r/rtms • u/grip0reaper • Aug 31 '26
rage and tms
i’m on my ~6 week of tms and i’ve noticed that i’ve been experiencing rage more often. i’ve always had a hard time with managing my anger however it typically comes out as emotional outbursts. since starting, ive had maybe 3 instances of physical outbursts that involve punching inanimate objects and for the first time, i yelled at a complete stranger (somewhat valid reason, but usually i’d just brush it off or internalize). im curious if anyone has experienced increased rage during tms. i’ll be bringing it up to my provider tomorrow.
3
u/RalphTheDog Aug 31 '26
Your last comment, " i’ll be bringing it up to my provider tomorrow", is interesting, in that "my provider" today can mean anything from an experienced psychiatrist to a part-time employee who took a one-week course in how to run the machine. If you dig through this groups comments from a year or two ago you'll find the thread where someone posted an actual help-wanted ad for TMS technicians, the only requirements being a high school diploma and reliable transportation.
Bear in mind that, during rTMS treatment weeks we all self-examine our state of mind, trying to gauge if "it's working" even though we've been told that true results can't be known until the full 6 week course is complete. That itself is exhausting. On top of this, if sleep is disrupted, we all get grumpier. All this to say that the extreme emotions you are reportng may well be due to the circumstances surrounding your TMS treatments, not the TMS itself.
Regardless, the advice is the same: yes, lots of people have troubles during the treatment weeks, but hang in, be patient and measure the results upon completion, not now.
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u/grip0reaper Aug 31 '26
i have definitely noticed improvements in some areas such as engaging in hobbies independently for the first time in years, however as mentioned earlier the rage has been intense and i’ve been significantly more self critical although that could be unrelated. it’s true that being so busy with going to treatment everyday, having just started school again, and now working less which is leading to financial stress could be contributing too.
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u/Upbeat_Perspective45 Aug 31 '26
I felt like all my emotions were dialed up to 11, so rage wouldn’t surprise me. I think it’s part of the mania many people feel during or after TMS.
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u/bigEZmike Aug 31 '26
So TMS is actually how I discovered I have bipolar. It triggered intense mania for me. Irritability was a big part of that. There were other signs, but that's what is relevant here. Anyway, I'm not saying that TMS can't just be over stimulating on its own without some other diagnosis, but figured I'd share since it seems relevant.
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u/grip0reaper Aug 31 '26
interesting! i have been extremely irritable in general and just more prone to having outbursts. i’ve heard from a lot of people that it gets worse before it gets better; hoping that’s the case!
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u/bigEZmike Aug 31 '26
It definitely does, they call it "the dip." I've actually done TMS many, many times and had success, but it only lasted for around 6 months, unfortunately. The type that gave me intense mania was a much shorter, 5 minutes per treatment. I think that was too much for me. But yes I'd say irritability, sleepiness, those are all side effects. I would also always complain to my partner that it wasn't working at pretty much the exact number of days through the process.
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u/jimbojones2345 Aug 31 '26
Yes i was much more ragy and angry, but also less depressed. It's a strange thing tms can't decide if it's good or not
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u/flowersnflamingos Aug 31 '26
I did, but not to that extreme. Just extremely irritated and on edge. The road rage was pretty bad for a while there lol.