Tms Therapy

[Bfab]

Has anyone had TMS Therapy? If so what were the results? My bf starts treatments tomorrow and the articles I've read seem to be 50/50 in success rate.

 

[joeylittle]

Yes!

I had it a few years ago, and it worked for me for a period of time. The biggest thing it helped me with was suicidal ideation. I was lucky enough to be under the care of one of the doctors who was on the forefront of the research that went into getting the whole thing started, so I really felt like I had a clear, accurate experience of it. He was honest with me, that people at my level of depression didn't always come fully out of remission, but that there was definitely a very good chance that I'd get some relief.

I've just started another course, on a different machine. I'm hoping that the fact that this one penetrates deeper will make some kind of difference, though really, there's no way of knowing.

Is he having the TMS for depression, or in a trial for PTSD?

 

[Bfab]

It is to help with his depression.

Thanks for explaining this. I was not aware that penetration was a factor in different machines.

Did you have to continue taking mood stabilizers after the therapy?

 

[joeylittle]

For me, yes - I expect I'll need to be on some kind of medication for most of my life, though.

I was able to drop the levels on the meds I was taking, though, and I could drop one of them altogether.

A lot of it just depends on a bunch of factors that aren't fully understood.

The basic thinking is that over time, depression 'shrinks' the areas of the brain that it effects. TMS stimulates those areas, and that stimulation initiates cellular re-growth.

There's an outcome difference in people who are engaged in therapy, mindfulness practices, and self care for the duration of the treatment. The thinking is that you are supporting the development of the neural network by using it (neuroplasticity).

If it hadn't actually affected me the way it did, I'd be more skeptical and think that all the reported improvements are a result of doing 6 solid weeks of good self care. But, in my experience, it treated some symptoms that I had never had any success with prior to TMS.

There is research supporting that people can go into full remission from depression - but, they don't have any comorbid diagnoses.

 

[Bfab]

OMG! You were able to explain this better than anything I read. The concept makes sense to me now, especially the regrowth of cells developing with cognitive thinking skills.

I can't thank you enough and hope your information helps others because there's not much out there about this type of therapy.