TMS MACHINE

Description of Event or Problem

I UNDERWENT TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION TO TREAT MY DEPRESSION. I HAD REPEATED REACTIONS OF ANXIETY, SCATTERED THINKING, AND OVERSTIMULATION. THEY TRIED ADJUSTING THE PROTOCOL (FROM LEFT SIDE TO RIGHT SIDE) AND INTENSITY, BUT ULTIMATELY I DISCONTINUED TREATMENT AFTER 5 WEEKS. THERE WERE SOME BENEFITS BUT ALSO SIGNS OF OVERSTIMULATION. OVER THE 2 WEEKS FOLLOWING MY LAST TREATMENT, I EXPERIENCED WORSENING, CRIPPLING ANXIETY. I FELT LIKE A CAR ENGINE THAT WAS REVVED TO 7,000 RPMS ALL DAY LONG. NONE OF THE USUAL ANXIETY INTERVENTIONS HAVE HELPED. I AM NOW ON MAJOR DOSES OF CALMING SUPPLEMENTS AND MEDICATION TO TRY TO GET CONTROL OF MY NERVOUS SYSTEM AGAIN. WHAT I BELIEVE HAPPENED, IS THAT TMS( TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION) INDUCED A STATE OF HYPEREXCITABILITY IN MY BRAIN THAT MY NERVOUS SYSTEM IS NO LONGER ABLE TO REGULATE. THE 5 WEEKS OF TREATMENT SET A NEW "PATTERN OF OPERATION" THAT MY BRAIN LEARNED, AND THAT INTENSIFIED INTO A POWERFUL "AUTOPILOT" PROGRAM THAT IS SO STRONG, USUAL INTERVENTIONS FOR ANXIETY ARE NOT SUFFICIENT TO OVERRIDE. THAT'S WHY I WOULD CLASSIFY WHAT TMS DID TO MY NERVOUS SYSTEM AS "PERMANENT" DAMAGE. I WAS TOLD OVER AND OVER THAT ANXIETY IS NOT A SIDE EFFECT OF TMS, THAT IT HELPS ANXIETY AND DOES NOT WORSEN IT. HOWEVER, THE ANXIETY I'M EXPERIENCING IS DEFINITELY FROM THE TREATMENT AND IS UNLIKE ANYTHING I HAVE EXPERIENCED BEFORE. MY PSYCHOLOGIST, WHO HAS BEEN TREATING ME FOR 8 YEARS, BUT WAS NOT INVOLVED IN THE TREATMENT, AGREES THAT I AM NOT HAVING AN IMAGINED REACTION BUT THAT THE STIMULATION FROM TMS HAS CAUSED MY SYMPTOMS, WHICH ARE SO DIFFERENT FROM ANYTHING I HAVE EXPERIENCED BEFORE. I FOUND OUT AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS, THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS ONLINE OF PATIENTS WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR NEGATIVE AND LIFE ALTERING EFFECTS FROM TMS. IT SEEMS IN A CERTAIN SUBSET OF PEOPLE, IT CAN PROVOKE THIS TYPE OF REACTION. IF I HAD KNOWN THIS RISK, I WOULD NOT HAVE TRIED THE TREATMENT, OR I WOULD HAVE DISCONTINUED IT MUCH SOONER. THE DANGER OF TMS IS THAT THE EFFECTS DO NOT NATURALLY FADE AFTER DISCONTINUING, LIKE MIGHT HAPPEN AFTER DISCONTINUING A MEDICATION. THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE ANY NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK OF TREATMENT, SHOULD PROMPT A DECISION TO CONSIDER TERMINATING TREATMENT IMMEDIATELY, TO PREVENT ENCODING AN UNHEALTHY PATTERN OF ACTIVITY IN THE BRAIN.