TMS THERAPY
FDA-cleared, non-medication depression treatment
Mary El Grammer
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is a relatively new procedure in psychiatry, and the full range of benefits it can offer has yet to be revealed. You may be wondering whether you should get TMS therapy or whether you would be a good candidate for the treatment. Here's a look at the factors you should consider and why finding a trusted TMS provider is more important than you might expect.
TMS is a safe and often effective treatment that uses gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain involved in regulating mood. These areas are underactive in people with depression, and by stimulating them, TMS can boost the brain's ability to regulate mood, relieving depression symptoms. TMS therapy for depression was cleared by the
Food and Drug Administration in 2008, and TMS for
obsessive-compulsive disorder was cleared in 2018.
TMS can be especially helpful for patients who are treatment resistant. TMS candidates will usually have tried at least two antidepressants and found little or no relief. While TMS therapy is a promising option for many people with depression or OCD, not everyone is a candidate for TMS. Here are some factors that may impact your ability to receive TMS therapy for depression or OCD.
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Insurance companies generally require that a patient try at least two antidepressants before
insurance will cover TMS therapy because TMS is more expensive than medications. You can try TMS without having taken antidepressants if you are opposed to medication, but you will likely have to pay for it yourself. Even though the FDA has cleared
TMS for OCD, for now it is usually not covered by insurance.
Because TMS therapy uses powerful magnets, some patients may have medical issues that need to be carefully considered before moving forward with TMS. These issues are known as contraindications, and the most common examples include:
TMS is a rapidly evolving science, and some providers might make unrealistic promises about its effects when the full details aren't entirely known. Dr. William Sauvé, Greenbrook TMS's Virginia regional medical director, notes that the conditions for which TMS is being considered as a treatment are "legion." "Anywhere in the brain that you can reach with a magnetic field, I think someone is trying to figure out what would happen if you stimulated that," he said. "At least two device manufacturers announced they were going to be looking for an FDA approval for PTSD."
At Greenbrook TMS, we consider the risks and benefits of each case and decide whether other treatments might be better evidenced or safer than TMS. We always take the patient's preference into account and devise the best care plan for each individual. One of the benefits of getting TMS therapy at Greenbrook TMS is that we have a team of doctors—some of the nation's most prominent TMS experts—who make up our Clinical Advisory Committee. "For now, more than 3 million people have treatment-resistant depression, and they need to come get TMS," said Dr. Geoffrey Grammer, Greenbrook TMS chief medical officer. "They shouldn't be suffering."
If you would like to give TMS a try, consider scheduling a free consultation to discuss any questions or concerns you might have.
Take our 6 question quiz to see if TMS therapy could be right for you
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