Do You Suffer From Drug Resistant Depression? TMS May Help.

New research is showing that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has significant benefits for many sufferers of treatment-resistant major depressive disorder. At Amen Clinics, we have found TMS to be an effective option for many patients. Treatment of depression with TMS is effective for many people; it is safe, easy and there are virtually no side effects. Now we know that for some people whose depression doesn’t seem to be resolved with medication, supplements or psychotherapy, TMS is a viable option for long-term relief. Some depressed adults just don’t get results from medication, or the side effects from medication are too much to bear. In 2008 the FDA approved transcranial magnetic stimulation for treating depressed adults for whom at least one antidepressant has failed to effectively resolve the symptoms of depression. TMS works by using pulsed magnetic fields to stimulate neurons in the parts of your brain that affect mood. The result is increased blood flow and glucose metabolism, which may elevate your mood. The recent study was led by investigator Linda L. Carpenter, MD, assistant professor, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine, and chief, Mood Disorders Program, Butler Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island. It involved over 300 patients from across the nation who suffered from “drug resistant” depression, and it showed two important results:

1.  Acute treatment with TMS provided symptomatic improvement in 62% of patients, and 41% of patients experienced complete remission.
2. After 12 months, out of those who had gotten relief from that acute TMS treatment, 68% achieved symptomatic improvement, and 45% reported complete remission.

It should be noted that the benefits of the acute treatment coincided with a common sense course of continuing antidepressant medication and additional TMS treatments when symptoms reoccurred.

Amen Clinics Approach to TMS

We added transcranial magnetic stimulation to our arsenal of treatments options at Amen Clinics because we understand that no two brains are alike. Some brains do not respond as well to medication or supplements as others; some brains are more powerfully impacted by physical exercise and dietary changes; some respond well to magnetic stimulation. Often, it’s the right mix of many treatments that makes the difference. At Amen Clinics, we find that TMS is most effective when guided by SPECT imaging that tells us what is happening physiologically in the patient’s brain. You can contact our brain health advisors at Amen Clinics online here, or call at 888-288-9834.