Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a new medication therapy to cure depression. It uses a magnetic coil to apply electrical pulses into the brain of the patient.
Being a new medical device, many people often have different perceptions, not understanding the actual facts and myth. There are several misunderstandings about TMS treatment and how the therapy works. Many people are spreading inaccurate information that has no basis.
For some reason, such false information can scare some patients dealing with stress and decorations. Also, several studies have proven the safety of TMS.
The results according to BasePointPsychiatry have shown that, indeed, the therapy is safe and effective enough to help people. Here are some of the common myths associated with TMS treatment.
1. TMS Therapy consumes a lot Of Time
If you have heard about the TMS Therapy taking too long to complete, you are mistaken. In fact, it is confirmed that the treatment will take at most 2 hours, and the patient is on his way back home.
For some patients, it only needs 30 minutes, and the process will be over. Once you make an appointment with the right medical experts, you can make your TMS treatment easier even if you are the world’s busiest guy.
Since the therapy is non-invasive, you don’t need to spend time nursing any wounds. The next minute after TMS treatment, you will be dealing with your normal daily activities.
2. TMS Treatment Is Only Suitable For Adults
TMS therapy is proven to work perfectly for its intended treatment. However, the FDA is yet to approve patients below the age of 22. There are no reports showing adolescents portraying any adverse reactions towards this medication.
TMS is among the perfect depression remedy for adolescents. It was discovered after the failure of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy.
On the contrary, a high percentage of children who have successfully undergone TMS treatment have shown a positive response towards the treatment by showing improvement in cognitive development and memory.
3. TMS Therapy Adverse Negative Effect on the Patient
When we wrote this piece, there was no evidence tabled again the use of TMS treatment being unsafe. From young to old patients, none has so far portrayed signs of severe effects. What people speculate is not far from rumors.
If you have been looking for a form of managing depression without long-term side effects, TMS could work best.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) provides long-term efficacy in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (MDD), a new study shows. Previous trials have demonstrated that TMS is a safe and effective therapy for exacerbations in individuals with treatment-resistant MDD. However, long-term treatment outcomes in this patient population have remained unclear.
According to data from a multicenter longitudinal naturalistic observational study, acute TMC resulted in statistically and clinically significant response and remission in patients with resistant MDD during the acute phase; these results persisted for 52 weeks.
At 4-6 weeks of TMC use, 264 (62%) patients in the overall sample (with no effect from prior antidepressant medication) achieved symptomatic improvement, and 41% reported complete remission with intensive therapy for MDD exacerbation.
Thereafter, 257 of them continued a 12-month long-term follow-up phase in which the exacerbation treatment regimen was followed. At the end, 68% of the patients achieved symptomatic improvement, and 45% reported complete remission. The effect was maintained with a rational regimen of antidepressants and TMS when relapse symptoms returned.
4. Medical Insurance Doesn’t Cover TMS Treatment
Who told you this? Don’t rely on rumors to get yourself treated using your medical cover. Many insurance companies accept and cover TMS treatment. Find out if yours is among them.
You should note that the cost of treatment depends entirely on the individual case. However, before any therapy commences, your patient advocate must review your insurance benefits for verification. It is essential to do this to understand the cost implications before getting started with treatment.
It is also vital to note that not all providers are the same. Others will charge you for everything upfront and pay cash and file your insurance. In contrast, others will offer different payment options.
5. TMS Therapy works the same as ECT by Shocking your Brain
There is a big difference between Transcranial magnetic stimulation and treatment with electroconvulsive therapy. Both serve to manage severe depression, but TMS is an improvement of the latter.
While ECT stimulates the entire brain using current from electricity, TMS uses magnetic impulses to strengthen the brain’s ability to regulate mood. The latter is noninvasive, meaning that it works perfectly in an outpatient setting. Unlike ECT, the patient walks home confidently a minute after the therapy.
The safety of the brain stimulation procedure is a multilevel challenge, including prevention and management of adverse effects, strategies for patient selection and stimulation protocols, and ensuring patient safety and monitoring during the procedure. Common unwanted effects of TMS include neck pain and headache, syncope, and transient hearing changes. The risk of provoking an epileptic seizure is extremely low and minimized with careful patient selection and the use of safe stimulation protocols. When planning the TMS procedure, it is important to select patients taking into account a large number of risk factors for adverse effects, as well as absolute and relative contraindications for stimulation.
Today, the maximum allowable values of the listed parameters are regulated in the safety guidelines, and their change is allowed only in clinical trials. To ensure safety, a number of organizational measures must be observed, including monitoring the patient’s condition during the procedure and the possibility of providing qualified assistance in case of adverse events.
6. TMS therapy is only the patient head, but effects wore off after
Before implementing TMS treatment, for national institute of mental health funded several tests and trials of the therapy to pinpoint its effectiveness using a double-blind controlled group.
During a study back in 2007, about 150 patients received TMS therapy while about 140 patients received fake TMS treatment. The first group portrayed better results than the latter.
There is always a physical change with regards to the communication after a patient has undergone TMS treatment. For over a decade, the TMS treatment has proven effective for people suffering from depression and related disorders.
