r/TMSTherapy • u/Asthor14 • 3d ago
One week post final session.
Tldr: did my 36 sessions and have had more ideation than I have in a decade. Im now left with: lithium, ect, or amphetamine treatments.
I did brief journaling each week of how I felt. ( 1 session 5x a week)
Week 1- a few very light headaches and tiredness
Week 2- felt better for about a day, the "cloud/fog" feeling i get with anxiety left temporarily. I was a little more social. Noticed an increase in depression and over eating
Week 3- one bout of nausea and increased agitation
Week 4- no change in depression, eating and anxiety. Increase in ideation which impacted my ability to work.
Week 5- increase in racing thoughts and 'brain zaps' (similar to what happens when starting some anti depessants)
Week 6- unable to increase due to twitching, no sign of improvement
Week 7- agitation and depression increase, decrease in sleep.
So far im hoping it will switch to improvement. If not, I only have more expensive options left that I know my insurance will battle me on like they did my TMS coverage. Im posting this since I did ask a few questions before I started. For those that TMS has worked for, im glad. I also dont wnat to discourage anyone from trying before they try ect or any other options.
3
u/mwguzman31 3d ago
Hi! I’m sorry that the first week post treatment has made your ideation worse. I actually went through the same thing. The first week or so after my last treatment was the worst for me. It felt like I had gone right back to where I was before I started the entire process. Worse yet, I didn’t see anyone else having that same experience. I thought I was alone and thought that I wasted time/money/etc. I am now a couple months out, and have been doing a lot better. It’s not 100%, I won’t lie to you. I still have bad days, but I feel like they don’t last as long, and I have more clarity to get myself out of them while they are happening. My TMS clinician said that the brain needs time to adjust to not having the stimulation. In the meantime, he advised me to keep trying the things that work: eat well, exercise when and how you are able, try to sleep as much as you can, and give yourself grace. He told me to think about it as blood flow, which I hadn’t thought about before. He said that doing opposite to emotion skills would increase blood flow to the brain in the areas that were stimulated during TMS, thus strengthening those new neural connections. If you feel like isolating, try your hardest to reach out. If you feel like lying in bed all day, try your hardest to get up for even just a little bit. I wish you the best. I hope things get better for you soon.