What you can expect during your Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment.
The initial session will be the longest. Dr. Hayden and our treatment team will work with you to pinpoint the exact placement of the TMS coil. You'll be fitted with a special cap that has markings to ensure precise coil placement for each subsequent session. Additionally, we'll perform brain stimulation over a part of the brain called the motor cortex to determine the appropriate magnetic strength for your treatment. Once these assessments are complete, you'll receive your first treatment.
Each treatment session will last between 3 and 19 minutes, depending on the specific protocol being used. You'll relax in a comfortable, reclining spa-style chair with a pillow cradling your head, allowing the coil to rest gently over the mapped area. You'll feel the magnetic pulse as a tapping sensation under the coil, as your scalp muscles respond to the pulses. The strength of these pulses will be adjusted based on your comfort level, gradually moving towards the effective target dose.
During your session, you're welcome to watch YouTube videos, listen to music, or simply relax and chat with our staff.
Immediately after treatment, some patients might experience slight discomfort at the treatment site or a mild headache. This typically resolves quickly and doesn't persist. Occasionally, patients take Tylenol after the first one or two sessions, but discomfort usually isn't an issue after 3 to 4 treatments. In fact, some patients even fall asleep in the chair by the second week, even if their initial treatments felt a bit uncomfortable. You can resume your normal activities immediately once the treatment is over.
Each day, our expertly trained TMS technicians will help you get set up in the chair, ensuring the coil is precisely positioned as it was in previous treatments, and the prescribed protocol is repeated. Dr. Hayden makes weekly rounds to check on each patient's progress and will modify treatment parameters if needed. He is also on-site and available throughout the week to address any concerns. Kim McDonald, PMHNP, who is also trained in TMS therapy, is available for consultations during daily treatments.
Standard Once-Daily Treatments: Most patients follow a schedule of 30 treatments delivered five days a week, followed by a taper of six treatments over the subsequent three weeks. Dr. Hayden may adjust this protocol by shortening it or increasing the number of treatments based on your response.
Accelerated Treatment: The mapping and motor threshold determination for accelerated treatment are similar to the standard protocol. However, instead of once daily, patients receive multiple treatments at 30-minute or 50-minute intervals, up to 8 treatments in a day.This allows them to complete their treatments in a much shorter timeframe. During this accelerated treatment experience, patients are provided with a small office equipped with comfortable furniture, TV access, and Wi-Fi.
After you complete your treatments, Dr. Hayden will frequently meet with patients 2 to 6 weeks out. We encourage patients to continue following up with their prescribing providers and therapists, and to make positive improvements in their lifestyle choices. Patients often find they are more able to engage in healthier behavioral choices once their depression lifts and they regain energy and motivation. Often they see more benefit from their therapy encounters because they are better able to follow through and use the insights and tools their therapists are assisting with .
We look forward to supporting you on your TMS journey.