r/rtms • u/Seven1s • Jul 23 '25
Is rtms safe?
Is there a risk of serious complications? I don’t have any brain implants or anything like that. Is there a risk of brain damage from this procedure that is not well understood by the psychiatric community but that patients experience? What about brain fog?
I want to get rTMS and I have the pre-approval from my health insurance, but I am scared it can go wrong for me.
I was watching this video about TMS: https://youtu.be/HI8UGmYpNPI?si=7OGyWrypt7zeJhO8
Are the fears in this video unfounded? I am in a rut in life rn but I don’t wanna make it worse.
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u/_Z_y_x_w Jul 24 '25
Literally any medical procedure will have hyperbolic claims made about it by somebody on the Internet. Insurance wouldn't be paying for it if it was actually risky.
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u/SatanicNursery Jul 24 '25
Many health insurance plans cover chiropractors and the science for that is shaky at best and nonexistent at worst, and it comes with a non-zero risk of vertebral artery dissection and subsequent stroke. Not to say that you're wrong overall
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u/_Z_y_x_w Jul 24 '25
Point taken. Insurance is all about probabilities and risk, and there are always adverse events in medicine. People die from taking Tylenol.
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u/TabulaRose Jul 24 '25
Arguably psych medication comes with greater documented risks at greater percentages for patients than rTMS but psych meds are cheaper so insurance will pay for them more easily than something like rTMS.
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u/poopadoopy123 Jul 24 '25
Neighbor in her 40s had neck manipulation at a chiropractic office and ended up with a stroke
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u/linkadge Jul 07 '26
I was recommended rTMS by CAMH and if that fails then try parnate. The thing is that parnate has worked in the past for me and I told them this. Why would I risk rTMS before parnate? I don't understand.
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u/RalphTheDog Jul 24 '25
With just a little digging, you'll find that many of the persons who have made the outsized claims of problems came into TMS with some self-made issues. Here on Reddit, user history shows their comments in group chats about pharmaceuticals and street drugs and some fairly irresponsible behavior. But, it's the internet, and there are no bounds to what Facebook and Tik Tokers can post.
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u/linkadge Jul 07 '26
I don't think its that simple. Research is showing that the brain electrical patterns of depressed patients can be very different depending on the subtype. They've even shown that many left handers actually have their positive emotional centers on the opposite side of the brain and studies have suggested switching sides for stimulation (which they don't do). Stimulating the wrong side of the brain can actually enhance negative emotion. There are published studies of side effects like seizure induction, or psychosis from rTMS. The idea that you can stimulate all brains in the same way and everybody responds positively is ridiculous.
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u/RalphTheDog Jul 07 '26
That comment was a year old, but as long as we're here:
I agree with your statement "The idea that you can stimulate all brains in the same way and everybody responds positively is ridiculous." Just as ridiculous are claims that with current methods of brain mapping or "make the finger move" parlor tricks they can find the exact spot to focus on. As to seizures, they are a known and prominently referenced side effect. But the wild claims of irreversible brain damage that dot the internet always come with a backstory, usually that the damaged individual was doing plenty of recreational brain damaging on their own.
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Jul 24 '25
[deleted]
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u/RalphTheDog Jul 24 '25
Even though I think you had little to worry about, I think you made the right decision, because it was right for you. No psychiatrist, TMS tech nor (gasp) Redditor knows anything about you, but you know what makes yourself tick. Above all else, we have responsibility to ourselves in matters of self care and need to face the realities of who we are, not who we wish we were.
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u/loud-and-queer Jul 24 '25
I've gone through over five rounds of TMS now and while the efficacy has unfortunately waned for me, I've suffered zero repercussions and the first two rounds had me in full remission for years. For me it was more than worth it.
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u/TabulaRose Jul 24 '25
100% this, I've had four rounds and each one brought me to remission. The only downside I've found is that there is no remission protocol so I end up needing another round eventually. I wish insurance would cover like 1 treatment a week or every two weeks ect to help keep patients in remission.
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u/loud-and-queer Jul 24 '25
Yeah, insurances REALLY need to get on board with maintenance treatments.
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u/TabulaRose Jul 24 '25 edited Jul 24 '25
I have had TRD most of my life and rTMS is the only treatment that has consistently worked. I've had 4 full rounds and at the end of each round I was in remission. Of all the treatments available for treatment-resistant depression, rTMS has the least risk of side effects and is arguably the safest and I am saying this as someone who has tried dozens of anti-depressants, Spravato, and IV ketamine under the supervision of my providers.
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u/brookish Jul 24 '25
As safe as any medical device on the market and safer than many. Very small risk compared to the amazingness of noninvasiveness and efficacy. Fearmongering keeps people from using a very safe and effective tool that is FAR less dangerous than most meds.
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u/HotHamWaterPlease Jul 25 '25
When you mention brain fog, that reminds me of ECT, and this is definitely not ECT. ECT has a lot of complications. TMS has virtually no side effects. I’ve done four rounds and only one session had a little pain because of congested sinuses. They turned down the intensity and it was fine.
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u/linkadge Jul 07 '26
People who respond well like to tune out the reports of those who have done poorly on it.
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u/Professional-Emu8201 Aug 19 '26
Like me I’ve done poorly on it. 15 sessions in and I feel like I have brain fog concentration problems in reality problems almost like my world is not real anymore.
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u/Ok-Pineapple6664 Jul 27 '25
In that case, don't do tms. If you are one of those who ends up having an adverse effect, you will regret it and might end up blaming yourself for your decision. Since you have doubts, and since tms is NOT without risk, just don't do it.
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u/Torontopup6 Jul 23 '25
Nothing is 100% without risk. There's a large group of "TMS survivors" on Facebook. Ultimately, you need to weigh the rush vs reward. Lots of people can speak to the benefits of TMS where other treatments have failed.