Is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy Good for You?

For certain people suffering from major depression, a new medical procedure that sends magnetic pulses to the brain is successful. According to research, the drug can decrease migraine headaches and assist stroke patients in regaining mobility and motor skills.

Magnetic pulses are used in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to activate nerve cells in the brain. It is a non-invasive outpatient procedure that does not necessitate anesthesia, surgery, or hospitalization. Patients who received TMS Los Angeles therapy showed a 50% decrease in depressive symptoms in previous studies.

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has approved TMS therapy for adult patients who have attempted and failed to respond to antidepressant medication. TMS care is currently only available through a few select providers worldwide, and most health insurance policies do not yet provide it.

TMS Therapy's Mechanism of Action

TMS therapy is performed by lightly rubbing a treatment coil against a patient's scalp while sitting in a reclining chair. The coil then sends magnetic fields directly to the part of the brain that regulates mood. The magnetic fields generate tiny electrical currents. The currents then shift the behavior of cells in the brain, which is thought to help with depressive symptoms.

Each session lasts about 40 minutes, and patients are fully awake throughout. Patients usually undergo five weekly treatments over six weeks. During clinical trials, the most common side effect associated with treatment was mild to moderate scalp pain or discomfort.

According to studies, most patients respond best to therapies that deliver 40 consecutive magnetic pulses to the brain over a four-second cycle twice a minute. The length, frequency, and several pulses obtained per session, on the other hand, are determined by the doctor's evaluation of the patient's reaction to the treatment.

Relapse Rates Of Depression Are Lower

According to two recent reports (ECT), patients with severe depression were less likely to relapse after TMS care than after medication or electroconvulsive therapy, according to two recent reports (ECT).

According to the reports, just 10 to 12 percent of patients whose depression initially went into remission after TMS therapy relapsed. The TMS Clinic Los Angeles findings contrast dramatically with a 40% relapse rate experienced by patients who achieved recovery in an anti-depression drug trial, a figure comparable to ECT relapse rates.

TMS Los Angeles

The two TMS reports, which were performed separately, were discussed at the American Psychiatric Association meeting this spring. Patients that had already failed antidepressant medications were qualified for both trials.

Patients in one of the studies were given booster medications if they had observed an improvement in their depressive symptoms for two weeks in a row. Nearly 85% of patients who received booster medications saw an improvement in their depressive symptoms.

After struggling to show meaningful results from at least two prior antidepressant treatments, over half of the participants in a third study discussed at the meeting saw at least a 50% change in their depression after TMS Los Angeles care. A fifth of the patients experienced depression remission. Booster therapies were also used in the study to some extent.

Contacts:

NEW DAWN TMS PSYCHIATRY
640 S San Vicente Blvd, Ste 210, Los Angeles, CA 90048-4654
Phone: 323-424-4593