Someone I know is considering it for depression. Any experiences, positive or negative? Effective?
For people like me who didn’t know what TMS was, here is a description from the Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/transcranial-magnetic-stimulation/about/pac-20384625+
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We have close friends whose son used it, and it helped him a lot. My son’s doctor said it’s a very effective treatment.
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My daughter had a very strong positve response to TMS after years of intractable depression. I would encourage anyone suffering with depression to give it a try.
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Thank you!
I asked a friend of mine who is a therapist. Here’s what she wrote:
Hmm, I haven’t looked at the most recent research, but the last time I checked, it had about a 55-60% effectiveness rate for people with Major Depressive disorder. I’m not thrilled with those odds, because oftentimes insurance won’t pay for it, so the patient has to pay out-of-pocket.
In addition, the actual treatment is difficult to sustain: They usually want the patient to come to the clinic 5 days/week, for at least a month or so, and the treatment itself is very noisy, in my understanding. So there’s a higher attrition rate.
I’ve suggested it a couple times for people who aren’t getting help from meds, but haven’t had a client who’s actually done it.
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Someone I know, a mental health therapist, just completed treatment. He says he feels so much better.
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My daughter did not find the treatment noisy. It was a bit of a hassle going five days a week for six weeks but so worth it. And it was covered by her insurance.
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D tried it, and it was effective for a few years and then wore off. A second round didn’t help at all.
The current treatment that’s working wonders is the nose spray treatment, eskatamine I think. But tbh my takeaway is that everybody is different and it’s very difficult to predict with certainty if any specific treatment will work.
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currently looking into this for my grandmother in her late 80s with treatment-resistant depression–it was recommended to me by my psychiatrist who had concerns about spravato at her age–will update with what we end up doing and how it goes for her! she is on medicare and so we are looking at large hospital systems in the area to find coverage
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If a person is so ill they’re on Medicaid, as my son is, the cost is totally covered. My son has had many Electric Convulsive Treatments over the years and he has never had to pay a penny. Several years ago I was told that each treatment cost $2,500.
TMS and ECT should be used as last resorts, when nothing else works. But in those cases, it can be very effective from what I’ve learned talking to people.
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TMS is non-invasive with few side effects. Magnetic stimulation does not involve electric shock. It can be inconvenient and may not work for every patient, but it is a reasonable next step for patients whose meds are not working to alleviate their depression.
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I appreciate you asking your friend!
I have to say that what she’s written is contradicted a bit by my research. But that’s ok, I want all perspectives.
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