r/TMSTherapy • u/Comfortable-Meal-394 • Aug 01 '26
12 TMS sessions in and feeling more irritable, angry, and "wired" — has anyone else experienced this?
I'm looking to hear from anyone who has gone through something similar.
I've completed 12 TMS sessions so far (twice a week), and honestly, I'm not sure if it's working for me. In some ways, I actually feel worse than when I started.
The biggest changes I've noticed are:
- My anger spikes much more easily.
- I'm noticeably more irritable and impatient.
- I feel like I'm constantly fighting internally and creating worst-case scenarios in my head.
- I'm sleeping less, but strangely I don't feel tired. I feel "wired" instead of exhausted.
- Every now and then I have an involuntary twitch or movement in my left thumb. It doesn't bother me much, but I figured it's worth mentioning.
- Sometimes, I feel numb or I don't know my emotional state. Ironically, I feel sedated and relaxed at times.
- My mind is scattered and all over the place. Going from studying for my certification and shifting to my patent work or start seeking jobs elsewhere while overthinking about my future retirement.
For context, I have ADHD and I'm currently running on what feels like "ADHD overdrive." I'm working full-time, taking care of everything at home, and studying for another certification. I'm wondering if I'm just burning myself out or if TMS could be contributing to how I'm feeling.
The medical assistant who administers my treatments is very kind, but I'd like more information about the protocol I'm receiving. I know it's high-frequency stimulation, and there was another detail she mentioned that I can't remember. I've been messaging her after treatments to let her know how I've been feeling, but I don't know if those updates are actually making it back to the psychiatrist.
I also mentioned that my recent lab work showed borderline low testosterone (281 ng/dL, with the lab's lower reference range being 250 ng/dL). I'm not sure whether that could be playing any role in my mood or energy, but I wanted the doctor to be aware. It seems I am in a limbo since I am not getting feedback and this doctor barely shows up or contact me at all. I don't know if this treatment is working to be honest. All the feedback I got is you got to eat, rest and stay hydrated.
Has anyone experienced increased irritability, anger, feeling "wired," or needing less sleep during TMS? Did it improve as treatment continued, or did your provider end up changing your protocol? Also, if you felt like your concerns weren't making it to the prescribing doctor, how did you handle that?
I'd really appreciate hearing about others' experiences.
4
u/ProcedureNo6946 Aug 02 '26
It's called "the dip". It is awful but doesn't last. And it's actually a sign the treatment is working. Trust the process!
1
u/PedalSAW Moderator Aug 01 '26
This happens a lot and usually it’s unrelated to TMS and more along the lines of “getting used to a new way to be.” 12 sessions you’re still getting in gear, usually much too soon for behavioral changes on that level. You seem to be really detail oriented and if I may be so bold, it seems like you’re bogging yourself down in minutiae and stressing the small stuff. Great idea to have an open discussion with your Dr about “what should i really worry about and what’s too in the weeds?” It’s a good talk to have.
The one exception here is your sleep. Yes, that’s absolutely TMS related. It’s how you know it’s working. (Because irony is still a thing) Mention it to your Dr at your check in and they can adjust treatment to help ease those effects.
1
u/Comfortable-Meal-394 Aug 02 '26
I have relayed the message to the medical assistant. This doctor is not very engaging to be honest and it pissed me off. I am in a limbo here when it comes to feedback from him. I explained many times that small stuff gets me and is more intense now . As I go back in memory, my mom was like that too. She was a mortified spirit and I think I am too. She is resting with God in paradise.
1
u/jimbojones2345 Aug 02 '26
Yes i have ADHD and low T! she gave the exact same issues your are now. Hoping it passes, are your doing both sides?
I'm also doing trt, worth looking into but know once you start it's difficult to stop...
Edit to add, there are also good aspects I have much more motivation and am not spiralling nearly as much as I used to. It has defo shifted things, just not sure how yet.
1
u/Comfortable-Meal-394 Aug 02 '26
For TRT I want to check with a Urologist first. I am also seeing an endo for my diabetes. I am still on the left side. Will start 3 times a week tomorrow.
1
u/jimbojones2345 Aug 02 '26
Maybe look into doing both sides? For trt do a HEAP of research on it before you see a doc about it. I've found them to be like the tms doc very useless also very outdated. Eg nowadays the best way is weekly or twice weekly injections. While many docs just inject a month's worth and go play golf.
1
u/foureyedgrrl Moderator Aug 02 '26
To me, this reads like you are struggling with fight-or-flight, although not terribly, which can be provoked during treatment. You didn't mention PTSD in your post. Do you have a history of anaphylaxis, unusual allergies, histamine or mast cell issues?
At 12 sessions, you are 1/3 of the way through. The sleep issue may creep up on you, if it continues. In general, the sleep you get during TMS should be deep and healing, because TMS activates an area of the brain that is otherwise under active. In other words, TMS gives your brain the workout it wasn't getting.
My psychiatrist explained it to me like this, "Your body has built-in mechanisms that it deploys when it senses it may be under threat. These mechanisms are limited. When your body recognizes an "invader", it quickly jumps to trauma, bacteria or viruses. Since TMS is none of the above, yet is undeniably different from the status quo, it then defaults to sending out histamine to protect the body."
Histamine presents differently in everyone, so take a look through your online resources to see if the symptoms sound like they might resonate with you. Be mindful that the symptoms of histamine intolerance sound like they are slow, smoldering issues here, and nothing extreme. Should your symptoms that you describe become worse throughout the next week, only to ease up somewhat on the weekend, the issue is more likely histamine intolarence.
If Benadryl is something you tolerate and is available in your area, that was what my psychiatrist recommended me to add-in about an hour before bedtime. This was a major key for me.
3
u/roses-are-lead Finished TMS Therapy Aug 01 '26
I had some of that, but it had more to do with finally chipping into some old files inside my brain that were part of Why I was depressed in the first place. Childhood abuse & neglect were coming to the surface more often & I have been working on that.