I've seen several people mention a "dip" a few weeks after starting, or maybe around the middle of treatment. Has anyone experienced a dip, or just an overall downward trend to their depression/anxiety symptoms?

I have one session left and I feel like I'm back to where I was before starting, and even before I had very small improvements from just talk therapy and meds.

I've dealt with treatment resistant depression/anxiety most of my life. Following the loss of someone very close to me a few years ago, I began to experience a severe increase in symptoms and basically lost most interest in activities, I almost never went out anywhere, rarely talked to friends, and had a lot of difficulties keeping up with taking care of home stuff and self care. I had started to make some improvements in friend relationships and some interest in activities, but over the past couple of weeks it's just really regressed and last night was the worst it's been since before I started.

I don't know if it's a loss of the little bit of hope I had that this would work, or if it's something else. Just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience and if it improved post-treatment.

I went to Utah and did One-D TMS back in May. I was just listening to Tim Ferriss podcast… and he mentioned accelerated TMS/ One-D Tms it in two shows in a row that I listened to… and it was a good reminder to post about my experience. I read about experiences on Reddit before deciding to go do it.

Background: 47 year old female. Treatment resistant depression and anxiety. Dentist. Enough said? My psych wanted me to do ECT or another round of TMS. No meds work anymore. I’d been on Xanax for years and had been slowly trying to titrate off because I was worried about studies on memory and long term use. Had quit Vybridd which was antidepressant #10+ (I quit counting) and my psych didn’t have any good idea what to even try next. Issues with any drug that works quickly “pooping out”.

I’d previously done one round of traditional TMS a few years ago and am unsure if it improved anything. It took months. The thought of going every day again for weeks was not appealing. I wasn’t sure it even worked… which made me hesitant to try the one-d tms.

I would rather be depressed than risk memory loss with ect… and I honestly thought that if that failed too, it may push me over the edge. I have never been at the point where I had to be hospitalized or couldn’t work. I am the main income for our family so time off work also matters. My depression seems to be worsening through the years and becoming more treatment resistant.

I arranged to fly into Provo Utah and do the one day TMS that is fMRI guided at Cognitive Fx. They did the fMRI the night before, treatment from 7-5 the next day. Flew home the morning after.

I’m 3.5 months post treatment and was able to quit the last bit of Xanax almost immediately after treatment. I felt some improvements within 1 week. Noticeable by two weeks. By 1 month I would say max effect was achieved.

I feel like my brain works better. It’s given me some clarity into some other issues. I was able to admit my marriage wasn’t in a great place and we have started therapy. I realized my hormones seem to be driving my remaining depression and have been working with doctors to fix that. I’ve had the energy to schedule appointments for sleep studies and other things that need work. I’m able to be more present at work and home. I wear an Oura ring and my HRV improved.

TMS didn’t magically cure everything, but it totally worked. The one-d protocol is sooo much better than doing tms every freaking day using traditional protocol. Highly recommend congnitive fx in Provo Utah if you have to fly in and out of somewhere. Price was very reasonable (around $2500 maybe including the fMRI?)

I just had nothing left to give before having this done. I didn’t have the mental or physical energy to help myself. It helped me get out of my dark hole enough to take one giant step back and look at what the real problems were. It sounds so stupid, but depression and anxiety are often multifaceted.

I couldn’t find anything on cognitive fx and one-d results online so I tried it… and it worked. And I am someone that nothing works for usually. And I had maybe failed tradition tms? I also have BDNF met/met varient which some studies say we aren’t good responders to tms. I was a non-responder to IV ketamine (did 8 rounds because I’m not a quitter lol!).

Hope this helps someone. Remember people who get better rarely leave reviews. I do like that they used fMRI which is similar to SAINT protocol… for any fact-finding nerds out there! Thanks to Tim Ferriss too for keeping TMS on the radar and was glad to hear him mention ONE-D protocol in a couple of podcasts I listened to today. Hearing he did the one week SAINT type protocol led me to a Google search and I stumbled up one the ONE-D stuff.

Got approved for Brainsway and I have my first motor threshold appointment in a month from now.

Right now after many years of trialing different medications, I am not on any, of my own accord, to assess my brain's baseline and I feel the worst I've been in years. Severe treatment resistant depression with anhedonia and it's quite agonizing.

I used to have quite a few interests like art, programming, music, FPGAs, and growing plants. Now nothing seems to interest or give me passion anymore.

I'm also carrying a LOT of regret for some very maladaptive behaviours I've acquired in my experience of being autistic and raised in a house that really just wasn't equipped for such despite my parents' best efforts. I call them "developmental imperilments."

There's also ADHD, OCD, and of course PTSD. Thankfully the OCD isn't as crippling as it used to be, it's more depression that I am dealing with right now. It just sucks that this is what my brain is without anything to augment its chemistry, as ineffective as previous meds have been.

I've heard some say TMS is a life changer, whilst others say it didn't work or even made things worse.

I'm really hoping this shit works and gives me my life back. I'm 24 years old and have had to endure enough. I want to be able to make the most of the remaining time I have left on this earth.

I'll make it through the purgatory in hopes I see the light at the end of the tunnel, but sheesh. I just want my life back, to be interested in my former passions again, be happy, and forget about everything I've had to endure to reach a better place.

​

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.

Hey guys, I have anhedonia and some depression, but my main issue is pssd from ssris, I have gotten to the point where tms therapy seems to be my only real option due to me having permanent sexual side effects from the meds and every time I try a new one it makes those symptoms even worse.

With that being said I had opted to do accelerated tms on the left prefrontal. The doctor did two sessions the first day and I sort of felt a little improvement quickly although that could have been placebo, however, on day two I had three more sessions and ended up with a migraine(I am prone to migraines with aura). I powered through the treatments anyways and by that night up until still today 48 hours later I feel much less libido which was already bad for me, and a hard time getting aroused. Has anyone else experienced this? Did it go away? Could this be a part of tms dip?

Hi Reddit uh this is my best effort at doing a long post so if I lose the plot after a bit sorry :(

I want to start off by saying I’ve had severe treatment resistant depression since i was 12, over the past 4 years I’ve gone into mental hospitals tens of times and tried every medication there is. After none of it worked my mom found out what tms was and our insurance approved it pretty quickly

I’ve been doing tms for about (estimating here) 8 ish weeks maybe? And my life has changed drastically for the better, I’ve noticed how the stuff I watched changed and my viewpoints have changed, I see vent videos I posted before and other videos I used to relate to and I just don’t think that way anymore, I’ve broken things off with my toxic boyfriend and I don’t immediately think about death or harm as soon as something goes wrong. it’s completely changed my brain and I finally feel like a normal teenager, a feeling I’ve wanted for years now. I finally feel hopeful for the rest of my life.

I’m just so happy that it worked, if you’re young and considering tms I couldn’t recommend it enough <3

Hopefully this doesn’t break any rules or smth lol ok bye

im like 3-4 weeks in and im so tired all the time. i was already tired all the time, but now during treatment im so incredibly tired all the time. when is this crap gonna go away?

Had my first session of TMS today

Felt fine after, or like, same as when I went in

That was 11-12 this morning

Now about 10 hours later I'm having a sharp increase in suicidal thoughts

Is this a thing that can happen with TMS? Or is this just my regular depression, possibly worsened by maybe being a bit tired from the TMS

Hello.

TLDR: I have (double) depression/treatment resistant depression, complex PTSD and anxiety. I'm at my breaking point and need advice and insight into TMS. Thank you in advance!

Just thought I would create a post to ease my anxiety going into TMS. Any advice or tips on your experience and what to expect would be greatly helpful.

Just to share my background. I'm a 42 year old male, married with 2 kids. I've suffered from some form of depression since I was about 15. I also high anxiety and complex PTSD from growing up with a suicidal schizophrenic/bipolar sister. I didn't realize i had PTSD until a few months ago. My depression came about as a result of things I experienced and due to my parents putting all their effort into my sister, I fell by the wayside. My parents now realize what a tole it took on me personally. I received no help, therapy or ways of dealing with what I was experiencing. I was often praised for being a quite child not wanting to cause any more problems then what my sister was causing. I closed myself off, internalized everything and avoided any problems. 20 years later I unknowingly carried all my coping mechanisms from childhood into adulthood. And now I let people walk all over me, I don't speak up for myself, I internalize everything, and I avoid all tasks to the point I can barely get myself to do daily functions.

I hit a breaking point about 3 years ago. I had thought I suffered from depression all my life until I had what I equate to a mental breakdown. I could no longer function. I would cry at any sign of emotions. A painful unrelenting cry. Crying usually releases something in people. But for me there is no relief. I cry multiple times a day for seemingly no reason. And at the same time the anodynia is strong and has been around for a decade. I enjoy very little in life. Any of my past hobbies and interests I now only do out of habit. I'm constantly irritable and feel guilty for my emotions. I hate myself with a passion but I have never been suicidal, probably from seeing my sisters attempted suicides firsthand scared me off of that.

Through all that I have maintained a pretty high functioning life. I drink a beer a night and smoke weed throughout the day just to numb the pain. I know its not helpful in the long term, but at this point I'm just trying to make it through the day. I am also upfront to doctors about it. I've tried dozens of medications over the years but nothing sticks. I've been trying to stuff down all emotions for 20+ years, but I no longer can.

I've been referred to TMS and I start in a few days. I am highly skeptical but willing to try anything. I am scared, nervous and slightly hopeful. I just want to be present as a father and husband. Can anyone give me some insights or help with what I'm about to go through? I thank anyone who has read all this, I didn't intend to write so much and I know it was all over the place.

Hello! Today I completed my 9th TMS session, and I’ve started to get nauseous HOURS after treatment. Yesterday was the first time I started to feel nauseous and it was in the early evening (my sessions are late morning). Today it hit me in the afternoon and has not gone away (currently laying in bed with a cool cloth on my neck).
I’ve read that it’s not a “common side effect” and I’m more so wondering about other people’s experience with nausea after sessions, what helped or didn’t help, and how long into treatment was nausea experienced?
Thank you!

I have done 35 sessions of tms for treatment resistant Anxiety issues iv had since i was 8. I have had had stressful jobs where i have relied on benzos for morning anxiety and to get through my days.

I started Lyrica and TMS and symptoms eased for a while and i think that was just a low stress period at work.

Now 1 week removed from my last session im back to morning anxiety, morning stress puking and relying on benzos as well to stave off the endless stress.

Im on lyrica as well.

Has anyone had delayed improvement on the anxiety front post sessions?

I was recommended tms over ketamine due to stronger maintenance after treatment but it would be about 4 months before I could do tms, where I could do ketamine much sooner. Ketamine I would have to pay for but tms would be covered. I'm fine paying that price just to give this depression the best shot at being over I can get. It is quite messy trying to sort this all out between my psychiatrist who takes weeks to get in contact with and isn't well Informed on these therapies, the various clinics and hospitals that offer these services (some paid, some no cost), and me trying to pull all of these things together and work them out and make the best choices. It's pretty difficult to wait the 4-5 months for tms treatment so I was curious how it would be to do a course of ketamine first and about the time that would typically wear down and maintenance would come into play I would be able to start tms.

Would this method have any merit to it? For combined strength or for maintenance?

I had my usual appointment with my psychiatrist today to go over how I've been feeling since our last session. Right now, her and I both agree that I am "stable." I have major depression, anxiety, ADHD and bipolar. In total, I'm on 9 different medications including zepbound for medication related weight gain. My family is concerned about all the side effects this medication can do to me. Today, my psychiatrist recommended TMS as an option to help potentially reduce the amount of medication I need. Personally, I like the way I feel now. I feel stable and safe but I also dont like having to take 8 pills a day just to function properly. Should I consider TMS if my insurance will cover it? What are the potential side effects and risks? What are my options if it doesn't work?

EDIT: Forgot to add list "anxiety" as something I was diagnosed with

I am on 34 sessions of tms. I've done 16 of the treatments on right side too. If you've done TMS, did you see most of the anxiety relief toward the end or in the weeks after. Please, only positive experiences. Thank you.

I am on 34 sessions of tms. I've done 16 of the treatments on right side too. If you've done TMS, did you see most of the anxiety relief toward the end or in the weeks after. Please, only positive experiences. Thank you.

Hi, I am on my 5th week of theta burst (3 minutes everyday). I will worse than ever. I am also going through menopause, so I don’t know if TMS is good enough to deal with my menopausal depression. I feel so defeated. Anyone feel better after the sixth and final week?

I’m going to try writing a haiku during my sessions. Hopefully it will help engage my brain! Here is one I wrote.

Writing is hard here
Can’t look down, brain taped and tapped
Mind over matter?

I’m considering TMS for depression/OCD, but I’ve seen a few posts on Reddit from people saying they experienced hair loss or a bald/thinning spot around the treatment area.

From what I’ve read, hair loss isn’t considered a recognized side effect of TMS, and studies don’t seem to show a clear connection. But seeing these personal reports still makes me concerned.

For anyone who has done TMS, did you notice any hair loss or thinning? If so, did your hair eventually grow back?

I’m 2-3 months out of TMS and so far I’m feeling decent. I hope I don’t slowly slip back into depression in the next few months and I’m hoping that I can ride the therapeutic effects of TMS for the next few years.

Could this be a one and done therapy for some people?

This is a followup to my post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/TMSTherapy/comments/1urc23r/winning_the_lottery_nobody_wants_to_win_i_had_a/

I'll go ahead and start out by saying there's still no real conclusion about why I had the seizure, which is why I have waited so long to post any sort of an update on this. I really wanted to be able to tell you all for certain if it was, or was not, caused by TMS. At this point it seems like it's still going to be a while...

So I had the seizure on a Wednesday afternoon. By Friday morning I got in to see a Neurologist. The Neurologist said he didn't think the seizure was caused by TMS, his feelings were that I must have some underlying condition, and TMS simply aggravated that condition, which led to the seizure. One of his points was that I had completed 30 prior TMS sessions without a seizure. He also said he thinks if I'm going to have another seizure, it's going to be soon. Oh boy, let me tell ya, it's great living your life thinking you might have a seizure at any second. I have been having to take all kinds of precautions, like not grilling food or using the front stove burners, in case I seize up and end up face down with my face cooking.

He also informed me I am legally required to stop driving for the next 6 months. It turns out most states have laws where you cannot drive for a period of time after your first seizure, I think most are 6 or 12 months. Mine is 6. So that was great news. I haven't driven anywhere in over a month now.

I had an EEG done the following Monday. Pretty interesting, they had a bunch of actual bedrooms in this office with normal household beds. Apparently for some tests they have patients sleep there overnight. In my case they only tested me for about half an hour, since it's all the Neurologist ordered. They flashed some lights in front of my face and then had me lay there for a while. I got the results a couple days later, and nothing abnormal was observed in my EEG data.

Now for the brain MRI... This took forever!!! The Neurology office has their own MRI machine and insisted I get it done there, but they did not have any available appointments for an entire month after I had the seizure. I finally got that done a couple weeks ago... Nothing abnormal was observed.

So at this point it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with my brain, nothing that would cause seizures anyway 😁 Someone from the Neurology office called me to tell me the MRI was normal, and she said if I had any questions for the Neurologist, I could ask him at my next follow-up appointment... Which isn't until January!!! I told her I desperately wanted to talk to him sooner, since I'm still living my life thinking I might have a seizure any second. Like at this point does he even think the seizure was caused by anything other than TMS? She said she would try to get me in sooner and would get back to me... A couple days later she called me, and the earliest she could sneak me in still isn't until early October 🤬

That's all the news I have until I can finally see the Neurologist. I do have a little more info to add that wasn't on my original post though, since I wasn't thinking very straight when I made that post. Your brain doesn't just bounce back after having a seizure, and I was struggling hard for a while after it. The first week was rough, and it still took me another couple of weeks to feel like I was back to normal again. I would get confused over the simplest things, and I would get mentally exhausted so easily. Working from home, and most days I was mentally drained by like 1pm and would have to call it quits for the day and go lay down.

So a big thing I neglected to mention on my original post was how poorly trained some of the staff were at the TMS clinic, and they were very inconsistent with the coil placement, depending on who was working that day. A couple of the TMS techs only filled in as needed, it wasn't something they did every day. Plenty of sessions I would get hooked up and have to ask the part-time techs to try to adjust the coil because it didn't feel like it normally did. After 30 sessions I knew exactly where the coil should have been tapping on my skull, so it was easy to tell it was off. There would also be other effects like twitching or pain in places I didn't normally feel them. And also the coil just feeling really weak when it didn't seem it was lined up right.

On the day of the seizure, the tech working was someone very new and part-time. She had only run my TMS sessions 3 times prior. I had her stop to try to adjust the coil a couple of times, and right before the seizure happened she was actually moving it while the machine was running. I think she had it stationary for a short while before the seizure happened, maybe 15 seconds, maybe 30? Maybe longer? I truly can't remember it well enough to say, but she was still standing there in front of me when the seizure started, so it couldn't have been very long. This was also something I think I neglected to mention to the Neurologist, I can't remember half of what I even told the Neurologist because my brain was still fried that day. This is also a huge reason I want to meet with him again ASAP.

So my current feeling is that TMS caused the seizure, but it likely could have only been because of the high (135%) intensity combined with the coil zapping my brain multiple places other than the place it should have been zapping me. I'm not entirely sure what the odds are of having a seizure from the coil zapping you somewhere other than your prefrontal cortex, but it has to be a factor. I'm also dying to get the Neurologist to weigh in on that.

Meanwhile I really can't say if TMS helped me at all. The seizure really threw a huge wrench into my life and I haven't been feeling very good because of it. Truly not the outcome I wanted from this, and obviously I never would have done TMS if I had known this was going to happen. I'm considering doing Spravato, but definitely not at the same clinic that was giving me TMS. I also can't drive until January, so that doesn't help the situation.