been one of the "helpers" even with my bouts of anxiety and depression. I just don't know if I can continue to juggle the masks and continue.
I am currently on: Lexapro, Welbutrin (450 mg), Effexor, Trileptal, Trintellix and Trazadone. Crazy # of drugs, right? No way to even begin to know which, if any, are working...it's all such an experiment and I've been on the merry-go-round way to long.

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TMS is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, a treatment for Medication Resistant MDD (Major Depressive Disorder).

REPLY
@blessedintx

I have MDD and anxiety and am now, apparently, "Medication Resistant". Dr recommended Spravato but we ran into a stumbling block because I am 65. Also it is almost impossible to get Medicare or Supplement to pay for it. Switched focus to Ketamine infusions. No insurance covers.
I am, though, willing to pay out of pocket for either, even though it would be a stretch on the budget because I am desperate for help at this time.
I feel as if I can't breath at times and as if I will shatter if anyone touches me.
I am a Chemical Dependency Counselor and love what I do, but it takes everything I have to do my job each day. I am struggling. Then I get home and I have nothing left. The "smiling, compassionate, loving" me disappears and I am an absolute bitch to my husband and son. I can pull it together for my 7 year old granddaughter who can always make me smile (outwardly at least).
Has anyone done TMS treatment? I have an appointment for a consult. I figure if it doesn't help, I can move on to one of the other two.
I apologize for rambling and moaning. I have always been one of the "helpers" even with my bouts of anxiety and depression. I just don't know if I can continue to juggle the masks and continue.
I am currently on: Lexapro, Welbutrin (450 mg), Effexor, Trileptal, Trintellix and Trazadone. Crazy # of drugs, right? No way to even begin to know which, if any, are working...it's all such an experiment and I've been on the merry-go-round way to long.

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Hi- I just joined this group. You and I are in the same profession, and I have the same diagnosis. I’m struggling to keep a job in it, I just don’t seem to care anymore. I was first diagnosed with MDD at 21, have had years between episodes without need for meds. For the past 5-10 years I have been on so many different meds, I’m wondering if it’s due to age. I’ve held a full time job for many years at a time, for almost 30 years. Now I can barely hold one for 3 months, I panic the night before going to work. I wake up in the middle of the night, then can’t get up in the morning. I take lamictal and straterra( ADHD too). I’ve thought about tms or ketamine, and I never thought I’d get to this place, I managed most of my life on and off meds, but no heavy hitters. My Dr wanted to try Caplyta, but I declined to start with the anti psychotic class of meds to address depression. I’m just so tired of dealing with it.

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