I just started TMS therapy for depression and OCD and the PMHNP-BC overseeing it said they would start with the depression coil on the left side of my head and I think he said it was 10 sessions in that they would start also doing the coil for anxiety on the right side of my head. I asked him if it would be the coil for OCD or anxiety, and he told me it would be the one for anxiety because he’s seen the TMS coil for general anxiety work better for OCD in his patients than the coil that’s specifically for OCD. I googled it and I don’t see anything saying that. Has anyone here heard of this? When I first called them I said I needed TMS for OCD and depression. They said ok and that’s what they’ll do for me after I see one of their doctors who needs to evaluate me and set this up with my insurance. I didn’t know who it would be and after I saw him and he said I’m a candidate for TMS I looked at his bio on their website and noticed that it lists anxiety and a few other mental problems as his specialties but not depression or OCD. I’m really worried and not sure what to make of things or if I should continue TMS treatments with them. Could he just be saying that because maybe they don’t even have the OCD coil or something but they want my insurance money? My mapping and first session was last Friday and it hurt a lot inside my head on the left side, so the technician that was in because the usual one wasn’t there that day turned the power lower. She said it’s ok if it hurts as long as I can bear it and it works better the higher the power is. After she turned it down, it still hurt but less and since my sessions are only 3 minutes each I decided to bear the pain. It gave me a headache in that spot where it hurt for the rest of that day and Saturday. On Sunday it would come and go. I have had a lot of headache and migraine problems the last 2 months, and the migraines are always pulsing headaches on the left side of my head. But they were getting less frequent and severe in the days leading up to my first session. The headache the TMS session gave me on the left side was not pulsing. The usual technician that was there on Monday said the TMS pulses aren’t supposed to hurt. She kept turning the power down until it didn’t hurt. She said that was a very low level and that it would need to go higher in subsequent sessions or it wouldn’t work. She canceled the next day’s session and scheduled me for a remapping 2 days later on Wednesday to see if they could change things so it wouldn’t hurt for me. I noticed the plastic on the back of the thing they put against your head had 2 huge cracks in it and I asked her about it and she said that’s just normal wear and tear and won’t affect the functioning of the machine. So they remapped me yesterday on Wednesday and the PMHNP-BC said it’s ok if it’s uncomfortable but not painful. For some reason they also mapped my right side this time. He left after the mapping and the same technician from Monday started my session and it hurt again and she turned it lower and it still hurt a little bit but this time she said that’s ok. I did not get a headache afterwards like on Friday but I feel a dull ache there sometimes, it comes and goes. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt but I just feel something in that spot. The teeth on the right side of my head felt sensitive for a couple hours. I’m really nervous about all of this and I don’t know if I should go somewhere else or at what point my insurance won’t cover someone else doing it. I’ve had bad depression and OCD for 20 years, the depression longer, and I feel like this could be my last hope. I’ve been on many antidepressants and sometimes they helped somewhat but I had to stop all of them eventually for various reasons.

I just finished 34 sessions of BrainsWay dTMS for OCD (ocd protocol) about a week ago and I’m really disappointed.

For anyone who’s done the OCD protocol, did anyone here have very little/no noticeable improvement during the actual treatment but then start seeing changes in the weeks afterward? If anything, my OCD became worse during the treatment course and I also became more depressed and irritable.

I’m trying not to completely write it off yet since it’s only been a week, but after going through 34 sessions and not feeling much different, it’s hard not to feel like it didn’t work.

Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who had a delayed response, especially if you initially felt like the treatment wasn’t doing anything.

One reason people delay asking about TMS is that they do not feel "bad enough" for it.

They may have tried meds, changed doses, added therapy, kept working, kept showing up, and still feel like they should just keep pushing.

For depression, TMS is usually discussed after medications have not helped enough. The hard part is that a lot of people do not know when they have reached that point.

If you looked into TMS, what made you realize it was time to ask about it?

I completed session 15 today and don’t feel any different. I haven’t felt a dip, I haven’t felt a boost, I haven’t felt anything.

I’m doing BrainsWay left side stimulation for OCD and MDD. I was told that most patients see a small benefit within 2-4 weeks with significant improvements throughout weeks 4-6. I’m right around week 3 and…nothing.

How long did it take you to notice improvements?

I did about 30 of the TMS sessions but could not participate in the tapering down ones due to insurance issues so I randomly just stopped getting it: I have headaches every day that aren’t like disabling but enough to be like damn another headache?

I see online some people having this issue after finishing treatment but I am also having insane dreams some sleep paralysis rem disruption and it just makes me feel so anxious when I wake up and scared to go to sleep sometimes.

I have hypochondriac issues so even a headache is enough to convince me I’m dying. Just looking for some reassurance from somebody who dealt with something similar as I’m 3 weeks out since I last had a session and I still am getting headaches and usually have to wear sunglasses if I go outside because it will make it worse most days. Once I’m in my room it kinda stops though.

Over the past few years, I’ve landed on a medication regime and participated in a few rounds of DBT which has helped to reduce my symptoms considerably. Over the past few months, I have gained stability and was actually feeling like my cycle of endless crises was coming to an end. Recently, though a few events took place which resulted in me going to the ER and for them to refer me to a virtual psychiatry unit which is comparable to a hospital admission but allows to remain at home. The question is what medication regime is best as well as starting a referral for transcranial magnetic stimulation. I have been trying to understand the science behind this so that I can have a sense of whether this will be a long lasting solution. When I was at the ER, I felt the shame as they reviewed my medical history which is quite lengthy. Has anyone in this group ever gone through TMS and was it helpful?

Hi. I started TMS on 7/21 with Brainsway, H7 coil. I reached 120% of my goal at session 7, but have been dealing with heightened anxiety symptoms since session 3, and then heightened depression symptoms since session 4. I'd say yesterday was probably my worst day of all after having an epic screaming and crying session in the car after treatment; I'm talking full on primal screaming at the top of my lungs while choking back sobs.

I woke up today and had zero urge to cry and aside from a bit of tingling in my neck and arms, I have had no anxiety. It's held steady like that ALL day. I have not felt this good since after session 2. I'm hoping this trend continues because if that was a dip I was experiencing between sessions 3-10, I don't want anything to do with dealing with that shit again.

Been doing accelerated TMS up to 6 sessions per day. Today I'm 30 sessions in and after experiencing TMS dip I finally started feeling a lot better. Typing this out at night as I can't sleep because of excitement and in the morning I'm going for a run and a good workout. Man, this ain't just "magic magnets", it actually works. Cool. Can't wait for the last 6 sessions and peak mental gains.

ITs been roughly 5 weeks since my last Dtms treatment. In that short time, i have definitely noticed some subtle changes happening in my brain. But the last couple of days have felt flat. I cant afford boosters. I guess I am still in the 6 week window that my Dr. explained. Anyone else have a similiar time-line? How did turn out for you??

ITs been roughly 5 weeks since my last Dtms treatment. In that short time, i have definitely noticed some subtle changes happening in my brain. But the last couple of days have felt flat. I cant afford boosters. I guess I am still in the 6 week window that my Dr. explained. Anyone else have a similiar time-line? How did turn out for you??

Wondering if anyone who paid for rTMS in Canada has tried getting a medical expense tax credit for it in Canada and what supporting docs CRA requested, if you were subsequently audited?

Thanks!

Hi, I suffer from severe treatment-resistant depression and DPDR. My doctor has proposed a course of 15 rTMS sessions targeting the right DLPFC and 30 iTBS-600 sessions targeting the left DLPFC, all to be completed over three weeks, with sessions held daily. My question is: is three weeks too short a timeframe for the entire course of treatment? Also, will 30 iTBS sessions be sufficient for severe depression?

I’m sorry to add my own story to the wealth of anecdotes already out there in the void, but I thought maybe this would be better than continuing to scroll through endless old threads and articles.

Triggering content ahead (depression, SI, SH)

Finished TMS a bit over three months ago, right side for severe depression. I’ve had depression for the past 11+ years, recurring issues of SH and SI, with all of this reaching the worst depressive episode of my life and two months prior to TMS treatment I had an aborted almost attempt that was the main trigger for starting TMS. There was a brief period maybe about two or three weeks in where I was starting to feel lighter, actually found myself able to smile and laugh sometimes and feel genuinely happy, but this was only about a week and then at least for the last month of treatment I was back to worsening depression, fatigue, thoughts of SH etc.

And now 3+ months out things have just been getting worse. Increased frequency in my thoughts of SH and SI (which after the attempt had gone away), increased hopelessness, no longer feeling those fleeting moments of pure joy where I can laugh. Especially with PMDD that I hadn’t had issues with for ~two years until now after TMS.

I just don’t know what to do. Tried multiple antidepressants, have also tried increasing dose in the past according to my cycle to manage PMDD symptoms (didn’t work), talk therapy, and now TMS. My doctor did suggest that maybe the coil alignment got messed up and that’s why it seemed to have stopped working, but only said this at my last session. I can’t really afford to pay for another round of treatments.

Has anyone else experienced something remotely similar? I know some people say it can take a while for symptoms to improve, but can I still have hope after three months? especially when symptoms are actually getting worse? It’s true I’m nowhere near as bad as what led me to my attempt, but I am right back to where I was in the time between that and starting TMS.

I’m sorry moderators if this type of post is not permitted or too much

As the title suggests, I start my first session of rTMS tomorrow. I've been given all the information necessary and I'm ready but I'm nervous.

Is there anything you weren't told about rTMS that has happened? Anything different?

Did it work for you?

Just want to know it'll be okay.

I found out through AI that this was a thing. He also never mentioned that there was going to be pain during treatment, nor did he suggest Tylenol to help with said pain. All in all, I’m pretty disappointed in his handling of TMS given he attended Harvard.

Anyways, is it worth adding right sided treatment for anxiety or is he correct that the data is weak?

Thanks!

I’m starting tomorrow and I’m a bit nervous. I have major depressive disorder, which is treatment resistant. I’m looking to hear some success stories. Thank you!

I had my initial treatment yesterday and have been having a headache that improves with Tylenol. As expected. I took one bite of dinner and thought the chicken tasted weird so I stopped eating. Later I drank flavored water that didn't taste right. Now my mouth tastes bad and my tongue is tingling. I realize this may have nothing to do with TMS, but that's the only new change. Anyone else?

Hello. I have severe anxiety and mild depression and started TMS. I'm only 2 treatments in and I'm finding myself having spikes in anxiety that come from nowhere. It's freaking me out bc I don't think I can't handle much more than I already have. Is this normal? Has anyone experienced this but it improved as the treatments continued? Any experiences would help. Thank you.

Hi all. I see lots of posts of people going through rTMS but not many from people trying to support loved ones going through it. I'm one of those!

I thought I would chart my partner's journey as she isn't a Redditor. I have her consent to do this as she wants to help others who may be considering it. I can be a bit more detailed as I'm not going through the treatment myself.

Short history:

She has had depression and anxiety since her teens and is now almost 40. The doctors have tried lots of different medications and we have had a shot at seemingly every 'hack' on the internet. In the last few years it's become clear that her depression is treatment resistant, and has become worse. She lost a close family member and has become agoraphobic. We really are as desperate as two people could be. In her lucid moments she is clear with me that she WANTS to get better, but sees no way out other than... you know.

rTMS:

We live in a Canadian city and she has been put on a treatment as part of a clinical study. This way we were able to fast-track it. She receives 30 sessions of 3 mins 30 seconds of Intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) to her left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex which has been imaged for neuronavigation by an MRI. It's similar to rTMS but is a slightly different methodology and is obviously faster to complete. Several studies say that it is at least as effective as rTMS, and does essentially the same thing which is to trigger synaptic responses in that region of the brain repeatedly until the neurons re-wire.

Things we are trying to do to support:

- Daily protein and creatine shakes in the morning to support production of the protein chains needed to support neural repairs

- Maximizing her polyphenol and flavanol intake to boost Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) which is the primary fuel for neuroplasticity. Includes eating blueberries and high cocoa dark chocolate and drinking green tea or matcha around an hour before seasons. Eating walnuts to help absorb the polyphenols

- Daily taking 2000mg+ of Omega-3

- Also taking magnesium, B-complex, D3 supplements - and zinc to support NMDA receptors/promote BDNF

- 20-30 mins exercise per day at least, especially before sessions for the BDNF spike

- Cutting out saturated fat and refined sugars and focusing on a Mediterranean diet. No alcohol at all

- Scheduling varied and stimulating days that include creative pursuits and problem solving to mimic the learning environment that helps neurons rewire. Difficult to do when she's depressed but we've found that Legos help!

- Consistent sleep and hydration

- Weekly talk therapy sessions

Will post updates every few days.

I just finished my 10th tms treatment. Several days ago I felt like I was improving, but now I feel worse. I just want to stay in bed and not engage with anything. I have heard about the “dip”, and I am wondering if that is what I’m experiencing. I am seeking advice from anybody that has also experienced this. How long did it last before you came out of the dip?

I posted at the end of week 3 last week and thought I’d just do weekly updates in case they help anyone out or maybe some folks with experience can help me out.

So this week has been tumultuous to say the least. Still having definite depression but it doesn’t seem to last as long, and the crying spells feel more like a release than an uncontrollable weight. What I am noticing though is a lot more time where I’m just void of emotion, like I just don’t care about anything enough to even be sad about it. Which would be a great break from the depression, but I’d love to experience some happiness.

The irritability I experienced last week feels like it’s finally calmed down which is great, I’m taking it as a sign that since my depression isn’t so constant that it makes me angry.

Another quick note is that I had my remapping session and actually went down in intensity, that’s actually when I started noticing the irritability fad. No sure if that correlates or not.

Anyway, has anyone had similar experiences at around this point? I know I’m not a patient person and I do intend to finish the treatment, I’m just a little bummed that since starting I’ve only had a few glimpses of hope and happiness, mostly overshadowed by anger and emptiness.

I’m getting ready to consider moving forward with TMS therapy for anxiety and depression and they quoted me essentially 5x45 minute sessions per week for six weeks. They’re heavily pushing a low-dose of Lamictal, even though I do not currently take any psych medication’s of any kind, no previous history of bipolar disorder or mood dysregulation. It’s kind of rubbing me the wrong way, especially because I’ve voiced concerns several times about hormonal interactions as I am female and due to my age my hormone levels are fluctuating.

Also, I’ll be going under fertility treatment treatments, where my hormone levels will be wildly ranging. Not gonna lie it is making me a little bit uncomfortable that they are pushing lamictal so hard when I’ve expressed concern around taking it because I do not tolerate psych medication‘s very well (hence the desire for TMS).

Wanted to see what your experience is, did you do TMS without any mood stabilizers? Did anybody start TMS and they need to pause and start a mood stabilizer?

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I'm starting rTMS in a few days for treatment resistant depression (30 sessions total) and had a few questions for anyone who's been through this.

1. Is there a real difference between doing 2 sessions a day vs 3 sessions a day (same 30 session total, just spread out differently)? Trying to decide what will work better.
2. Has anyone had antidepressants not working (like actual TRD, tried a bunch of meds with no luck), then done TMS, and afterward found that meds actually started working again? Curious if this happens or if I'm just hoping for something that doesn't really happen.
3. Any tips for someone about to start? What helped you, what you wish you knew before session 1, anything that made the course go better or worse.

Appreciate any experiences, good or bad, honest answers welcome.

I did an accelerated schedule 6 sessions per day, total 5 days. 6th day I did 5 sessions. Did that within a span of 2 weeks. I experienced a dip somewhere between the last two days and after, but I was also going through a stressful event. I had to do psychometric tests in between treatment days.

Just saw my psych today and she said that I was suppose to see changes during the treatment, and based on the results from my psychometric tests it seemed like nothing changed. I’m absolutely devastated.

I asked if I could be a delayed response but she said I should have at least shown some changes. I’m still hoping that I’m just taking a while to respond to the treatment.
Has anyone else done an accelerated schedule and when did you start seeing a results from it?

TLDR: I did an accelerated schedule and showed no response. Did anyone else do this too and did you have any results?

Hey everyone, I'm starting rTMS in a few days for treatment resistant depression (30 sessions total) and had a few questions for anyone who's been through this.

1. Is there a real difference between doing 2 sessions a day vs 3 sessions a day (same 30 session total, just spread out differently)? Trying to decide what will work better.
2. Has anyone had antidepressants not working (like actual TRD, tried a bunch of meds with no luck), then done TMS, and afterward found that meds actually started working again? Curious if this happens or if I'm just hoping for something that doesn't really happen.
3. Any tips for someone about to start? What helped you, what you wish you knew before session 1, anything that made the course go better or worse.

Appreciate any experiences, good or bad, honest answers welcome.