Transcranial magnetic stimulation(TMS) is an effective solution for patients who are facing problems of depression. This non-invasive treatment is an alternative for patients with stress problems and is getting relief from other therapies such as psychotherapy and antidepressants.
TMS technology was developed in the year 1985 and has been popular in clinical treatment since that time. Nearly 70% of the persons who have taken this therapy have reported that they are entirely depression-free and enjoying life.
Table of Contents
Mechanism of action
- Safe and secure
It is one of the FDA-approved treatments: that’s why it is regarded as one of the safest options as compared to other types of treatment. This type of treatment generally has no side effects or mild side effects, unlike antidepressant treatment, which often has side effects such as nausea, memory loss, or weight gain.
- The success rate is high.
About 80% of the people who have taken this therapy have reported that their life is happy now, and they’re living a stress-free life. Their depression has been completely removed. The most noteworthy thing about this therapy is that it treats many other disorders besides depression. In addition, more than 50% of the individuals become stress-free for one year after this treatment.
- No surgery is involved in this therapy.
Another benefit of this treatment is that it does not involves any kind of surgery. This makes it easy for the people who are afraid to get under the knife. This noninvasive treatment typically takes about 4 to 6 weeks for treatment and is done five days a week and lasts for around 30-40 minutes.
The success rate is relatively high in this therapy, and the cost of TMS therapy is also increased if the person has not taken any insurance policy because most companies give the treatment of TMS Therapy if an individual is facing problems with depression.
Indications
TMS therapy is the indication for those who have major depression problems and have failed in at least one antidepressant medication. TMS therapy is consistent for people who can manage time for at least 1-2 months and have it regularly to get positive results.
Assessment of patients
Generally, it is the inspection done by the therapists to avail and consider the medical reports of the patients. When conducting a TMS treatment, the purpose of assessing the individual’s medical reports is to confirm the primary diagnosis of depression and to check whether the TMS treatment can be done safely or not. Usually, sugar, BP, and asthma are some of the common diseases these days, and the doctor reports to these patients before the treatment that these diseases are typical and will not cause any harmful side effects during the therapy.
Contraindications
TMS is contraindications with the patients who get afraid with involvement of the seizures, implanted metallic hardware which involves the usage of some clips, bullet fragment, etc. No such products are involved in this therapy, and one can easily avail of it by searching on the Google tms doctor near me.
Efficacy
Thousands of reviews have been reported, which have given an analysis that TMS gives a clinically relevant benefit without causing any harm to the body of patients. Patients with acute major depression who have also taken the one antidepressant treatment have reported that TMS is a superior placebo treatment for removing stress.
In a meta-analysis conducted by the FDA in which 34 randomized trials were compared TMS with placebo in which, 1383 patients took part with significant problems of depression. After that, it has been reported that TMS is less effective than ECT, but it does not require any general equipment as it is a surgery.
Safety and adverse effects
TMS treatment is generally safe and can easily be tolerated. The most severe effect of this therapy is that tonic-clonic seizure. However, the risk of stroke as compared to another kind of treatment is more minor. Attacks that have occurred were self-limited and required no medications.
Common side effects of TMS
The patients reveal the most common side effects of TMS therapy are headache and scalp pain. In a random trial, it has been reported that persons with major depression problems reported an incidence of headache and scalp pain with around 28% and 16%, respectively. No issues with migraine headaches have been reported.
Headache and scalp pain were used to become higher when the frequency was increased. Topical lidocaine may help to reduce scalp pain in significantly less time. For sensitive patients, the dosage of TMS is relatively more minor at the beginning of the treatment, and it increases with time. Usually, the scalp pain and headache resolve automatically after two weeks of starting the treatment.
Special populations
- Elderly
Elders patients with significant depression problems can take this treatment if the stimulation intensity is sufficient. Prefrontal atrophy in older patients increases the distance between the coil and cortex 2 to 3 cm apart, which does not affect cortical activity.
- Poststroke depression
Generally, depression occurs after a stroke, and TMS helps these patients to avail themselves of the treatment.
- Postpartum and pregnancy depression
For these patients with significant stress problems and depression for small things, studies have suggested that TMS may be possibly safe and secure for those individuals. This treatment is also popularly known as the how-to control mood to relieve the depression symptoms. The patients need to be calm and will ultimately start feeling better after every session.
Conclusion
The bottom line represents that patients who have suffered from significant depression problems and have taken antidepressant medication without any positive effects should visit TMS(Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy. TMS is an exciting and promising therapy that provides long-lasting relief for patients suffering from depression and brain problems. Studies have explored that this therapy is extending its features and applications and its usage in ongoing maintenance treatment.
