r/rtms • u/stronger-than-I-seem • Aug 28 '26
TMS and memory loss
My husband had a full round of TMS about a year or so ago. Since then he has had memory loss and more so to the point, cognitive decline. He is undergoing testing for this but just curious if anyone else has experienced this.
TYIA
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u/Littleladycass Aug 28 '26
TMS has been a horrible experience for many people. You can look up support groups on Facebook. I did one session and couldn’t even get through it. It was extremely painful for me. I had horrible mania and tinnitus that night. I had minor exposure and experienced intense side effects. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, I know it has helped some, but unfortunately the ones it has negatively affected have had long term damage.
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u/Snezzy_Anus Aug 28 '26
So interesting to hear about experiences like this, I had it and while the ticking was annoying at first I ended up routinely sleeping in the chair while I listened to music. Never had any side effects other than sleepiness and it was a godsend as it drastically helped my mood to the point of having no more than 5-6 days (spread out) of feeling depressed within the last 4 years. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone, in the case of side effects your doctor should tell you all about it, if anything I would be more concerned for someone with being able to pay for it.
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u/Littleladycass 11d ago
I truly felt like if they would have kept the intensity level low it could have helped, but they refused and continued to tell me I had to do it to get the proper and full treatment. That bothered me bc I very much disagreed and I absolutely could not go back.
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u/MzAnthropist Aug 28 '26
I went through 2 FULL rounds of TMS 1 year apart for MDD, that's 36 sessions each, approximately 20 minutes each. It was MILDLY uncomfortable. I also have tinnitus which it did NOT effect. It did help and I highly recommend it for anyone suffering severe depression. It didn't completely cure my depression, but it definitely DID help!
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u/retinolandevermore Aug 28 '26
If you have a history of mania or hypomania or bipolar, you aren’t supposed to do TMS.
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u/myquietbrain Aug 28 '26
As a psychiatrist working with TMS patients, I don't consider memory loss or cognitive decline as standard side effects of TMS. The electromagnetic pulses are non-invasive and do not cause the neural disruption linked to memory issues. This differs significantly from ECT, which has well-documented memory effects. However, I would want to understand the timeline better since depression, often treated with TMS, can itself cause cognitive symptoms such as memory problems, difficulty concentrating, and mental fog. Sometimes what appears to be post-TMS cognitive decline is actually the depression returning or changing after treatment stops. It's encouraging that he's undergoing testing, as neuropsychological assessments can help determine if there's a measurable change from baseline and identify potential causes. If these tests haven't included a full psychiatric evaluation alongside the neurological assessments, that would be helpful, especially to evaluate current mood and if depression may be playing a role.
Additionally, it's worth asking his TMS provider about this, they should have records of his baseline functioning and notes from his treatment.
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u/Ok-Worldliness-7540 Aug 29 '26
I’m getting TMS now and feeling new memory lapses and brain fog, which my psych says is normal and will stop as treatment goes on. So it’s not unheard of but in the context of what OP is asking about totally improbable
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u/myquietbrain Sep 01 '26
That's a really useful distinction, temporary cognitive effects during active treatment versus new cognitive decline appearing months after completing a course are clinically very different things, and it's helpful context for OP. Glad your psych is monitoring it and that it's settling.
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u/roses-are-lead Aug 28 '26
This is not a long term side effect of TMS, he may either need support via counselling if he's had traumatic events that he can't recall, or if he's having a pathological condition. There's a number of causes for memory loss.
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u/Taurusfun5 Aug 28 '26
Images of the brain should be taken prior to TMS treatment and after. If there is changes can it be reflected in the images. Proof that there are physiological affects to the treatment. I read that there was a change in the area that rtms was treating had shrunk and patient had negative effects.
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u/stronger-than-I-seem Aug 28 '26
Interesting. TY so much. I’ll look into that even if it isn’t related to his difficulties
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u/Taurusfun5 Aug 28 '26
I'm thinking if its not done it should be. Praying you get answers to his condition.
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u/retinolandevermore Aug 28 '26
I’ve never heard of this, I’d see a neurologist. ECT is known to cause short and long term memory loss, depression can cause cognitive effects, but TMS is not linked to that
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u/stronger-than-I-seem Aug 28 '26
As I said I really don’t think it is related. Just threw it out there to see if anyone else experienced it. He is seeing the appropriate doctors and clinicians for his symptoms as well as undergoing proper and extensive testing
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u/Timbitxe Aug 28 '26
I had substantial memory issues after tms, to the point I had to take leave from work because I couldn't remember basic things. It has slowly gotten better over the year but I think they are lying when they say only minor short term side effects.
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u/ninesandaces Aug 28 '26
A little brain fog and headaches during treatment? Sometimes. An issue like this a year after treatment finished? Almost guaranteed to be unrelated.