What is TMS?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive treatment option for patients suffering from neurological and mental health conditions such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance abuse disorders. Patients seek TMS therapy when medications fail to provide the relief they require to live their best lives.
How does TMS work?
In major depressive disorder, the brain is less active, which results in depressive symptoms. TMS generates a magnetic field that stimulates the brain, releasing neurochemicals that result in an anti-depressive effect. The electricity from the TMS machine generates an electromagnetic field that enters the brain. This generates electrical activity in the neurons of the prefrontal cortex, releasing neurochemicals that result in an anti-depressive effect.
Is there a magnet inside the TMS machine?
What To Expect in a Session?
A typical TMS session lasts between 15-40 minutes. Your clinician sets you up and monitors your progress throughout the session. We use a state-of-the-art Magstim Horizon TMS machine to deliver healing electromagnetic pulses to targeted areas of the brain.
You’ll remove any magnetic-sensitive objects from your person, like jewelry, credit cards and cell phones. You get comfortable in a chair and put earplugs in to protect your hearing.
The clinician measures the motor hotspot and motor threshold to determine the exact location and level of electromagnetic energy.
After entering the treatment parameters, the clinician applies the TMS coil to the specific portion of the brain and begins treatment.
While our sophisticated Magstim TMS machine operates, the patient may hear clicking noises and feel a light tapping sensation against their head. That is the magnetic sound, which generates an electromagnetic impulse, which travels from the scalp to the targeted area for brain stimulation.
Traveling more than 45 minutes to get to our location is Shaker Heights, OH? Ask about our Residential TMS Program. We’ll make sure you have accommodations while you get treatment.
Are There Any Side Effects?
The most common side effect in TMS patients is headaches and scalp or neck soreness immediately after a session. These side effects tend to occur following a patient’s first few sessions and quickly dissipate over the TMS treatment course. TMS therapy is proven safe.
Other FAQs
TMS is a non-invasive treatment option that directly stimulates specific areas of the brain with magnetic energy. During a TMS session, the treatment triggers change in your brain’s circuitry to address the patient’s condition.
Active treatment time varies by the protocol used but may be as short as 3 minutes, lowering your session visit duration to 15-20 minutes. After your treatment you can go about your day, from driving to working. The number of TMS sessions required varies from patient to patient. Effects continue to take shape after the session ends.
TMS provides patients with relief from a wide range of conditions and diseases without medication medication or ECT. This means patients don’t need to experience the adverse side effects of drugs or long post-anesthesia recovery periods following ECT.
During your initial evaluation, all your medications are reviewed. At that time, your medication regimen may be modified, simplified, reduced, or otherwise adjusted. From that time, you will remain on that regimen while receiving your course of TMS treatment.
We start off with a free consultation, where we’ll determine if TMS is right for you.
If we proceed with the treatment, the cost is $300 for the initial mapping session and for a motor threshold re-determination session. The remaining 28 sessions cost $200 per treatment. Thus, the total self-pay cost for TMS is $6,200.
