[bos314489]

I am looking into this outpatient procedure and wanted to know if anyone has done this thanks

[Rohag]

Hello, Bos314489!

I have not had TMS therapy (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), but my pdoc has said he would prefer TMS to ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), and he has experience administering ECT.

I understand TMS gained FDA approval around 2008.

[shery53]

A woman at my support group had it and sel paid for it. She did not notice any improvemnet. I myself had ECT and it saved my life and allowed me to go home from the hospital when drugs did not help.

[Consumed84]

Yes, I tried TMS treatments for well over two years (I was also on meds) starting in 2010. Every day for 40 days to begin and then I went down to about three times a month. Honestly it *did* help for a while, especially after the first 40 days were over, but as time went on it just seemed like they were not helping me any more. A lot of the less severe patients apparently did well and didn't even need maintenance after the first 40 days... but the few people who had bipolar or depression really badly like me had to keep coming back for maintenance treatments.

Eventually after two years of "maintenance" treatments each month, I got tired of doing it. The cost was extremely high and I didn't feel it was worth it. It wasn't helping me any longer. I'm an extreme case as I have major treatment-resistant depression so maybe it was helpful to the less severe cases. I don't know.

However now I have some blood vessels that have swelled in the back of my right eye, just below where the TMS was actually done; the eye doctor doesn't know what has caused it and the TMS nurses said it couldn't have been the TMS treatments... but I suspect it was. I just hope the swelling goes down and nothing bad happens to my eye due to it. :/

[PrairieCat]

I had TMS about a ear and a half ago. It did not do away with my depression but two things occurred: It woke me up, as if I had been sleepwalking through my life. I became a different person and am much more aware of the details of my life now. I am more alive and more awake. I believe I was over-medicated at the time, too. The other thing TMS did for me was it banished my fibomyalgia completely. I knew this was a possibility and that's another thing it can possibly do for some. It is terribly expensive. I am glad I did it even though my insurance did not pay for it. Cost can vary from $8K to over $11K. It is a risk, no guarantees whatsoever. I was quite desperate to do this. Not one person in my large family was interested in it at all, didn't even ask me about it. So, f--- them. I think it took a lot of courage for me to do this! I was quite vulnerable afterwards and it took me months to realize fully what good things it did for me. While doing it, it was quite pleasurable and it made me laugh a lot. So I knew something was working. The doc did not even ask for follow up, so I never told him anything. He didn't care, he was in it for the big money and also he was not my regular psych. I ended up leaving my old psych who never believed anything I told her and treated me as if I were retarded and I found a whole new psyche who I feel secure with now. TMS was an amazing experience for me. An acquaintance of mine also did it about the same time I did. I have no idea what it did for her. I think she was perhaps schizo. I am not friends with her anymore as she was afraid of meds and thought that the right foods and vitamins and supplements could cure mental illness. I am not putting down eating correctly and taking vitamins, as everyone needs to do that, regardless of their condition. But this gal was so wrong about meds. I did let her know that and said 'bye to her.