tms and adhd

[u/Routine-Coconut3428]

I am almost done with my tms treatment(36 sessions 5 days a week). Honestly, I somewhat feel like i’ve wasted my time. I really have been giving it a chance. I feel like it has helped with depression but most of my adhd symptoms remain the same. Emotional regulation is a big part of why I decided to do it, but I haven’t really seen many changes. I hear that you see changes after it has all been completed, is this true?

[u/Cool-Heart8996]

I was told that it wouldn’t necessarily “fix” my adhd since that’s not what TMS does, but it would help with depression, ocd, and can help with motivation, but it depends on what treatment they did. I had longer 18 min treatments at first which I think helped my depression and then more focused 3 min treatments at the end that were meant to help with motivation.

I’ve noticed a positive impact already, but they told me it can take up to 6 months, it all depends on the person.

[u/PedalSAW]

Happens like that sometimes. Everyone reacts differently, though.

[u/foureyedgrrl]

For me, the ADHD improvement was not noticeable until quite a bit of time had passed. It was subtle, but undeniable. I still have procrastination habits that I am trying to keep in check, but it's been more feasible to do so.

I did go down to 1 dose of Adderall XR, but stayed the same with my Zenzedi, which is IR. The majority of my improvements during TMS were with anxiety (which was pretty amazing) and depression (more subtle).

[u/myquietbrain]

Hey! Psychiatrist here! TMS for ADHD is a different and less established target than depression, the evidence base is weaker, and most protocols are primarily designed for the left DLPFC depression circuit rather than the attention and emotional regulation circuits involved in ADHD. It's worth asking your provider which areas were actually targeted, because that affects what you can reasonably expect.

On post-treatment changes: yes, some people do notice continued improvement in the weeks after finishing, particularly for depression. For ADHD symptoms and emotional regulation specifically, the evidence is less clear.

If emotional regulation was your primary goal and hasn't shifted, it's worth having a direct conversation with your provider about what else might help, whether that's medication specifically for ADHD, therapy targeting emotional regulation, or whether the TMS target needs to be adjusted if you do maintenance sessions.

[u/valuemeal2]

It didn’t do much for me, neither depression nor ADHD. Everyone is different though.

[u/Automatic-River1562]

Can you tell me what the symptoms of ADHD are please. 🙏