The TMS Treatment Experience: What To Expect

The West Coast TMS Experience: A Message from our TMS Coordinator

After you receive your TMS consultation, are confirmed as an appropriate candidate for TMS therapy, and decide to undergo TMS — what should you expect?

Pre-TMS Treatment.

It is natural to feel nervous before undergoing any procedure, but it should reassure you that TMS is generally a safe and well-tolerated treatment. Sometimes, scalp discomfort or headache is experienced during the initial treatments, but it usually wears off quickly as you acclimate to the therapy. Generally, these headaches tend to be transient, mild-to-moderate in nature and easily treated or prevented with an over-the-counter pain medicine.

First Day of TMS Treatment.

On your first day, be prepared to spend approximately two hours resting in the TMS chair as Dr. Stein carefully determines the coordinates of the precise treatment location, for use in subsequent TMS treatment sessions. Individualizing the treatment strength and location is a completely painless and passive procedure for patients and takes approximately an hour. Once this is accomplished, you immediately start your first TMS treatment.

The usual TMS treatment for depression feels like a repetitive tapping sensation on your scalp for 4 seconds, with a 26 second pause, followed by tapping for 4 seconds and so forth. This process continues for a little over thirty minutes, though you should expect to be at our office for about an hour to account for preparation time and the treatment itself. Before each treatment you are provided with earplugs to reduce irritation from the noise of the TMS machine, which sounds like a very loud old typewriter. In the event you feel uncomfortable, adjustments will be made for your wellbeing by our staff, who will be monitoring you carefully at all times.

Treatment Phase. Patients tend to acclimate to the procedures quite rapidly, to the point that they can rest comfortably while watching relaxation DVDs, listening to music, talking with staff, or participating in meditation. You will need to be able to come to TMS therapy 5 days a week for 4 to 6 weeks. TMS therapy does not work immediately; typically, a patient needs to complete 4 to 6 weeks of treatments to begin to show improvements in mood. Some patients may even show improvements after only 2 weeks, while others (usually those with a severe longstanding depression) may take longer than 6 weeks. We find that some patients take longer than others to realize that they are getting better.

Taper Phase. After patients respond to TMS with significant improvement in their symptoms, we usually taper TMS treatments over a three-week period.

Overall, TMS is an effective and safe treatment for depression. We at West Coast TMS Institute look forward to being a part your journey towards a fuller, more satisfying life.

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