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I was on a low dose of Prozac for many years. I think if just wasn’t effective anymore or I went through a state of depression that nothing would help. I don’t know how things work when you are both on an antidepressant and doing TMS. I was not on anything during both treatments so I could easily tell if TMS was working or not. During the second round, I did find that I could have a decent conversation with the technician and even joke around a little. But the overall wellness came after the treatment ended. This happens to a lot of patients, but not all.
After the second round, I still wasn’t where I wanted to be. We (the psychiatrist) and I agreed to try an antidepressant again – this time Zoloft 50 mg. It wasn’t enough so we upped it to 100 mg. We also later added 2, 4, and then 6 mg of Abilify. I feel like I’m in a decent place now. I lack motivation but the Abilify has helped with that.
Are you working with a psychiatrist on all of this?
I have had TMS twice. Both times, I did not feel better until some time after the last session. Also, after the first treatment, I did not need medication anymore. However, after the second treatment, I did need medication. My theory is that TMS worked well enough for medication to work, whereas it didn’t for a long time. And, if you’ve been on the same antidepressant for years, it may be worthwhile to try a different one.
Wishing you well…
I think you should try another TMS clinic and start from scratch. See if you can find one that has psychiatrists as part of their crew. If that doesn’t work, then you know TMS is not for you. It’s sad for me to read the stories of those who it doesn’t work for. I count my blessings.
I was just curious as to whether or not you had a sleep study and were diagnosed by a professional vs. self-diagnosing. My ex had narcolepsy so I am somewhat familiar with it, but not as much as you.
I’m sorry to hear that you have not improved significantly. As I mentioned above, the 1st time I had the full TMS treatments, it worked 100% for me, or close. The second time it helped, but not as good as the first time. My theory is that the 2nd time it cleaned things up enough in my brain that antidepressants were able to work. However, it tood 8-12 weeks before I saw an improvement with the medication. So be it TMS or medication, it takes much longer than most to work on me.
I’m only sharing this with you in case it may be of help. Everyone is different. I continue to hope for the best for you and that life turns around very soon.
Marilyn
Have you been diagnosed with narcolepsy after a sleep study? Just curious.
I do not have narcolepsy but want to respond to your not getting better after the full round of treatments. I appear to be a late bloomer when it comes to TMS treatments and/or antidepressants. I have had two rounds of TMS – 6 months apart (second one was only needed due to a family death which sent me back into that deep hole). Both times, I did not feel better until maybe a couple of weeks after the treatments had ended. Someone else (like the technician) may have noticed an improvement toward the end of the treatments, but I did not sense it.
After the first round and feeling better, I did not need any medication. I was content with life. After the second round of treatments, I was better but not 100% as before. I am now on an antidepressant and once again content with life. However, I have very little motivation.
TMS doesn’t work for everyone and there are different methods used by different doctors. If you don’t get better within a couple of weeks, perhaps you could consult with a different provider.
Good luck to you in finding peace in your life and please keep us posted as to what transpires..
I don’t think I’ve experienced anxiety. I’m not sure of the definition – excessive worrying? I haven’t experienced that. TMS has worked for me twice , but it took a long time to see results – after the treatments stopped. My biggest problem now is lack of motivation. I am on 100 mg of Zoloft. It also took a long time to take affect – at least 8 weeks or more. It was so hard to hang in there, but glad I did. Zoloft appears to have helped with the insomnia.
There is no longer a doctor in my state who does TMS and takes Medicare. So in the future, I will have to have ECT treatments if the need arises. From what I’ve read, ECT has a higher success rate than TMS. TMS is new enough that it is still being fine tuned.
Hope this was helpful.
I should clarify one of my previous remarks. I did not experience insomnia the first time I had TMS treatments. They worked wonders for me even if the improvement didn’t start until after the treatments had ended. However, I did experience insomnia around the time I started TMS the second time around.
What you’re going through sounds awful. I’m so sorry you are experiencing this. I do know that antidepressants can take a while to work, longer on some people. Unfortunately, you have to suffer in the mean time. The same is true with TMS. I did not start noticing improvement until the 30 treatments had ended. The only thing that kept me going was hope that it would eventually work. I’ve had treatments twice and the delayed reaction occurred with both.
Have you gone to a psychiatrist? This is their specialty. I am thankful a friend recommended it to me.
It’s great that the insomnia medication works so fast, isn’t it? Unlike antidepressants that seem to take forever to make a difference. I’ve had TMS twice and it worked both times for me – better the first time around and I didn’t need any medication. But it didn’t seem to start working f until after the 6 weeks of treatments had ended. It was very hard hanging in there – hope was the only thing that kept me going.
I’m so sorry the treatments didn’t work for you. Perhaps you could try a different doctor, as they all have their own methods.
I hope Paxil does the trick for you.
I developed insomnia too but never related it to the TMS treatments. This explains it. But no anxiety. For the insomnia, I am taking 25-50 mg of Quetiapine. My doctor says I can take it for the rest of my life with no problems if need be. I had insomnia for about 5 months before I sought help for it. It is awful.
I have had two full rounds of TMS and never experienced ringing in the ears. But since you mention Wellbutrin, that was the first medication that caused me to stutter.
No, these triggers are not normal, but they are definitely common right now. I think many people are in your shoes. That is why depression is so rampant these days. It sounds like you might benefit from talking to a therapist who can help you work through this. Many are available during evenings and weekends now with so many people needing help.
My experience was in not seeing any improvement with TMS during some bad times. But it did help slowly. I’m glad I hung in there. Everyone is different. So even though you feel you have lost progress with the latest bad news you received, I would hang in there and give it a chance to work. I know it’s hard to be patient.
Yes, it would be lovely to have the comfort of a second income and a good insurance plan. I’ve never had that luxury either.
One other thought is to make an appointment to speak with your HR manager about what your options are. You said your company is large so there must be someone of that caliber who can help. This might help relieve some of the stress.
Yes, being alone is, as you said, definitely compounds our depression.
The Americans with Disability Act can help protect your job. It has been years since I’ve had to deal with it for employees so I am not up to date on its protection. Mental disabilities ARE included. I’m not sure how it comes into play during these pandemic times. But you may want to Google it to gain an understanding if you are concerned about your job.
I am fortunate I am now retired, as I know I would not have been able to work when I had the worst of my depression, So I feel for you being in that position. The only reason I am looking into ECT is because the only place where I live that took Medicare is no longer providing that service. The other 2 clinics in town do not accept Medicare.
Please keep us posted on your journey. I’m always here if you need someone to talk to. Living alone and not having anyone to share with who truly understands can really pull you down.
Yes, you were dealt a doozey with the diagnosis of your mother. I think when things like that happen, it delays how well TMS works. Just my opinion based on my experience. I’m sorry you have to experience this.
I would find another psychiatrist right away. It would be great if you could find one that is associated with a TMS clinic. If that is not available, find another one.
At least you saw that TMS was starting to work for you. That is a big plus! So I would not give up on TMS and pursue additional treatment. I would not be here today if it weren’t for the second round of TMS – even though a very delayed response.
Not knowing where you work and the size of the employer, you may want to look into the Americans with Disability Act and file for time off from work with that. Not sure why you have to take half a day off from work unless you have to travel quite a distance to get to where you are being treated. Also, 9 weeks is a long time. I’m guessing they tapered you off the last 3 weeks?
Thank you for reaching out. I am sorry to hear that you have suffered a setback. It’s such a shame that there are triggers that continue to pull us back into that deep hole. Through my online research, I’ve come to realize that I may be stuck with recurrent major depression. Life is full of triggers. TMS is a temporary aide but is likely needed on an ongoing maintenance basis.
My understanding is that insurance does not cover periodic “maintenance” treatments. To be covered by insurance, you have to go through the entire treatment process again. Ridiculous amount of wasted money and time.
Since you finished your first set of treatments in September of last year, you may very well be covered again since this is a new year. I would make contact with your insurance company to see if that is the case. You can also try getting a prescription from your psychiatrist for maintenance treatments and see if insurance will cover it that way. I do know of one person that worked for. I learned that from this site.
The second round of treatments did not work as well for me as the first, but they did work and pulled me out of the worst of it. My psychiatrist has recommended ECT for future treatment. I am no thrilled with that thought and am going to seek a second opinion – just as if I was going to have surgery.
Please post an update when you can as to how things are going for you.
I’m so sorry for what you are experiencing. It sounds awful. My first question is to ask why they started treatment on the right side if everything was going well before that?
I would make contact with your regular psychiatrist right away, indicating that this is almost an emergency situation. Being that it is the weekend, this may be difficult. An alternative is to go to the emergency room. Hopefully, your hospital has a Behavioral Health department that can step in.
I don’t think it would hurt to immediately stop treatment on the right side since you’ve had so few sessions on that side, but I am no doctor. That’s just my opinion. I would, however, continue treatment on the left side.
When things are better, I would consider reporting the doctor who is overseeing your sessions.
Please post updates as you are able. Wishing the best for you…
Checking in on you… Wondering how your follow up appointment went and how you are feeling these days.
If the process hasn’t worked by the end of your treatments, i.e., no noticeable improvement, what do they recommend?
I soooo understand how you feel and that you feel this was your last hope. Again, my treatments did not help until well after they stopped – at least 2 weeks. And the improvement that started so late was very gradual – almost unnoticeable. I hear what you are saying about getting worse. I hope you will get in to see the psychiatrist at the clinic where you had the treatments done. They need to guide you on how to proceed and not leave you hanging.
There was one other potential solution to not getting better that I would seriously have considered, though, I have not looked into it other than casually. It was even featured on 60 Minutes. You may want to research it and see if it is something you might be interested in. Check out this link: https://hub.jhu.edu/2019/10/14/60-minutes-anderson-cooper-psychedelics/
You can also Google “John Hopkins psychedelic research”. Several sites will come up. I would say this is, truly, the last resort, but sounds promising.
Do you have family or friends who are there for you? It was hard for me because no one seemed to understand.
I am what I call, a late bloomer, when it comes to TMS. I’ve had full treatments twice. The first go around I was so disheartened that they hadn’t worked, as I know of no other options. However, maybe within a couple of weeks, I started to notice improvement. It was minor and gradual. So it took a long time to get where I should be. Friends or others you are around may notice sooner – just little things. Ask them. I would not say I was feeling perfect, but I started doing things I used to do and was a much more pleasant person. I was content and at peace. That’s all I ask for.
I experienced some personal trauma a few months down the road and went back downhill. This time I experienced severe anxiety and insomnia which I’ve never experienced before. I ended up needing another round of TMS treatments. I am surprised the previous treatments did not help me through it. That I don’t understand. Once again, it was disappointing that the treatments were not working. However, within 2-4 weeks of ending the treatments, the anxiety lessened immensely – a life saver. It’s been a couple of months now and I’m not back to where I was – still don’t enjoy doing things I used to and have minimal motivation, but I am better and can function.
So, yes, you can experience positive results well after the treatments end. The only thing that kept me going during the second round was hope that they would work. This may not be the case for you and others, but I truly hope so.
I went on my second round of treatments 6 months after my initial round (a traumatic event resulted in an even worse relapse). The first round was successful but with a delayed response – improvement did not start until at least 2 weeks after the treatments ended, and then it was a slow progressive improvement. I was, finally, at peace (not necessarily happy).
I finished my second round a month ago. Two weeks after the treatments ended, there was enough improvement to make life somewhat bearable, but I still have a long ways to go. I continue to hope for improvement and assuming that it just takes longer to work on me. Time will tell.
I have done a full second round of 36 (about 6 months after the first round). It’s been almost a month since the second round of treatments ended. As with my first round, improvement was not seen until at least a couple of weeks after the treatments ended. So far, the improvement is not nearly as great as it was with the first round. I am still hoping for continued improvement, but it sure seems slow, if it happens at all.
