Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Offers Options for Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Offers Options for Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression

Avery Roach said she has been in and out of therapy since she was 8 years old.

By 16, the Oregon, Ohio, native was seeing a psychiatrist and trying medications to manage depression, anxiety, PTSD and ADHD. Over the years, the list of medications she tried grew long - including genetic testing to find a better fit - without lasting relief.

"We went back and forth with meds. I've been on a lot of medications, and we couldn't find the right one," said Roach, now 20 and pursuing a nursing degree at Mercy College of Ohio. "And I was like, I don't really want to be doing this my whole life."

While working with her psychiatrist at UToledo Health, she learned about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as an option and asked for a referral.

TMS is a noninvasive, U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved therapy that uses targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate the area of the brain associated with depression, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. It was developed to help patients with treatment-resistant depression. The therapy process takes six weeks, with 20-minute sessions, five days a week at the Ruppert Health Center on UToledo's Health Science Campus. No sedation is required and patients can drive themselves home after each session. Most major health insurers in the United States now cover the procedure.

"Think of it as helping to wake up and retrain a part of the brain that's involved in mood regulation," said Dr. Garrett Spradley, a psychiatrist and director of UToledo Health's TMS program. "Each treatment gives the area a series of magnetic pulses. Over many treatments, we're trying to strengthen the brain networks that help regulate mood, motivation and negative thinking."

Spradley said the results have been striking since the procedure launched one year ago at UToledo Health. Of the six patients who have completed the full course of treatment, all six have shown meaningful improvement.

"We have two people who went into full remission," he said. "And the others had a clinically significant reduction in all depression symptoms."

Roach is among those in remission. Before completing her TMS treatment, she was weaned off her antidepressant entirely.

"I'm actually not taking any antidepressants now," she said. "Right now, I only take one medication, Adderall. Before, there were times I was on three or four medications."

"It is possible for people to finish a course of TMS and say, 'I don't feel like I need medication anymore.' TMS helps promote neuroplasticity and strengthen the brain circuits involved in mood regulation, allowing those circuits to function more effectively," Spradley said.

And the change has extended beyond Roach's prescription list.

"My overall outlook on life is better. I feel happier, I feel I can look forward to things," she said. "My friends and family have even noticed a change in my personality and moods."

For anyone on the fence about the therapy, her advice is simple: "Try it; see if it helps. You have to trust the process."

Patients outside the UToledo Health system whose insurance covers TMS can request a referral from their psychiatrist or reach out directly at [email protected].