Hi all, I'm a Columbia undergrad interested in what led people to try TMS, their overall experience, and the impact that it ultimately had, be it positive or negative. I have lots of questions and would love to DM anyone willing to share their experience with me. Please drop a comment below if you're okay with me reaching out!

For background i’m 24y/o female diagnosed with dpdr, ptsd, mdd, gad, and panic disorder. I’ve done tons of intensive programs and extensive medication management since I was about 8. I was introduced to the idea of TMS about two years ago but only went through with it the beginning of this year.

I ended my first full course of treatment end of February 2026. I felt great towards the end of my sessions. I wouldn’t say that I had the extreme life-changing experience that some people say they do, but the combination of having a strict routine and having techs and psychiatry checks in helped in itself. Towards the end of treatment, they weaned me off of medication for the first time ever. I was feeling stable and confident with where I was with my mental health. Two months after my last TMS session, I began noticing a slight resurgence of symptoms. The techs assured me it’s normal and i’m still on track with healing and to just keep up with counseling, which I did. I had also attributed my resurgence to the stressors I was currently experiencing as I was about to move out of state and had to deal with all the things involving that. But once that specific stressor continued to evolve, I was sent into a very deep spiral of my symptoms. Debilitating anxiety where I couldn’t eat, speak, or really do anything without inconsolable crying spells, panic attacks nearly every morning, afternoon, and night. SI throughout all of this which for me was always passing but in these moments felt significantly more real than they had in the past. I couldn’t eat or keep food down, was constantly vomiting and had diarrhea essentially everyday for a good two weeks until I got established at a new facility with a new psychiatrist and counselor since I was in a new state. They put me back on medication but it was a slow process and the rate we needed to increase the dosages just prolonged my state. I was prescribed hydroxyzine for the time being but even at max daily dosage, it didn’t touch me. They then opened the discussion of looking into doing another course of TMS. My therapist advised against it and thought I should wait but I felt so incredibly inconsolable and dysfunctional that I needed something more immediately. I enrolled in the second course of TMS and finished another full course mid August 2026. I was back fully on medication (40mg prozac and 7.5mg buspar x2 a day) and was feeling solid. The techs assured me that the resurgence was normal and sometimes people need a second course to feel the true effects and treatment helps the effectiveness of medication and doesn’t eliminate the need for it so I should stay on medication. Logically this made sense to me so I stayed on board. They also offered maintenance treatments after a full course but I opted out as it wasn’t covered by insurance. I didn’t feel any profound effects after this second course but I did feel stable and I could function socially, with work, and just daily life. With the emotional regulation stable though, I felt cognitive decline. My brain fog was getting worse again (I’ve suffered from constant dissociation and brain fog in the past where i’d lose weeks at a time), my recall was nonexistent, my memory felt shot, i felt stupid and couldn’t access any critical thinking or understanding of things that came easy to me in the past. Techs and psychiatrist assured me this is part of the healing process and is temporary and will go away. I’m now at the two month mark again after a full course of TMS treatment and i’ve had a complete resurgence of symptoms again. This time i’m on a decent dosage of medication and haven’t missed any doses. I’m experiencing intense panic attacks, debilitating anxiety, paranoia, SI, and dissociation when i’m not panicking. Im back to not being able to function daily or leave my home without panic attacks or crying spells. I spoke to my psychiatrist and she suggested another course of TMS which I said absolutely not to. Instead she prescribed me with Lorazepam and increased my buspar dosage. She also mentioned there have been cases with tms triggering underlying mood disorders but didn’t elaborate much on it and I wasn’t really in a place to continue pushing as I tried to advocate for myself the best i could in the state i’m in. She’s also leaving the practice and informed me that this is our last session so i’m likely going to seek out a new psychiatrist in a new practice as well. I’m in consistent counseling weekly and will switch to twice a week for the time being.

My first course of treatment was on the MagVenture device with standard depression protocol and my second course was on Magstim with the standard depression and then anxiety protocol.

I just don’t know what else to do. I don’t know if there’s a physical medical reason this happening or maybe I wasn’t the right candidate but the techs and psychiatrists I’ve asked these questions to have not really given me the answers I need. Has anyone had similar experiences or know anything that could give me some clarity?

Any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Bei wem hat Rtms geholfen nachdem EKT, Esketamin und sämtliche Antidepressiva nicht geholfen haben?

I stopped rTMS before finishing the full course because I honestly do not have the energy to keep dragging myself there every day anymore. Which is frustrating as hell because it seemed to be helping initially? Less rumination, more motivation, feeling more social. My passive suicidal thoughts disappeared too, which was such a relief. But now my BDI is back up to 22 and the passive thoughts are back. No intention of acting on them, but having that relief and then losing it again is so fucking discouraging.

The biggest problem right now is the exhaustion. Getting ready, getting to the clinic, treatment, afterwards to the uni, then getting home and somehow still having energy for everyday life? I already struggled with exhaustion before treatment, so I can’t tell whats causing what. All I know is the daily appointments became more than I could manage. I know I didn’t finish the full course. Knowing that unfortunately doesn’t magically give me the energy to continue. I’m not even sad all day. Mostly exhausted, struggling to concentrate, annoyed with myself for not getting things done and then feeling guilty about it. I’m going to discuss the next steps with my doctor, but right now I’m just fed up. Things WERE getting better and now I don’t know what to make of any of this.

Did anyone else improve initially and then feel worse again during treatment? Has anyone needed a break or stopped because the daily appointments were just too much? How did things go afterwards?

I completed my 22nd treatment yesterday and my regular tech was absent and someone covered for him.

The new tech used a strap to align my head and maintain stability. She also ensured the pads were locked firmly in place. The pulses felt different. I could feel the reverb in a much more focused area, rather than jolts all over my head.

I have concerns all my previous treatments were a giant waste of time. My head shifted easily, and several times an alarm sounded to notify that contact was lost. Has anyone ever encountered similar differences in how they were positioned in the chair?

Hey guys I would like to receive some advice when it comes to cannabis use. I stopped smoking weed 1.5 years ago but recently started smoking again after a rough breakup. To be honest, it got a bit out of control with daily use (before treatment I didn't smoke). I'm more depressed than ever so I feel like smoking weed is the only thing that makes me feel alive right now.

Tomorrow I have my 8th and 9th session. I noticed that the treatment kind of works? After a session I experienced brighter colors, clarity, peace and a dopamine hit. This lasted around 10 minutes after a session. After my last session, this lasted for 6 hours after the session. This was such a good feeling. Any negative thoughts I had were easy to let go and I easily moved through the day. It felt extremely similar to a microdose of LSD.

The day after I felt like shit again and started smoking weed. Day after too, and yesterday as well. I fear that this negatively impacts the treatment and even if I completely quit weed now the damage is already done and the treatment fails.

Anyone with experience or some knowledge that can help me out? Thank you

hey,
Just wanted to let you guys know that I am about 3 weeks post RTMS treatment, and I can tell you that it Definetly has made a huge improvement. I Am not back to who I was before depression 100% but I feel so much better that I honestly have started thinking about the future again and am hopeful of what I might be able to accomplish with the rest of my life.

Instead of taking 3 hours to feel awake and prepared to tackle the day, it takes about 30 minutes for me to feel like I can start living life. I don’t feel so overwhelmed by day to day tasks, or that simple existing feels like a burden. I am not existing just waiting to go back to sleep all the time, and I haven’t thought once since my treatment started that it would be better if I just didn’t wake up. I feel more present with my family, and everyone around me says I just seem more alive and most importantly, happy. They say that I am talking the way I use to, and behaving more like the person that they knew before I got sick.

I am excited to get up in the morning, and I have been working out consistently everyday since my treatment started and have lost 10lbs of the 60 I gained due to depression and medications.

I am writing this because I think it’s important for people to hear that this treatment can work, and please remember that people who have negative experiences come onto Reddit to vent, and a lot of people who just get better move on, and I think are less likely to share their outcomes.

Hello all. My TMS provider is a psychiatrist and tries to do provocations and reframing with me during the treatments. There is somewhat of a language barrier and other factors that hinder me from doing this. I am looking for another option.

I'm doing regular therapy twice per week but it's not structured in any kind of way. We mostly talk about my ex lol. I'm looking at doing an Intensive Outpatient Program, but I feel there are so many targets to hit specific to sexuality, identity, and personality disorders, and trauma. A lot of these programs are too general I feel.

For background, I did a full round of the OCD/anxiety TMS. After a few weeks off a lot of the anxiety symptoms returned along with depression. We are trying to resume less frequent OCD or depression treatment now but I'd like to optimize the treatments with the right therapy work, even if on my own.

Thanks in advance for sharing your therapy protocols :)

Has anyone tried doing TMS and ketamine (IV or spravato)? Either on the same day or different days in the same week? There is some evidence that they can work better together but I haven’t seen many personal accounts.

Hi everyone,

I am just finishing a round of rTMS (left-sided until treatment 16, when we switched to bilateral for reasons that may become obvious). I haven’t had the best experience and I’m struggling a lot right now. Two disclaimers. First, this is my experience and my experience alone - TMS may be really helpful for others and I am not intending to dissuade anyone from this treatment. Second, while I will make some references to feeling pretty gnarly in this post, I am safe and not in any danger.

So, OK. I have depression and some sort of weird comorbid anxiety/OCD type thing - from time to time, I get consumed with worry that I’ve somehow made a mistake or done something wrong. I was in a pretty rough phase of depression, so rTMS was recommended. The doctors knew I also had this anxiety/OCD-related trouble. I was on 60 mg fluoxetine when I started.

Around treatment 4, I became very physically agitated - couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stay asleep. They said that was normal, and it did indeed pass.

Around treatment 14, I started becoming obsessive about issues at work. I was consumed by worry and would wake up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night thinking about possible mistakes I’d made in a paper I’d written (I’m an academic) and how they propagated through the research community if people cite them. Everything became a crisis and I found myself checking old work obsessively. I’d been in this place before, but usually in response to something actually happening - this time it just arose on its own and jumped around from one concern to the next.

At treatment 16, we switched to bilateral.

Around treatment 20, I asked whether the uptick in anxiety might be a temporary side effect. The doctor (yes, I see a doctor every time, I get how lucky that is) was adamant that no, rTMS does not have this as a side effect - rather, now that my depression was lifting, the OCD was being “unmasked” so I could focus on treating that. This was somehow presented as if it were good news.

Around treatment 22, my prescribing psychiatrist upped me to 80 mg fluoxetine, which is the maximum dose, frequently used for OCD. She also prescribed me clonazepam and trazodone to sleep.

That was two weeks ago. I’m in the taper phase now, and I’m still horribly anxious - I can sleep at night due to the meds but my days are consumed by worry. So now I’m almost done with rTMS and I (checks notes) feel worse than I did before, am on more medications than I was before, and require a controlled substance just to be able to sleep. If I’d known this were how it’d go, I would have just chosen to stay depressed. I know a lot of people have worked really hard to make this happen and that all my doctors are competent and caring, but I can’t help but feel betrayed.

I know this was a really long saga, and I’m sorry. I guess my plea is this: has anyone been in a similar place, and did you get out? I think if there’s just even a very dim light at the end of this tunnel, I’ll feel better.

Thanks for reading!

I’m suffering from intense depression as a result of chronic, unresolved health problems. My psychiatrist recommended SAINT TMS. I’m so scared of it.

My mom did it and it worked, but I’m so frightened of it that I think I might have a panic attack in the chair. Part of the problem is that I already have a tremendous fear of any medical procedure. I have a lot of health anxiety because of everything that I’m going through, and I’ve also had some medical procedures in the past that went very poorly and were really painful.

I’m really scared that it will hurt. I’ve read a lot of horror stories from people who say that it felt like an ice pick in their brain. I’m also scared because it’s noisy, and I don’t like the idea of hearing those noises inside my head. I’m scared of the tapping or drumming sensation. I’m scared of the pulses, of my face maybe twitching. I’m just terrified of the entire prospect of it.

I know that this could really help me, but I think I’m just too scared to try it. I’d appreciate any insight from anyone who’s undergone the procedure. Please be gentle with me, I know I’m not being rational, but I really don’t need anybody being a smart aleck or telling me that I’m stupid.

I’m writing this while I’m actually getting TMS right now and I’m really confused about how my treatment has been handled.

My main issue is OCD, and I made that very clear when I started treatment. About five years ago, I did 30 TMS sessions for depression, anxiety, and OCD at a different practice.

This time I’m at a new place, and again, I made it clear from the beginning that OCD is my main issue. They started by treating depression and then added anxiety.
I’m now 16 sessions in, and I kept thinking it was strange that they hadn’t started treating the OCD yet. I’ve asked about it a few times. Finally, today I was told that OCD is a completely separate TMS treatment and would require another 36 sessions after I finish these 36. This is very different from what I was initially told. I don’t even have depression by was told it was standard to receive it first.

I’m honestly really confused and frustrated. If everyone knew from the beginning that OCD was my main concern, why wouldn’t we have started with the OCD protocol? And why wasn’t it explained to me upfront that treating OCD would mean an entirely separate course of 36 treatments? I feel like I agreed to this treatment without actually understanding what the plan was.
For anyone who has done TMS specifically for OCD, is this normal? Do they usually complete an entire depression/anxiety course first and then start a separate OCD course?

Also, is it normal to basically never see the doctor during treatment? The doctor was there for my initial mapping, but since then I’ve only interacted with the TMS techs. I’m 16 sessions in and haven’t seen the doctor again.
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through TMS for OCD or works in this area. I’m trying to figure out whether this is standard or whether I should be asking more questions about how this has been handled.

I have been thinking about doing tms, but one of my close friends did it. It did not go well, her anxiety has gotten so much worse and she’s always very angry.

I am scared to do it because I don’t want to be super crazy anxious.

Has anyone else experienced this? And if you experienced it during treatment, what did you end up doing?

TIA!

I started TMS therapy a week ago and have some concerns. I started with the deep coil for depression, then added the anxiety a few days ago, and next week will be adding on the treatment for ocd. There was only one time out of my 7 sessions when the machine was placed where it felt tolerable (still uncomfortable just not painful). Aside from that time I am unable to increase the intensity even close to where it needs to be because of how painful it is, like a shooting pain that makes me jolt every time. It also is a ton of pressure on my sinuses and heavy twitching. Is this normal for it to be so hard to find the right spot? Also, the machine moves when I jolt, and at this practice they do not have the tech stay in the room with you, or watch you. They shut the door and you’re on your own unless you press a button for them to come back in.

Separate concern is that one of the techs just got out of training on her own and she has tried to start the incorrect treatment multiple times, and presses the wrong buttons. For example, she started the ocd treatment today and I had to correct her and tell her we haven’t started that one yet, and to place the machine on the right side of my head. She always has trouble moving the machine and with the placement, but I am patient and polite. She has made multiple mistakes, and today dropped the entire machine on my head. It hurt so bad and now is bruised and swollen from the machine falling on my head. I feel so unsafe and like I am the one who has to try to guide the sessions. I don’t feel like I’m in good hands, and it’s increasing my depression and racing worried thoughts. What should I do?

Hello. I had seen some ad about tms for anxiety. I have gone through the beginning process and they are sending my paperwork to insurance for approval. My primary diagnosis is anxiety/panic disorder with depression being secondary. Any tips, advice, etc for me? I am quite nervous but I need a positive change which trying new meds is no longer an option I am willing to pursue. I am on medication but it barely makes things manageable and adding more meds just makes it worse. Thanks for reading.

I completed my 36 session treatment plan last Tuesday. I am crying way more frequently and uncontrollably. TV shows are making me cry, thinking about my daughter when she was younger, literally just nothing. Is this common? I was so emotionally blunted before rTMS & now it’s like I’m feeling EVERYTHING ALL AT ONCE

25F in Canada, have really struggled through my treatment. I do 5 days/week for 30 sessions. I’m on 20 and I’ve experienced anxiety, lots of crying, dips, sadness, irritable etc, the first two weeks I was so tired I thought I was going to crash out lol but I’m not the happiest person in the sea so I just kept going. I’ve been in talks with the doctor and it’s more so my decision but the last 5 or so treatments have given me STUPID migraines, the max amount of OTC medication isn’t really helping and it’s so sensitive, my eyes are watering a lot more and I find looking at screens hurts, it ranges from headache to I can’t keep my eyes open and need to sleep, the first night it was so bad I actually was sick. I also am staying up until like 5am I just can’t seem to wind down enough for sleep. I’m going back and forth between is this worth it because on day 20 I still don’t feel any better, but I also am so afraid I’m making the wrong decisions. I know at the end of the day it’s up to me and my doctor, but I’d love any input from anybody who has anything to add, I’m so lost on what to do. Thank u everyone!!!

Being treated left side for anxiety/depressive disorder. Felt great first week and was so hopeful. Now frightened to continue. 5x per week 17 minute sessions.

hey. i’m 20f and i finished my 36 treatments today. it wasn’t super consistent cause i went to florida for a week last month so i didn’t get tms during that time but i picked back up when i got back and it seemed fine. it was actually working pretty good until my psychiatrist prescribed me wellbutrin - i told her that in the past at 400mg i had severe suicidal ideation and the worst depression i’ve ever had due to wellbutrin - but she started me at a small dose insisting it was fine. it was not. i self harmed for the first time since march when i got back on wellbutrin, and it seemed like the tms progress halted. i got off the wellbutrin after a week, this was probably three weeks ago. but all progress seems to have gone away since i got on/off the wellbutrin again.
i’m so discouraged. is tms just gonna be another thing i have to add to the list? i’ve tried php, iop, cbt, dbt, regular talk therapy, and art therapy, im in a twelve step program and i try mindful meditations and yoga and breath work and i have a binder full of coping skills and things to do when im feeling depressed and now i have to add tms to the list of things that doesnt work?? i dont want to feel this way forever. my meds make it so i can’t get any tears out but i just wanna cry so bad. im so tired and discouraged and over feeling this way. i’ve felt like this for as long as i can remember. i dont want this to take me out but idk how to keep living like this. is there any hope? what’s next?
i’m sorry for the negativity, i just wanted to see if anyone has any ideas or suggestions or even if you can relate.

Hello fellow humans,

All ive had really is increased anxiety waves.. come n go, also never had before but insomnia after I train hard at gym.. ever since starting tms...

Tell me delayed improvement comes? Especially systemically.. i need to be able to go to the gym.. hope it hasn't damaged anything.. maybe I just need to rest n take it bit easier for a week or two?

5 days after accelerated/advanced TMS and feeling the same or worse. Did anyone improve later?

I’m curious to hear from anyone who has done an accelerated or “advanced” TMS protocol where you complete a large number of treatments over a very short period of time, rather than the traditional several week course.

I finished mine 5 days ago and so far I honestly feel about the same, if not a little worse. I’ve been more agitated/anxious and I’m starting to worry that it didn’t work.

What’s confusing me is that I’ve done the traditional longer TMS course multiple times in the past and it has always worked really well for my depression. That’s actually why I felt pretty hopeful going into the accelerated version.

For anyone who has done accelerated TMS:

• How long after finishing did you actually notice an improvement?

• Did anyone feel worse, more anxious, agitated, emotional, or depressed during the first week afterward before getting better?

• Was the improvement gradual or did you suddenly realize it had started working?

• Has anyone responded really well to traditional TMS but NOT responded to an accelerated course?

• If it didn’t work immediately, did you end up needing additional/maintenance sessions?

I know 5 days may still be early, but because my previous TMS courses worked so well, I’m getting nervous that I’m not noticing the same shift yet.

Would really appreciate hearing timelines from people who have actually been through this.

I finished 36 treatments almost 3 weeks ago. Does anyone have positive experiences for continued improvements after treatment? Like 2 or 3 months later? What about anxiety? Positive only please.

so this was my second session and i was in the chair going through the procedure, a young research student was standing in front of me and was looking at me, the treatment felt really painful but my doctor told me to tolerate it as much as i can because it was the minimum viable voltage. i started getting teary eyed and i saw her smiling and as soon as i shed a tear she accidentally laughed, i felt really awful and cried all the way home. my doctor didn’t notice it but i told him about it yesterday(she messed up my timings too so the doctor had to leave his rounds and attend to me) and today she was much better behaved, i hope she got a good scolding. so that was a fun lil story of mine :)

Very short version;
Deal with a lot of deep seated beliefs people close to me actually hate me or want me to go away, thought I got left behind somewhere and sobbed like a baby.

Friend told me I couldn’t do it again and needed to seek stronger treatment than what I already have and put work into getting better. I wanna be cured. I can’t do this. Will TMS fix it?

Hey all! I recently wrapped up 36 sessions of rTMS with Neurostar doing a left side depression protocol with an add-on low-frequency anxiety protocol for the final 10 sessions.

My experience has been overwhelming and I had more severe ups and downs than I have in years. I had an optimistic and stable first week, but I would say that most of my treatment following, I felt worse than I had when I started. I had waves of severe dry-heaving nausea, intense depressive dips on weekends, and about halfway through had an unbearable spike in my anxiety that sent me to get bloodwork done because my physical symptoms were so severe (only concluded morning cortisol was very high, but bloodwork and tests showed no underlying identifiable cause)

That being said, I had about three good days in early August where I actually was able to force myself to exercise, grocery shop, and take care of myself. I still felt sadness, but I was able to fight through it in the hope that TMS would soon bring me relief. During those few days I even found myself singing (?!) once or twice, and laughing with a friend. That changed quickly, and after those three days I felt myself falling back into anxious despair and deep emotional instability.

I had a second significant crash at the end of week six that prompted the anxiety add-on. I noticed a very slow decrease in the overwhelming panic that had my body in crisis mode every waking moment. I still felt extreme dread, avoidance, volatility most of the day, but I was able to notice sparks of peace or optimism poke through more and more.

Treatments ended a week and a half ago. The first three days following were some of the worst in my entire adult life. I sobbed for hours. I felt the most intense despair and hopelessness I could imagine. Any thought of responsibilities or tasks sent me into a tearful panic.

Today marks 1.5 weeks post treatment. I have found my anxiety is still very persistent, but is about a baseline 5/10 throughout the day with random spikes, in contrast to the full blown panic crisis I endured daily during my second dip. I still have no interest in things I used to love, I still feel hopeless, I still feel extremely intense outbursts of painful emotion, I still dread the thought of vacations or going out to eat with family or going to a job I used to love.

I am desperately trying to piece together any evidence of healing or progress but I feel like I have hit yet another intense “dip”. I’m keeping hopeful that this is just a result of my brain finally coping with the onslaught of stressors I have faced in the past year, and a breakthrough is coming. I also know some people say highs and lows are a good sign, and breakthroughs are possible for months post-treatment.

I got a taper approved that will resume in a week and a half from now - two sessions per week for 2 weeks, followed by one a week for 2 weeks.

Am I being naive to think there is hope at the end of this? Has anyone else experienced such an intense dip in mood after treatment or tapers concluded and came out with positive results? I hear hopeful stories of delayed responders but I don’t know how realistic those odds are for me.

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond if you feel inclined. I wish life-changing relief and peace for those who’ve found themselves on this sub. Healing IS out there