Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for long-term depression

I was on many Meds. Then I found out about TMS. I did 1 per week for 8 weeks.
After that, I felt like I was reborn, just fantastic. The problem is, my depression and anxiety returned after about 4 months.
I did a second treatment without any success. You might be luckier and have it last longer. I would try it.
Good Luck

My best friend has very bad depression and has tried many medications but they're not helping. She heard about TMS from a friend who had great success and she wants to try it but she's worried about headache side effects because she has migraines. Did anyone have problems with headaches during or after treatment and if so, how long did they last?

I have had treatment-resistant major depressive disorder since I was six; I am sixty now. My doctors and I have tried everything to remit my depression. It has never gone away. Sometimes it is manageable, and sometimes it destroys my life.

I have been referred for TMS, the only modality I have yet to have. I'll let you know if I am accepted soon. I will update this thread with my experience.

I am not generally hopeful that any treatment will work. I know how important it is to believe something will work. I am trying to remain optimistic.

The potential that this treatment might work has raised an odd question: if it does work, what do I do? Dealing with depression has been the motivation behind everything I have done, good and bad. I wonder if I will still be as motivated. I would very much like to find out.

May you live in peace and good health.

I had 7 weeks of TMS and never had even one headache.

That's fantastic! So happy for you to have found a treatment that works! I've heard really good things about the positive benefits and I appreciate you posting your question, as I have been meaning to come on and ask about headaches for my friend. I'll follow the thread and I wish you continued healing benefits. 😊

I realize this is an old post, but I wanted to add a bit in case someone comes here in the future.

For me, the physical sensation of the magnets is like a tapping on my head, or like someone tugging one hair out. Depending on the placement of the coils, sometimes my jaw twitches. Some people get headaches, but I don't have that problem. There's also a tapping sound and some people put in ear plugs, but it doesn't bother me much. Maybe I should use them anyway.

I like the prep before the magnets - they use a stylus and basically give you a good head scratch to line up the computer with the 3D model of a head so they can aim at the right area in your brain. They do use the stylus on 5 or 6 points on your head first. Some people might find that part anxiety provoking - two of those are at the outer corner of each eye. If you have some trouble with that, you might be able to ask your technician to rest their hand on your head before the use the stylus on those points. It can give you a better sense of where they are and what's going on. Some people don't like that kind of physical contact either, though, so maybe another option is to ask them to count to 3 to let you know when the stylus will touch.

I think that's about what I can think of as far as physical sensations go.

My TMS treatments are 36 days with just a couple minutes for each "dose" (not sure what they're called) each of those days. When I had my first TMS treatment, at about day 30, I gave up the idea that it would work. I wasn't feeling any changes. I decided to see it through till the end. On day 34, very suddenly and dramatically, I started experiencing emotions I hadn't felt in decades. I didn't even know how to feel or describe the emotions I was having. It lasted for 2 or 3 months. It was hard for me to tell what was going on as it faded because it didn't follow the usual pattern of my depression. Emotional changes jumped around and it was hard to tell if I was just having a couple bad days or if the effects were wearing off more long-term. It did eventually completely fade, though. I couldn't have another treatment till several months after that because of insurance.

My second treatment wasn't so successful. I felt a little relief, but nothing like the first treatment. My third technician said that this second technician put the coil in a different place trying to get a better result. I still don't quite understand why a couple mm difference is significant, especially considering the placement of the coil doesn't seem that precise. The pattern of my depression stayed irregular. I still had to wait the full amount of time till my next treatment, and they added a bunch more paperwork.

My third and latest treatment was somewhere in between. On the last two days I had some actual depression-free positive emotions, but nothing as impressive as the first treatment. I'm still seeing how that will go.

I hate the weekends because, with no actual basis in fact or anything else, I feel like I might be losing ground. I don't feel worse emotionally or anything, so there's no reason to think that's actually true. I probably just don't know enough about the science, so my anxiety has free reign.

I'm not a doctor. I wonder if there are some people that need more than 36 sessions to feel an effect. I wonder if there are ways to get better coil positioning. The software could definitely use some work. I'm trying to live my life in between these islands of possible relief. So far, it's still better than trying to live my life without possible relief.

@dfb, can you talk more about your at-home treatment? I didn't even know that was possible. Why don't you recommend it? Did you have bad side-effects? I know there are some very rare risks and it might be good to have a doctor around. Was it just not effective?

I believe the device was made by Fischer Wallace. I have discarded it, so I can not be sure. I'm not sure it is on the market anymore. It was a fairly simple affair: two padded electrodes held in place by a headband and attached to a battery-operated controller.

I used it daily for forty-five days; the recommended minimum was thirty days. I did not experience anything, good or bad.

That's it.

I hope you find the peace and good health you deserve.

Are MAOIs an option or have you already tried this class of ADs? They’re often turned to in cases of TRD. My success with them has been limited but hope springs eternal. I’m taking Marplan now after not getting any prolonged help from Nardil and Parnate. I had ECT years ago and I now regret it.

I started TMS 2 weeks here in the Gilbert area. I go to Serenity TMS and so far so good.