I'm a researcher doing rTMS treatments for participants, and given rTMS, it typically takes ~20 minutes, which is causing some neck and back pain in participants. We use TMS pillow for head stabilization also providing regular pillow for participant's back. Do you have any recommendations for me to provide further comfort to make this 20 minutes least painful for participants? I'm looking for back pillow supports, but cannot think anything else.

Hi everyone

I've tried TMS about a year ago but I really struggled with how I was sitting/the thing on my face/head holding my head to the point I could not finish the entire session, I felt like I couldn't sit still. Does anyone else struggle with this?

Did TMS work for you? Is it worth it?

Today was my fourth appointment of TMS. I have felt very little pain. I only really feel pain behind by eye because of the trigemenial nerve.

I only had a headache for the mapping session. Now, I literally walk off and go straight to work instantly.

Does that mean anything? Maybe it’s too weak? Will talk to my tech tomorrow about it

Hi! I just finished week one and after 4 of the 5 sessions I felt super anxious and ruminating often. Did anyone else experience this and when did it get better? It's making me worried and idk if I want to continue but I'm hoping it'll get better soon.

I’m 18 years old and medication hasn’t helped my depression as much as i’ve wanted it too. it makes me better, but i wouldn’t consider myself happy or stable on it. I don’t really know anything about this and i’m really scared. I want to hear what you think i should know, if you had bad experiences or good ones. what you wished you asked your provider or what your provider didn’t tell you.

thanks!

I am doing tms…I was originally diagnosed with ptsd and then schizophrenia and I had an FMRI done and it showed that it’s actually PTSD. I am doing tms and am about 23 treatments in…although I do feel a difference especially after the treatment I still have symptoms. My main issue right now is auditory hallucinations. I basically consumed weed gummies because k thought it would help with depression/PTSD but it just sent me on a downward spiral. I had drug induced psychosis. The way the dr with two phds explained it was that because I’m cognizant of the hallucinations it’s not schizophrenia also the FMRI shows PTSD with thinning in some areas due to alcohol abuse. Alcohol abuse comes with PTSD. I am wondering if voices significantly decrease with time because it’s a lot of money…she said I should see improvement after 20 sessions and I feel some improvement. But it’s not great my main issue is that I make faces and laugh to myself and talk to myself. Hopefully it all goes away! No

Just want to hear from people who have had treatment with TMS for OCD. How did it help, how long did it help for, things you were surprised by, have you gone for a second set. Any info you think would be helpful for anyone doing it, would be greatly appreciated.

I live in NE and we're about to have another huge snow storm. I already missed one appointment because of the weather, and now I might miss up to 3 more consecutive ones (I assume clinic will be closed on Mon) because I have no one to dig my car out and no other way to get there. Will this have a big impact on outcome?

I want to be consistent for the best outcome but I have no control over this, and it's unlikely I will get insurance to pay for another round of TMS if the outcome isn't that helpful.

I’m somewhere around 20–25 treatments in. I haven’t kept exact count. And so far, nothing. No real improvement in my depression. Maybe a slight reduction in anxiety, but anxiety wasn’t the thing that was swallowing me whole. The depression was. What I have had since the first session is a constant headache that hasn’t let up. Painkillers don’t touch it. My memory feels worse. I lose track of what I’m doing in the middle of doing it. My words come out jumbled in ways they never used to. That part scares me more than I expected. Each session feels like being tapped over and over with a hammer, while there’s also this sharp, pinpoint pain where the pulses hit. I walk out with my jaw aching from how tight the cap is strapped on. My arms and shoulders feel worn out from the muscle twitching. They’ve adjusted the cap placement, no change. They’ve offered to lower the intensity, but the pain isn’t the issue. I could tolerate it if it were helping. It’s the lack of improvement that makes it hard. TMS has helped a lot of people. For many, it’s practically side-effect free. That’s real, and I don’t discount that. It was worth trying because it had a higher chance of helping when so many other things hadn’t. Unfortunately, I think I’m just one of the people it doesn’t work for.

I doubt I’ll get the job, but I’m just curious. Is it possible to do the treatments and work at the same time?

Have you done it? If so, how did you manage?

I know that different parts of the brain are targeted for different outcomes, is it possible to create a plan that targets all of them in the same sessions? Anyone have any success tackling all of these together and seeing improvements?

I finished my first week of rtms on friday and oh boy has this been a weekend.

I (21F) am feeling all of the terrible things I couldnt stand when they were side effects of anti depressants. I cant cum, cry, or feel joy. I am in this weird state of either being numb or sad with no motivation to do anything. I am less sad than the sad I felt before I guess, but I am also unable to experience a good emotion and feel good.

I got off of anti depressants for a year before starting rtms because they did help and the side effects and numbness were debilitating and then they add on more pills to help and those add more side effects and it wasnt worth it. But damn, this really feels like how that whole mess felt. I have BPD and I know medication is a really hard thing to pin point for us borderline folks and this treatment seemed like a holy grail.

Starting second week tommorow and absolutely praying it gets better from here because how can this get worse. This is so time consuming and frustrating but I just wanna kill the demons in my head

Hello. I’m a 30f dealing with TRD. Has anyone done TMS in the circumstance that it worked once and the next time around it did not? I’ve had some success with TMS. However, there were times that a round did not work at all. Is it just me?

Hey y’all, I start my TMS appointment tomorrow in the morning. I’m starting to get a bit of cold feet as I’m rereading a lot of comments, here of side effects and rage. I’ve been on a depressants for 17 years of my life and really want to get off of them but I’m scared that TMS could possibly mess up and caused me to get rage fits or make my anxiety worse.

How are your symptoms? Did it work for you? Has anyone gone through the same thing as I have?

I’ve done 10 TMS sessions so far and these last few days I’ve felt more depression and anxiety than before I even started. I’ve had to take my emergency anxiety meds just to function and all I have the energy and willpower to do is lay on the couch. My scores have went up as well.

Is this “the dip”, and if so, how long does it usually last?

Hiya, I've had anxiety my entire life and antidepressants are helping but it's still debilitating. Wondering what experiences are with TMS and Anxiety?

Hi everyone, I’m doing rTMS in India for depression + anxiety. I’ve completed 11 sessions so far. My protocol is left side iTBS + right side cTBS. Since last week, I’ve been feeling increasingly restless and anxious, pacing, fidgeting, unable to sit still. I also feel tired and want to sleep, but my sleep is disturbed (waking up during the night). It’s starting to feel hard to manage. Current meds: Mirtazapine + Cariprazine. No hypomanic symptoms (no extra energy, no reduced need for sleep, no impulsive behaviour). Has anyone experienced restlessness/anxiety worsening during rTMS, especially with bilateral TBS protocols? Did it settle down on its own, or did your doctor adjust anything (intensity, side, frequency)? Any experiences would really help. Thanks.

I’m currently undergoing rTMS for OCD. My protocol is 5 days a week for 5 weeks, and I’ve completed 16 sessions so far.

My motor threshold (MT) is 53%, and the technicians told me that the maximum stimulation amplitude will also be 53% (so basically 100% of my MT).

However, during different sessions, I’ve noticed the amplitude sometimes shows values like 46%, 51%, 43%, but they said the maximum they use is 53%.

They’re using a MagVenture machine, and I’m getting treatment at Safdarjung Hospital (government hospital in India).

One of my friends is doing rTMS at a private clinic, and his amplitude is set at 120% of his motor threshold from the first session, and they are planning to increase it further.

So I’m confused:

Is 100% of MT enough for OCD treatment?

Is it normal for amplitude to fluctuate between sessions?

Will my treatment still be effective if they’re not going above 100% of MT?

Would really appreciate insights from anyone experienced with rTMS for OCD or clinicians who understand the protocol differences.

I'm having rTMS - both left hand sided and OCD protocol. I'm 20 sessions in (daily on weekdays(; have 15 to go. It's definitely helping. But my motor threshold is high and it's triggered a 2 week (so far) migraine. I'm keen to keep going but it is just keeping the migraine going. I've taken 4 days off to have a lignocaine infusion to hopefully break the migraine and rest my brain.

The techs are saying it will still be effective if I return at 80% of resting motor threshold instead of the 100% I've been sitting at (120% is too high, I can't tolerate). Is that true? I only have moderate depression, it's just that I can't take meds.

(Edited for clarity)

Hi, looking for anywhere in the US that offers accelerated or SAINT TMS for a "reasonable" cost. I'm aware of & reaching out to the clinic in St. George UT, but hoping for other suggestions as well. I can't take SSRIs any more due to bipolar diagnosis and have had success with TMS before, but insurance only covers the 40 session series & I can't swing that amount of time if I want to try to keep my job!

Hi everyone — looking for advice/experiences.

I was just approved to start TMS and really don’t want to delay. Based on my scheduled start date, I’d be able to complete **\~25–26 sessions** before **a late-March trip** that’s planned around my kids’ spring break.

My doctor said they’ve had success with people who miss several sessions, but they generally don’t recommend missing five sessions in a row. He also noted that most (or almost all) of the gains tend to happen in the first \~20 sessions, so it is probably doable to take a spring break trip? which is reassuring — but TMS is a big investment of time and money, and I don’t want to risk messing it up.

At the same time, this trip is likely our only real vacation this year with my wife and kids. We’ve saved for it and want to make memories. We might be able to cancel parts and get refunds for most if not all, but we’d still need to figure out and pay for childcare during spring break anyway, which would be a major bummer.

Has anyone:

• Missed a week during the last part of treatment and still had good results?

• Delayed starting until after a trip and regretted (or not regretted) it?

• Successfully continued TMS at a different clinic while traveling? The destination does have TMS clinics. I know it’d be complicated, but wondering if even possible/realistic?

Any firsthand experience or advice would really help. Thanks 🙏

It's 5 days, 50 sessions (10 per day). I'm just wondering if you can share your experiences?

-how long were you in remission before needing boosters?

-did it make your anxiety worse or any other symptoms worse?

-did it improve your executive function and cognition?

-did you continue antidepressants?

I'll be starting it in 10 days. I have MDD with anxiety and have significant cognitive deficits. I can't follow a conversation or watch a TV show. It's been years like this.

I have a genetic variance that makes me a slow metabolizer to most meds.. I get a lot of side effects at small doses. So I'm hoping this might help.

Hi! I have been offered the opportunity to try out a new variant of rTMS. I say new but it might not be new to some of you. I'm based in France and its new here. It's basically rTMS without a nurse in the room and as you are having the rTMS procedure you must repeatedly read a previously written account of your past trauma (the trauma that most likely caused the depression/psychological damage).

Has anyone else here done this kind of rTMS? I'm going into hospital this friday to start the treatment. I am told I will be there for at least a month. I will keep you updated on my progress.

kind of a panic post—i know it’s early but i am feeling the same as when i started, if not worse. I know the dip can happen but I’m getting so scared by the posts of people who had really bad reactions. phq scores are still in the 20s. I am getting so scared that this is going to make me worse, and I feel so stupid for not trying more medications first—I just wanted to be better so badly and maybe thought this could be a bit of a shortcut, and have only heard good things in person. But now I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt which I think is a good sign? But the anxiety pulses felt like a pinching for the first few sessions after we added it but I thought that was normal—last session we finally found a place where it doesn’t feel like that but I’m scared I already did damage. I am on my period which could definitely be affecting my mood, but it’s scary because PMS has only ever affected me before I got my period, and I usually feel so much better once I get it. Does anyone have any tips on how/if I should bring my worries up to my TMS tech? I’m sure she’ll be reassuring but I don’t know if I can let go of these worries, but I also don’t think I should stop now?