If you have been diagnosed with MDD and medications are not working, or are causing strong side effects, you may be a good candidate for TMS. In today’s article, Dr. Mania answers some frequently asked questions about this type of treatment.
Fight depression with NeuroStar Advanced Therapy
New therapy 'rewires' the brain to fight depression
Doctors at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA Health are taking a different approach to help patients.
Instead of drugs, they’re beaming magnetic pulses deep inside a patient's brain to change the way depression symptoms are perceived. It's called transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS and it's currently FDA approved to treat depression only.
Dealing With Holiday Depression? You Don't Have To Suffer Alone
We’ve all heard about counseling therapy and medication as ways of treating depression but have you heard of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)? This approach “uses short pulses of a magnetic field to stimulate nerve cells in the area of the brain thought to control mood” in an attempt to create a positive effect on the brain’s neurotransmitter levels.
While the name and description might sound complicated, the actual experience of receiving TMS therapy is not. Patients are fully awake, sitting in a chair with a small, curved magnetic coil placed on their head. They will hear a clicking sound and feel gentle tapping on their head. When the treatment is over, they can resume normal activities, including driving themselves home… but does it work?
NeuroStar Advanced Therapy has the largest clinical data set of any TMS treatment. With studies including more than 900 people, many NeuroStar patients saw their symptoms significantly improve after four to six weeks of treatment.
NeuroStar treats major depression
IRVINE, Calif. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- The National Institutes of Health reports that about 30 percent of adults with major depression don’t respond to treatment. Those people have an alternative that doesn’t involve medication and is non-invasive. Learn more about the newest generation of neuro-stimulators, which prod certain parts of the brain to work.
Carolyn Radillo has been fighting treatment-resistant depression since she was a teenager.
She’s had lots of therapy, many medications, and has been hospitalized four times without much relief.
Radillo explained, “Can’t focus, wasn’t able to work. Didn't enjoy being around even my kids and other people. It was just really hard to cope with life.”
So when her doctor told her about NeuroStar, she said yes. NeuroStar delivers transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS to a part of the brain that’s underactive, causing depression.
“TMS now offers another option, in terms of how to stimulate that activity, how to get those neurons to the brain firing and releasing their neurotransmitters.” Said Ernest Rasyidi, MD, a psychiatrist at St Joseph Hospital.
Technicians have calibrated the coil that sends painless electrical pulses every few seconds for about 19 minutes. Radillo will come in for 30 treatments over six weeks. Dr. Rasyidi says half the patients report significant relief, and 30 percent are in remission from their symptoms, without drugs.
“It’s effective. Now, down the road, a person may experience another depressive episode and may need an additional treatment, but that’s really no different than our existing treatment with medication therapy.” Dr. Rasyidi explained.
Radillo is almost finished with her treatments.
She said, “Over the past couple weeks, I think that it’s just gotten better, to where I’m seeing more frequent good days and less frequent bad days.”
Side effects are minimal, including some scalp discomfort, twitching, and headache. Neurostimulation is for adults who’ve tried a medication that didn’t work or wasn’t tolerated. Most insurance companies will pay for NeuroStar treatments for depression.
NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy Hits 2 Million Treatments During National Depression Awareness Month Leading TMS provider joins forces with key thought leaders to destigmatize mental health
MALVERN, Pa., Oct. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy, the established leader in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), announced it has reached its two million treatment milestone this October during National Depression Awareness Month. In its steadfast commitment to transform more lives and continue the fight against depression, NeuroStar is launching a national awareness campaign to educate the public on transcranial magnetic stimulation as an innovative depression treatment option, while sparking a much-needed dialogue on breaking mental health stigma. The campaign includes a national satellite media tour in partnership with Tom Starling, Ed.D, CEO of Mental Health America of Middle Tennessee and National Board Chair of Mental Health America, Dr. Scott West, Medical Director of ThriveLogic TMS + NeuroHealth and Nashville NeuroCare Therapy, and patient advocate Kelly Hagan. They will come together to ignite this important conversation, shed light on how effective TMS therapy is and why more people should know about it as a treatment option that can deliver remission from depression — especially considering that in an open-label clinical trial, 58% of depressed patients significantly responded to treatment, and 37% achieved complete remission of their depression symptoms with NeuroStar Advanced Therapy.1
"Hitting this milestone proves that sufferers and their loved ones continue to turn to NeuroStar as they seek remission from their depression. They want a second chance at life instead of just trying to function with this debilitating disease," said Chris Thatcher, President and CEO of Neuronetics, Inc. "It is incredibly rewarding to be part of a Company that has transformed so many lives, and continues to do so every day. We will remain dedicated to providing hope to those who need it most and making sure as many people as possible know about this proven treatment, not just during National Depression Awareness Month, but throughout the year."
NeuroStar will drive increased awareness of TMS therapy, launching a new series of patient videos to illustrate the many faces of depression sufferers who didn't benefit from or see success with antidepressant medications and whose lives were positively impacted by NeuroStar. These videos spotlight personal perspectives through the lens of actual patients and chronicle their inspiring journeys to achieving remission from depression with NeuroStar.
"There is no health without mental health, and we are excited to partner with NeuroStar to work together to raise vital awareness and help others to live their healthiest lives in every sense of the word," said Dr. Tom Starling. "Depression is a very serious public health concern, and it is important that others are encouraged to seek help and fight back right away. We need to do all we can to offer support, educate and serve as a beacon of hope in times of darkness so that as many people as possible can find the light."
As the first TMS device to receive FDA clearance in 2008 as a safe and effective option for adult patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), NeuroStar has become a game changer in the treatment of depression and offers hope to the 5.5 million adults in the U.S. with depression who do not see relief from antidepressant medication.2,3,4 In fact, NeuroStar is backed with the most clinical studies for TMS in depression and has proven efficacy for patients with MDD.1,5,6
To get involved in the conversation during National Depression Awareness Month, follow NeuroStar on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use the hashtag #BeANeuroStar. Visit www.NeuroStar.com for more information about NeuroStar Advanced Therapy or to locate a doctor.
About NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy
NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy is the established leader in transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a non-invasive form of neuromodulation. NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is the #1 TMS choice of doctors for patients with MDD, and is widely available across the United States.
NeuroStar is widely reimbursed by most commercial and government health plans, including Medicare and Tricare. In addition, there are programs in place, such as NeuroStar Reimbursement Support, to help patients and providers obtain coverage and reimbursement for NeuroStar Advanced Therapy.
NeuroStar is indicated for the treatment of MDD in adult patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode. In an NIMH-funded, independent, randomized controlled trial, patients treated with TMS using a clinical-trial version of the NeuroStar TMS System were four times more likely to achieve remission compared to patients receiving sham treatment (P = 0.0173; odds ratio = 4.05).5 The most common side effect is pain or discomfort at or near the treatment site, which usually resolves within one week. It is contraindicated in people with non-removable conductive metal in or near the head.
NeuroStar® is a registered trademark of Neuronetics, Inc. For more information and full safety and prescribing information, visit www.neurostar.com.
1 Carpenter LL, et al. Depress Anxiety, (2012)
2 Kessler RC, et al. JAMA, (2003)
3 https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/index.xhtml, accessed 1/16/2018
4 Gaynes BN, et al., Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 2008;75(1):57-66
5 George MS, et al. Arch Gen Psychiatry, (2010)
6 O'Reardon JP, et al. Biological Psychiatry, (2007)
SOURCE NeuroStar Advanced Therapy
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What do we know about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy?
It is sometimes helpful to recap where we are so we can make the best decisions about how to move forward. It helps to look at the facts and be realistic about where we are, what we know and what more we can learn to gain a fuller understanding of something in its current state and what’s ahead. With this logic in mind, as a practicing psychiatrist, I wanted to expand on what is know about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy from a clinical perspective.
TMS was cleared by the FDA in 2008 to treat Major Depression that has not responded to one antidepressant treatment. This clearance was expanded to previous antidepressant treatment, no matter the number.
Major Depression is a brain disease. Depression is an emotion just like happiness, but Major Depression is a serious disease that includes symptoms such as depressed mood, disturbance of sleep and appetite, lack of motivation and interest, diminished cognition and suicidal thoughts not explained by physical illness and lasting for at least a couple of weeks. The areas of the brain connected to Major Depression include the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system. Disruption of circuits connecting these areas of the brain can account for the emotional, cognitive and active symptoms of Major Depression.
The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, funded by NIMH looked at over 4,000 patients with Major Depression shows that medication does not help all patients and there is a lessened chance of response as people take more antidepressants due to lack of effect or side effects.
There is a common misconception that TMS Therapy is ECT (Electroconvulsive therapy, or electroshock therapy). TMS is NOT ECT. Perhaps is the 3-letter abbreviation of the treatment, or that both “stimulate” the brain without medication, but let me be clear—TMS involves zero electric “shock” of any sorts. Instead, TMS uses a magnetic pulse to stimulate the brain, much like the magnet used in an MRI machine. TMS is an office-based treatment, and it does not involve sedation or anesthesia and does not have any negative cognitive effects. A patient can drive to the treatment and afterward go to work, school, the gym or where ever they would like. There are no systemic side effects.
The pulsed magnetic field from a TMS magnet causes targeted and direct neuronal depolarization of a specific part of the brain leading to release of neurotransmitters as well as neuronal depolarization in deeper structures affecting mood. There is activation of these brain circuits following TMS.
TMS is effective, and safe in treating Major Depression that has not responded to a previous antidepressant medication. In several randomized, controlled peer-reviewed and published studies, TMS has been shown to be effective with response in over one half and remission in one-third of patients. It has also been shown to be durable and lasting over time.
When someone responds to TMS, if he or she has a return of symptoms, there is a good chance of response to further TMS, usually with fewer treatments.
That is what we know from clinical research. What I know from having been involved with TMS for nine years, having treated more than 400 patients with 15,000+ treatments including the approximately 20% that have returned for retreatment, is that TMS has proven to be a valuable tool in providing optimal, evidenced-based treatment for patients with Major Depression.
It used to be that people were not aware of TMS, but now not a week goes by without someone mentioning TMS and usually knowing someone who had a successful treatment. Knowing what we know, it is understandable that people are becoming more aware of this beneficial treatment option for Major Depression.
https://blogs.psychcentral.com/tms/2019/01/what-do-we-know-about-transcranial-magnetic-stimulation-tms-therapy/
