The Procedure
To most effectively administer treatment, Dr. Martin needs to perform an assessment to identify your motor threshold. This test is important because it identifies the exact strength of the magnetic field calibrated to each individual.
During this initial procedure, Dr. Martin will also determine the position where NeuroStar TMS treatment should be applied for optimal response and is patient specific.
After the initial treatment appointment, routine NeuroStar TMS Therapy will be administered over an additional 35 sessions. The sensor will deliver rapid magnetic pulses in a series of intervals. These pulses will feel like tapping on your scalp. Initially, some patients may find this tapping uncomfortable; however, most patients observe that any discomfort has completely resolved after the first few treatment sessions.
Side Effects
The most common temporary side-effects of NeuroStar TMS treatment have been a headache or discomfort at the site of stimulation. These are common temporary mild side-effects which usually improve as further treatment sessions are administered. If necessary, you can treat this discomfort with an over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol. If these side-effects persist, the strength of the magnetic pulses being administered can be reduced in order to make treatment more comfortable for you.
In clinical trials, most patients who benefited from NeuroStar TMS Treatment experienced results by the fourth week of treatment. Some patients may experience results in less time, while others may take longer. You should discuss your depression symptoms with your physician, your therapist, the TMS Clinical Coordinators and Dr. Martin throughout the NeuroStar TMS treatment course.
Testimonials
“I have been struggling with major depression and anxiety for 15 years. I have seen several psychiatrists, psychologists and counselors and have been on numerous medications and nothing seemed to remove the cloud I was living under. Dr. Martin believed I was a good candidate for TMS. TMS helped me get “unstuck” from where I’ve been so negative and numb. Now, looking out from my deep, dark hole there is a shed of light called hope. TMS has given me HOPE. Dr. Martin and his staff at Tranquility TMS Center demonstrate professionalism and a genuine kindness that I will never forget.”
-O.C.P
“It has been nearly two months since I made the decision to start TMS treatment at Tranquility and I recently took a moment to look back at some journal entries from around that same time. Reviewing them certainly reminds me of those endless hours, but the emotions are so far away from what I feel today, that I hardly recognize my own writing. The words are of a woman who was desperate, confused, hopeless and unable to see anything past sadness and guilt and fear. My heart goes out to her, because I know that she did not expect to live for another year. She could see darkness taking over and knew that she no longer had the strength or the will to do anything but succumb.
At the same time, I also know I wanted to get better. I was so hopeful and impatient for results from treatment. After twenty sessions, yes I began to see a change. Was it overnight? Probably not, but I clearly remember waking up one day and feeling not sad. I wanted to spend time with my family, get out of my bedroom and be alive. I was excited about doing things, even hard things, and found myself asking, “What am I going to do with all that time I spent being miserable??”
Today I have just three sessions left. To say that I have had success just does not begin to describe my experience. Depression and anxiety are so different from other illnesses. So to measure how one’s life can change from remission is nearly impossible. It changes everything, especially the lives of the people around you. I may feel better now than I ever have in my adult life, even if that is just the “normal” mood for people who do not suffer from mental disease. It is hard to describe because when you are at your lowest, your mind cannot imagine what normal feels like. It’s like when someone asks you to imagine a trillion of something. The image just isn’t there.
So! This letter is to say thank you. Thank you for saving me and thank you for giving me back my children and my career and my friends. I cry happy tears now. Someone once told me in my job that I was “doing God’s work” and I thought, wow, what higher compliment is there than that? I wish to say to each of you now, you are truly doing God’s work. You will be blessed!
With love and appreciation,
-A.D.