One of the biggest signs you may need TMS is that you’re treating your depression but still aren’t getting enough relief.
Maybe you’ve tried multiple antidepressants and continue to struggle with low energy, emotional numbness, sleep disturbances or basic day-to-day tasks. Or maybe medication helps somewhat, but the side effects are becoming difficult to tolerate.
At Resiliency Mind and Body Medicine, we don’t think patients should have to spend years cycling through medications before learning about other evidence-based depression treatments. For some people with major depressive disorder (MDD), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may be a natural next step when the current treatment plan isn’t doing enough.
Wondering whether it may be time to consider TMS? Schedule an evaluation with Resiliency Mind + Body Medicine to talk through your options.
Signs It May Be Time to Ask About TMS
- You’ve tried multiple antidepressants without significant improvement.
- Medication helps somewhat, but depression symptoms still interfere with daily life.
- Side effects such as weight gain or sexual dysfunction are becoming difficult to tolerate.
- You’ve combined medication with talk therapy and still have persistent symptoms.
- Your depression keeps returning despite treatment.
- You want to understand whether a noninvasive treatment could become part of your plan.
When Is Medication No Longer Enough?
Antidepressants are an important part of mental health care, and many patients find meaningful relief with them. But treatment-resistant depression can develop when major depressive disorder doesn’t improve adequately after appropriate antidepressant treatment.
TMS is often considered when someone has tried multiple antidepressants without enough improvement. After several medication trials, it may make sense to look at a different type of treatment rather than continuing to repeat the same approach.
That doesn’t mean medication needs to disappear from your treatment plan. At Resiliency, medication management, Deep TMS, and Spravato® can all work together as part of the same continuum of psychiatric care.
Does TMS Have to Be a Last Resort?
Not at all. Dr. Stefani LaFrenierre, founder of Resiliency Mind + Body Medicine, recently discussed this in a BrainsWay clinical overview of TMS. She explained that many patients spend years cycling through medications before learning that TMS is another evidence-based treatment option.
That’s why she encourages providers to discuss TMS as one of several options for treating depression rather than automatically positioning it as a last resort.
At Resiliency, that means looking at where you are now. If medication is working well, continuing it may make sense. If it’s only helping partially, Deep TMS may be worth discussing. For some patients with treatment-resistant depression, Spravato may also become part of the conversation.
You don’t have to wait until you feel completely out of options to ask what else is available.
What Is TMS Therapy?
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment that uses repeated magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells involved in mood regulation. During TMS treatment, an electromagnetic coil generates magnetic fields that reach specific brain regions associated with depression. Unlike medications that circulate throughout the body, TMS directly targets brain activity.
Resiliency uses BrainsWay Deep TMS, which uses a helmet-based H-Coil to stimulate broader neural networks involved in depression.
TMS doesn’t involve surgery or require anesthesia. Patients remain awake throughout treatment and can typically return to normal activities afterward. Common side effects are generally localized and may include mild scalp discomfort or headaches, particularly when starting treatment.
What Are Some Early Signs Your Treatment Plan Needs Another Look?
The signs aren’t always dramatic. You may still be going to work and handling basic tasks while knowing that everyday life feels much harder than it should. Maybe your depressive symptoms have improved slightly, but you’re still dealing with low motivation, difficulty concentrating or emotional numbness. Or maybe you keep changing medications because each one provides limited relief or creates side effects you don’t want to live with.
Those are all good reasons to revisit the conversation with your psychiatric provider. TMS benefits also tend to build gradually. Some patients begin noticing subtle changes during the first few weeks, while more significant improvement may develop over the full treatment course.
Who May Be a Candidate for TMS?
TMS is most commonly considered for people with major depressive disorder whose symptoms haven’t improved enough with standard treatments such as antidepressants and psychotherapy.
TMS technology also has FDA-cleared uses for certain other mental health conditions, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depending on the device and protocol.
Before starting treatment, Resiliency completes a psychiatric evaluation that reviews your diagnosis, medical history, previous medications and other treatments, along with safety factors such as a seizure disorder, certain metal implants or cochlear implants. Your provider may also consider whether another diagnosis, including bipolar disorder, could better explain your depressive symptoms.
What Happens if TMS Seems Like a Good Fit?
If TMS is appropriate, your provider will build a personalized treatment plan. Before the first full treatment session, the team establishes treatment parameters, including your motor threshold, which helps determine the right stimulation intensity.
A typical treatment course includes repeated sessions over several weeks. During each visit, the TMS machine delivers magnetic pulses while you remain awake and seated comfortably.
Because there’s no anesthesia or recovery period, TMS can often fit into everyday life more easily than patients expect. Sometimes medication management remains part of the plan. In other cases, Deep TMS, Spravato, or multiple therapies may be considered together.
Is It Time to Consider TMS?
If you’ve tried multiple depression treatments and still don’t feel like yourself, asking about TMS doesn’t mean you’ve reached the end of the road. It may simply mean your treatment plan needs another option.
At Resiliency Mind and Body Medicine, TMS is part of a broader approach to mental wellness that gives patients access to medication management and advanced brain stimulation therapies under one physician-led team.
If your current depression treatment isn’t getting you where you want to be, schedule an evaluation with Resiliency Mind + Body Medicine and let our team help you understand what could come next.