transcranial magnetic stimulation (tms)

[Joshgw]

Has anyone had success with this. Just had ECT inpatient at hospital and didn't help. I'm severely depressed and desperate. Very drug resistant Any help greatly appreciated. Thanks! Josh.

[samack]

I don't know about TMS except there are mixed results. I've been med resistant. My insurance wouldn't cover ketamine, but I understand that also may help harder to treat. Also I tried modafinil which had decent results except I couldn't tolerate side effects. Now on a SSRI with a SNRI plus abilify and lamotrigine and Adderall w hich works better than not. I guess that other nonmed interventions do the rest.

[Joshgw in reply to samack]

Thanks for responding. I've heard the same mixed results about TMS myself (hence, my post). Good luck...

[Hidden]

I don’t know about that. I’ve thought about trying TMS myself, I’m on Medicare and Medicaid for health insurance so I’m not sure it would be covered. Sad that you went through shock therapy and it didn’t help, I’ve sworn to myself that no matter how bad I get, I am never trying shock therapy. How is your memory now? Last year a strange psychiatrist I didn’t see for very long was recommending that I try Ketamine. I was curious about it but the bottom line is it’s a lot of money and isn’t covered by my insurance and it’s not clear to me if anyone really has success being on that long term. I think some people try it and then realize how much that’s costing them and they can’t afford it. I know how some people become treatment resistant but I still think the psychiatric medications are the best route to go.

[Marysblue]

No I haven't had experience but I saw on 60 Minutes a few months back that there s a new one that's going to be targeted transcranial magnets that is not been approved yet. It is a lot more effective. You can probably Google the 69 min story.

I looked into having that done a few years ago and it was cost prohibitive. Took a lot of sessions and a lot of money. And I don't think Insurance paid for it at that time. Could have changed though.

[ziggypiggy]

I think it works better depending on the underlying cause of the depression. Mine is from a deeply ingrained personality disorder developed over my childhood. I also did do ECT and gave TMS a try. Although my doctor hoped for goid results he did stress that they may not work because of the PD. Didn't see a difference. I'm at the point in psychotherapy where I have to accept that I am ok with who i am right now and that all the effort to change who i am is only compounding my suffering.

Easier said than done in doing that. Everyday is a struggle in acceptance and it can wear you out.

[AdamFCastillo31]

Well, not really someone close to me tried this method but it didn't work well for him. Its results may vary from person to person but to deal with depression. Therapists talk about possible reasons for depression and guide on ways to fight it. Some experts use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to reduce negative thoughts and teach more effective thinking patterns. It is worth noting that other treatments address interpersonal conflicts or traumatic experiences that can trigger depressive episodes.

Try coping strategies along with counseling I am sure you will find it helpful.

Best of luck.

[qru55]

Hello everyone, I am going to try wake therapy, or it also call restricted sleep therapy for depression, is anyone have experience with this therapy? Please advise thank you 🙏🏻

[tiredswedge]

I have done TMS a few times with great results. I am drug resistant, taking quite a cocktail of pills to keep me going. It takes a commitment of time, 36 sessions for 40 minutes each. I had no side effects, except feeling hungry after each session. After two weeks I saw results, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I could get small tasks done and started to get my steps in. After all the sessions, my emotions were stable and I could do things like go to Walmart by myself, previously impossible. It did not get me off of any drugs, but, rather, allowed the drugs to work like they are supposed to. It did wear off after a few months and i would have to go back for another round. The biggest drawback for me is price. FDA has approved TMS for drug resistant depression, but I'm diagnosed with bipolar-2, so my insurance doesn't pay for it. I spent what I could on treatment. I am hopeful my insurance will see the benefit of paying for TMS. Side note, I also did ECT when I hit bottom. ECT did what it was supposed to and I could see that life was worth while. It also did a job on my memory. It's been 15 years since ECT and I never went back to that low point, but I still have chunks of memory gone. My husband told me we had gone to a Prince concert. No memory of that. Who forgets a Prince concert?! LOL