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Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a treatment for depression that can dramatically improve your mood even when nothing else works. If you’re getting nowhere with your current treatment, talk to Lawrence Abah DNP, MS, MSN, PMHNP-BC, FNP-BC, FPA, at Holistic Behavioral & TMS Therapy in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lawrence and his team achieve outstanding results using noninvasive, drug-free TMS for treatment-resistant depression. Call Holistic Behavioral & TMS Therapy today or book an appointment online to determine if TMS is the right choice for you.
What is TMS therapy?
TMS is a treatment for depression. It has FDA approval for patients with major depressive disorder that isn’t responding to other treatments.
TMS therapy is noninvasive, meaning it doesn’t involve surgery. You don’t need anesthesia or sedation and remain awake and alert during your treatment. TMS is also drug-free.
Medical insurance often covers TMS if depression controls your life. You need to try at least two antidepressant medications without success, or your current medication must be causing side effects that outweigh any benefits.
How does TMS therapy work?
TMS uses magnetic energy very similar to that in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. The magnetic energy stimulates areas of your brain that are causing depression.
TMS technology gives out short pulses of magnetic energy directly to the area of your brain that’s responsible for mood regulation and emotional judgment.
The rapid magnetic pulses pass painlessly through your skull. As they reach the target areas of your brain, they stimulate underactive brain cells. With regular treatments, TMS therapy reactivates these parts of your brain, improving your mood.
What happens when I have TMS therapy?
For your TMS therapy session, you sit in a comfortable treatment chair. Your provider performs tests to find the best places for the TMS coils on your head. They also measure your motor threshold — the minimum quantity of power it takes to make your thumb twitch — to determine the energy needed to stimulate your brain cells.
Your provider adjusts the TMS coil and places it on your head, near the front of your brain. When the treatment begins, you may hear some clicking sounds and feel a tapping sensation. After your TMS therapy, you can go about your day as usual.
Each TMS therapy session takes 15-20 minutes. For the best results, you need to have sessions five days a week for 4-6 weeks. Most people experience a significant reduction in their depression symptoms after TMS therapy, and around 50% of patients report a complete recovery.
To learn more about TMS therapy and how it can relieve your depression, call Holistic Behavioral & TMS Therapy today or request an appointment online.