Substance abuse treatment can be done in a range of settings and with various modalities, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS therapy). The therapy’s primary goal is to alleviate depression. Over time, addiction therapy professionals began employing it for drug use disorders, particularly alcohol use disorder (AUD) and cocaine use disorder (CUD). TMS may also assist in keeping people in recovery from relapsing into substance misuse by inhibiting urges. Even if you’ve already fallen off the wagon, it can still be beneficial.
It is a non-invasive, painless therapy that employs magnetic energy to activate specific nerve cells in the brain. The treatment has been demonstrated to be effective in relieving depression symptoms during withdrawal and in individuals who already have depression as a co-occurring mental condition. Addiction therapy has gone a long way in a short period of time. Specialty therapies, such as TMS, allow individuals to receive therapy for their illness in methods that do not require extra medications and may be more helpful. Recovery facilities around the country now provide various types of therapy for whatever that a person may require.
TMS therapy is a typically safe and effective treatment for alcoholism and drug addiction. Magnetic pulses have been demonstrated to soothe the parts of the brain responsible for cravings. By focusing on these regions, patients can overcome addiction without the need of pharmaceutical drugs, which can have more negative side effects than TMS therapy.
TMS treatment is most commonly used to treat depression. It is especially beneficial for people suffering from treatment-resistant depression who aren’t responding to antidepressant drugs. It normally takes a few weeks for people to observe any noticeable improvements after TMS therapy. With consistent treatment, depression symptoms progressively disappear.
When it comes to treating anxiety, TMS treatment has shown promising outcomes. It is especially beneficial when other therapies, such as medicines have failed. TMS treatment can not entirely eliminate anxiety, but it helps alleviate symptoms and can result in considerable improvements for patients.
TMS therapy is delivered in a series of treatment sessions. The length of a session is determined by the TMS coil utilized and the number of pulses delivered. On the other hand, a session normally lasts between 30 and 40 minutes. TMS is administered to patients five days a week, and a typical course lasts four to six weeks. This, however, might vary depending on how a patient responds to therapy.
It works by focusing on the region of the brain that is in charge of mood regulation and depression. People who suffer from depression are thought to be dealing with a region of their brain that is not as active as it should be. The activation of the electromagnetic coil stimulates the underperforming portion of the brain. While the specific mechanism is unknown, there is evidence that the stimulation activated the brain and alleviated depressive symptoms.
While the treatment is modified in various ways, it is widely agreed that the intensity and frequency of the pulses should be decided by the patient’s motor control threshold. This is established by the twitches noticed by the clinician administering the treatment. Because the treatment is non-invasive and performed without anesthesia, the patient may drive themselves home and avoid missing further work. TMS, on the other hand, should be avoided in certain circumstances. It is critical to be completely honest with your doctor in order to determine whether TMS is appropriate for your circumstance.
TMS, like everything else, has side effects. However, the most common side effects are minor, and anything more serious is quite rare. Common side effects include:
