TMS cause constant Anxiety?

Hi lunarafire:
Are you having bilateral treatments? My experience with bilateral treatments was just the opposite. Anxiety is treated on the right side of the brain and depression on the left. When having bilateral treatments my anxiety diminishes about 90% and I rarely need anxiety medication. There is a vast improvement.
What does your doctor say about an increase in anxiety?

lunarafire,

My anxiety got worse during my tms sessions too. It also messed with my sleep. I had such a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep. After I finished my anxiety became much less. It went back to what it was before.

I finished in the middle of May and feel just as crappy as I did before tms. They say that there can be a delayed effect and that results show up weeks or months afterwards. Wish they would have told me that in the promising pamphlet I was given.

I understand how you feel like this is such a big regret. It’s a total let down as well. So here I am back where I started with even less hope than before.

I’ve been praying that tms will somehow work for me and all those who are trying it.

lunarafire,

Anxiety is the absolute worse! I think I felt less anxious the first week I was completely finished.

I agree that the FDA needs to do more testing. It’s the same problem with the antidepressants – they aren’t testing for long enough to see long term outcomes. They take the highest percentage with the best results and only report on that. Some of the drug companies are including the ‘good’ results from people who took a placebo and adding that into success rates. Unbelievable.

Are they telling you that there may be a delayed effect and you may feel better in weeks or months from now? I feel like I was ripped off. I owe thousands of dollars and still feel terrible.

I hope your anxiety will improve and you will feel be one of the people this works for. Blessings.

Hashmael
Do you have a reference to that study that you referred to just above my post? I would be interested in reading it.
Thanks

I am currently receiving TMS treatment and I can say that it has improved my depression, but has sent my anxiety out of control. The biggest issue for me is that anxiety causes me to have suicidal feelings and thoughts far more than depression, because anxiety makes every bone and muscle in my body ache. The doctors have said on multiple occasions that they will do some Anxiety protocol on the right side of my head, but that never gets communicated to the nurses and never happens. I take 1mg of Clonazepam daily, but that is not in the ballpark of a big enough dose to control my anxiety.

I was so stressed out this morning that I was actually hearing noises in my head. It continually sounded like someone was sweeping in my office; it bothered me so bad I walked all around the building looking for someone sweeping. At that point I took 2mg of Clonazepam and finally calmed down to the point that I could function.

The next step in all this is Ketamine Infusions. The doctors tell me that if I undergo 4 – 6 Ketamine Infusions soon after TMS that the anxiety will go away. I sure hope they are right as I cannot live this way much longer – it’s not worth it.

I cannot continue to spend thousands of dollars to try and get better for my family, but then still feel bad and somewhat avoid my family. My family deserves better – rather its with me or not.

I’m starting to think that a certain amount of the population is meant to be miserable so that the happy people don’t become unbalanced. The scales need to stay straight.

Hi abqcyco70:

So sorry to hear about this. Something to keep in mind is that when TMS successfully treats Depression it can reveal co-occurring conditions that the Depression previously hid — Anxiety being a common one.

It may seem a little cliche to say “it’s a process”, but it really IS a process. If your depression symptoms are relieved this may be the opportunity to work out your Anxiety issues next. Your doctor will best guide you through that and it’s good to see you are working together to map your path forward.

A clear, focused, and optimistic mindset may feel impossible at the moment, all the more reason to let your family and your support network lift you up right now. Keep working with your doctor, trust the process before you, and rely on your network for support.

TMS worked for your Depression and that’s really big, now it’s on to the other parts that need attention. You can do this!

texast9018:

I have undergone this treatment for depression and minor anxiety. I think the post above yours from Dave W. speaks well to what science is supporting. This is a unique treatment, and relatively new to the treatment regime being offered more regularly by psychiatrists. With that said, sometimes there are misunderstandings as to the effects of the treatment. Some patients will address what they think are effects of TMS such as interrupted sleep and anxiety. Dave’s explanation coordinates with my doctor’s input when we are discussing these issues. There is no scientific evidence that TMS causes anxiety or sleep disturbances. My doctor reports quite the opposite – improved sleep and decreased anxiety (with bilateral treatments). TMS is like lifting the cover off of other issues as depression symptoms are improved. Then we can address those issues on our journey to improved mental health. As Dave said, which is on point, this is a process and it can be a tumultuous path. The brain needs time to settle into a new energy state. Talk with your doctor about what she/he is observing with their patients. That is where you can gather lived experience information. Also if you visit neurostar.com there are recent patient testimonials that may be helpful.
Keep in touch,
Colleen

Hi jfletcher72,
I live in Western Massachusetts but looking back, I really feel it was the condescending and careless attitude of the first tech that totally stressed me out. That is the person you see everyday and is instrumental in creating a positive experience. After I switched to the other office (there are two braches within 10 miles of my house), got a different tech and my appointments scheduled at 7pm as I originally requested, things got much better quickly. The new tech was older and had a very professional yet friendly demeanor. When I asked a question, he seemed to have a pretty good answer and interacted with me too. We watched nature videos together and he wasn’t just on his computer with his back to me. He also offered me a twizzler after one of my first sessions with him and it became a little routine after each session, etc. Stuff like that as well as never making me feel like a bother about anything even though I knew I was his last patient each day. When I finished all 36 sessions, I was actually sad about not going anymore.
I went back for my 2 month follow up in Dec with the Dr and I mentioned the situation with the first tech and how I probably wouldn’t have finished if I stayed with her. I guess they all get certificates from Brainsway(like a few days of intense training w/ a company rep&the Dr) but that doesn’t change someone’s personality or make them retain the info- there has to be chemistry and trust between you. I feel very fortunate that I could change offices.
I feel the treatments helped me mainly because the chaos in my mind has really calmed down and my memory has definitely gotten better. I can focus without as many intrusive thoughts of “why bother” etc. I’m still not social but I feel like I’m out of the unending dark abyss. I only spend maybe one or two days a week in that place and it’s not as deep. I have stayed on my meds throughout.
I’m very happy I spoke up-that’s out of character for me to be honest. I hope your situation is somehow resolved. I still feel that she(the first tech) didn’t place the helmut correctly because she didn’t hold it in place while she tightened the strap and I could feel it move a little. Maybe you should ask for remapping and see what the Dr does because you’re not feeling confident about things. I wish you very much luck because if I hadn’t finished, I may not feel better now.

Hello again! I read the post above mine and was wondering if most offices have someone in the room. The tech would start the machine, give me a buzzer and walk out. A few times, I had to push the buzzer when the treatment was finished to call him back in. On one treatment the helmet wasn’t snug/secure so I called him back in to tighten it because it moved.

Hey, I agree with you TMS can cause anxiety and depression in some of the people. One of my friends was suffering from depression and anxiety and he was on medication for a log time, someone suggested him to get more info from the voyance pure reader who helped him to get a new zeal in overcoming from anxiety. The collective efforts from the therapies can be really beneficial.

JLC. I am so sorry to hear about your anxiety. At treatment 13, I fell apart. A terrible panic that has not left me and brought about nausea and the feeling of wanting to throw up in the mornings, when my anxiety is at its worst. My anxiety has never been so bad–these are truly new symptoms. I worry…which I figure is the most commonplace of all worries….that maybe TMS is just not for me. Did your elevated anxiety pass? I have not been back and am reconsidering.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 7 months ago by  mhick321.

I hope you are fine now!!

I have had 10 left side treatments and anxiety has now become prominent. It seems to be making my arthritis pain even more pronounced, which I think has been the source of my depression. The psychiatrist recommended that I take Neurontin for the arthritis pain and that only made my depression worse. It has not helped that the weather and length of days are changing too. I’m basically sitting still to avoid any stress. My body doesn’t tolerate any medications at this point, so I have had high hopes for Neurostar but my provider has only been addressing treatment on the left side so I am encouraged to hear that bilateral treatment might address this situation. I’ve come so far and hate to quit but this seems daunting if my treatments are not addressing anxiety at the same time.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 5 months ago by  paw_pal. Reason: brain fog

I just finished #24 and am having anxiety – can’t sleep, heart racing, shaking and headaches. I understood that bilateral was not tested. They attach the machine and leave the room. No one is in there with me. I have no buzzer. And concerns I have are blown off. No one ever asks me how I feel. Three times they have handed me a sheet and asked me to fill it out answering 5 questions about how i’m Feeling. I’m convinced they throw it away. No one answers the phones or responds to emails. They are not even filing my insurance correctly but if I ask this big man with a t shirt on comes and yells at me. There are no other providers of TMS close to me – 40 minute drive one way. I have only seen a doctor once and he never asked me a question, explained anything and I never received any literature on this. This office claims 100% success with TMS. I don’t believe that this is how the inventor intended – or NeuroStar – for the equipment to be used.

I am new to the forum and currently wrapping up the taper sessions. I too had overwhelming anxiety after 3 weeks of treatment (left side only). I honestly started feeling ALOT better after less than 2 weeks so the anxiety was a bit disconcerting. When I mentioned it to the team, they started doing bilateral treatments. I started feeling worse – mood drops in addition to the anxiety and started feeling better 1 week ago. It certainly has been a roller coaster. I’m still not feeling as well as I did towards the beginning of treatment and really hoping things right themselves. For those of you experiencing anxiety during the TMS treatments, was there any improvement at the completion of therapy?

So sorry MHick – I just now saw your comment. I really hope you are feeling better. I am still having anxiety attacks – not as bad, but I know it’s because of that TMS treatiment. Before TMS, I would have a three minute panic attack with heart palpitations. Now, my heart rate is off for 30 minutes, I feel like I am going to freak out (whereas before TMS, I would tell myself calmly, “This is just a panic attack that will go away quickly.”) . TMS induced anxiety is terrifying and I am not exaggerating. You know the difference – anxiety before TMS versus after. Because of TMS causing me to have a scary elevated heart rate that would wake me from sleep, I went to acupuncture for months, and saw an energy practitioner. They helped me a lot. I thought I was better, and did not see them in January that was a mistake because I’ve had at least 4 panic attacks in January, so I will return to acupuncture. I can’t believe this fraudulent, dangerous TMS treatment is available to innocent people seeking relief. I hope TMS gets banned. I can’t help but think psychiatry equals quackery and greed.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 2 months ago by  jlc.

I hope those who have suffered because of this TMS are healing and feeling better.

Hi Springercali–I typically don’t respond to this thread and after my brief experience with TMS, even getting alerts from this site caused me a bit of…anxiety. If it helps, whatever issues your TMS caused should pass. I was treated for moderate depression/anxiety. I had 13 sessions, like yourself, and at that marker, one horrific panic attack. I had never had one before. Every side effect you are describing, I experienced. It did pass. It took time. TMS is not for everyone, and there is as of yet, no formula for guaranteed successful treatment. (I felt like an experiment at this very well respected graduate school doing a ton of research on the device.) IF it is not working for you, if it is making you feel worse, stop. Be gentle with yourself and allow the time to return to your baseline state. Let your family know, your GP, and gather all the support you can, but do know that what you are feeling is not permanent.

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by  mhick321.

For some reason everything I posted on this thread got deleted but I just saw a functional neurologist and I failed a bunch of tests he gave me, showing that my fight or flight system is really messed up. I guess this doesn’t prove that it was from tms, but there is physical evidence of how horrible I’ve been feeling
I’m gonna start a rehabilitation program, maybe others who have had a bad reaction to tms can do this as well. I would suggest googling neuroplasticity specialists in your area

I had 30 treatments which I ended up with panic attacks and very bad anxiety, last treatment will be 3 weeks ago. can anyone give me hope that will stop. My whole body is like pins and needles.

I did have some anxiety around #22-34. It finally seemed to start working around 36! And it can even take effect after #36. But after 50+ years of depression and a strong family history, it worked for me! I pray it works for you!

Although it worked for me, this kind of comment makes me concerned to recommend it. Had I read these before I did TMS I would probably not have tried it. Have those who have developed anxiety grouped together to find out why and what may work to give you relief? I had anxiety before and it is so debilitating! A very serious condition. Since it can be made worse, perhaps there is a medical concern that can make it better?!

The doctor put me on medication for the anxiety, but I did not need it before, Trying to find out when this will stop

jlc- great recommendation for gig. Meditation and anxiety therapy may help also. Getting a handle on anxiety issues is difficult as I know and have suffered with anxiety also.

gig- hope something from what has been suggested helps you.

gig- happy to hear you are feeling calmer and hope that it does nothing but improve over time. 🙂