InSynch Health

What to Expect After TMS Treatment

If you’re taking antidepressants but still feel sad or hopeless, TMS therapy may be able to help. Learn how TMS therapy works and why it might be an option if you have treatment-resistant depression.

Treatment-resistant depression can be a difficult condition to manage, but more therapies are becoming available, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

At InSynch Health in Beaumont, Texas, Mohsin Qayyum, MD, and his team offer TMS therapy and other treatment strategies for depression that can be difficult to treat with traditional medications.

In this blog, Dr. Qayyum explains how TMS therapy works and what you can expect following treatment.

What to know about TMS therapy

TMS therapy is a brain stimulation treatment that uses electromagnetic pulses to alter the activity in your brain. A coil that sits against your scalp delivers pulses of energy into the area of your brain that controls your mood.

The repeated pulses of electromagnetic energy can stimulate nerve cells in your brain and activate areas that play a role in depression symptoms.

While there’s not a clear understanding of why TMS therapy is so effective, many people who have undergone treatment have found lasting relief of their symptoms and have enjoyed an improved mood.

When to consider TMS therapy for depression

Depression is a serious mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness, worthlessness, guilt, and hopelessness. These symptoms can range from mild to severe and increase your risk for self-harm and suicidal thoughts or actions.

Traditional antidepressant medications work well for many people. However, they can become less effective over time. If you’ve tried different types of medications and are still experiencing depression symptoms, it may be time to consider the benefits of noninvasive TMS therapy.

There’s also ongoing research about the effectiveness of TMS therapy for those with other mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Our InSynch Health team provides comprehensive mental health and medical evaluations to determine if TMS therapy is an option for you. We also offer ketamine infusion therapy for difficult-to-treat depression if you’re not a candidate for TMS therapy.

Expectations for TMS therapy

TMS therapy sessions take about 30-60 minutes. During your initial visit, we create a brain map to identify where to place the coil on your head and determine how much energy will be needed to stimulate your brain’s nerve cells. Our team also discusses how many therapy sessions you’ll need. Patients typically have daily sessions for at least four weeks.

Immediately after your TMS session, you’ll be able to drive yourself home and go back to your usual routine. Furthermore, you’ll need to continue taking any antidepressants you’re currently using and stay on track with your psychotherapy (talk therapy) appointments while you complete your series of TMS treatments.

Results of TMS therapy vary from person to person. Many people feel a reduction in their symptoms about 2-4 weeks after their first session. To maintain your results and prevent additional depression symptoms, you may need to schedule more TMS treatments every few weeks or months.

To learn more about TMS therapy and to see if it might be able to help you, call 409-248-2979 or book an appointment online with InSynch Health today.

InSynch Health

✆ Phone (appointments): 281-721-4181

Email: frontdesk@insynchhealth.com

Fax: 949-757-6621

Address: 87 I-10 Service Road, Suite 125, Beaumont, TX 77707