Alyne Wellness offers Personalized Repetitive TMS for Depression in Agoura Hills, California to treat depressive symptoms and improve mental wellbeing when other treatment therapies have not been effective.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a groundbreaking, non-invasive brain stimulation technique for treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and other forms of depression.
TMS Therapy is particularly effective for treatment-resistant depression. This condition occurs when antidepressant medications and other therapies fail to provide relief.
Alyne Wellness uses a specialized form of TMS for depression, called PrTMS, that offers advanced assessments and dynamic monitoring for better results than traditional transcranial magnetic stimulation.
TMS for depression has emerged as an important treatment method in recent years.
This is because traditional therapies don’t always provide relief for many people struggling with depressive symptoms.
According to the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, depression affects more than 18 million adults in the United States each year, and is the leading cause of disability for people between the ages 15 and 44 years old.
Antidepressants and psychotherapy are effective for many people with depression. But up to two-thirds of patients do not respond favorably to their first round of medication, and others still have debilitating symptoms after using two or three different types of prescription drugs.
When several rounds of medications do not alleviate depressive symptoms, it is known as treatment-resistant depression.
TMS has proven to be a powerful alternative to medication for successfully overcoming treatment-resistant depression.
The FDA approved TMS therapy for depression in 2008, specifically for major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression, based on its efficacy and safety.
Depression is a mental health condition that produces feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed.
It affects each person differently, and instead of a single cause of depression, it often arises from a combination of genetic, biological, social, and environmental factors.
These are some of the top factors that lead to depression. It’s also important to keep in mind that depression typically results from a combination of these factors.
The symptoms of depression are as diverse as the causes, and no two people will experience the same ones. The signs can be emotional, physical, or a combination of both.
There are also different types of depression, so it’s important to receive a proper diagnosis.
Depression can be treated through a combination of approaches depending on the type, severity, and root causes.
1.Psychotherapy
Depression treatment usually begins with some form of psychotherapy to get a baseline for the symptoms, causes, and to identify the most effective form of treatment.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most commonly used psychotherapy approaches to identify and change negative thoughts and behaviors.
2. Medication
Antidepressants are often prescribed to help regulate neurotransmitter activity in the brain.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) like escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac), and sertraline (Zoloft) are some of the most common.
Serotonin/Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) such as desvenlafaxine (Pristiq), duloxetine (Cymbalta), and venlafaxine (Effexor) can also be effective.
3. Combination of Psychotherapy and Medication
The most effective treatment method for depression is often a combination of psychotherapy and medication, especially in the beginning. Over time, if symptoms stabilize and psychotherapy is working, some people find they can taper off medication.
4. Lifestyle Changes
Lifestyle changes are necessary for overcoming depressive symptoms and can provide lasting relief when followed regularly. Daily exercise, eating a nutritious diet, getting proper sleep, avoiding processed foods, and limiting alcohol can all be beneficial.
5. Holistic Treatment
Many people find depression relief by combining traditional methods with holistic treatments such as yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and breathing or relaxation techniques.
6. Brain Stimulation
TMS for depression has proven to be a successful way of alleviating depressive symptoms, especially when other treatment methods have failed to provide positive results.
The FDA approved TMS treatment for depression in 2008 because of its safety and effectiveness.
During a typical session of TMS treatment for depression, an electromagnetic coil is placed against a person’s scalp that emits magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain that regulate mood and emotions.
The process is safe, non-invasive, and does not require anesthesia or surgery.
The magnetic current is similar to an MRI as it passes through the skull to the brain to promote neural activity associated with depression.
Clinical studies have proven TMS for depression is an effective therapy method and researchers have several theories why it works so well.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation is thought to enhance neurotransmitter activity in the brain related to dopamine and serotonin.
It is also thought to improve neuroplasticity to help the brain heal and form new connections, while regulating neural activity in the brain that is either too low or too high.
At Alyne Wellness, our Personalized Repetitive TMS Therapy in Agoura Hills uses dynamic monitoring and advanced assessments that aren’t available with standard TMS protocols.
PrTMS offers more precise targeting and better stimulation of the specific areas of the brain that need improvement.
PrTMS therapy for depression offers a number of benefits that make it more appealing than other treatment methods.
1. Fewer Side Effects Than Medications
TMS has fewer side effects than antidepressant medications. There are no dangerous drug interactions, no risk of addiction or withdrawal symptoms, and no need to taper off medications when trying to quit, like with benzodiazepines.
2. Precise Targeting
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation targets the precise areas of the brain that need improvement and does not affect other areas of the body the way drugs or medications can sometimes.
3. TMS Works When Drugs Don’t
TMS is a compelling alternative for people who have not found relief with prescription drugs, and it has proven to be effective for medication-resistant depression.
4. Non-Invasive Treatment
It is a non-invasive treatment that does not require anesthesia, surgery, or implants used in other forms of brain stimulation.
5. No Cognitive Issues
PrTMS does not cause confusion, memory loss, or other cognitive problems associated with approaches like electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or some types of medication.
6. Fast Acting
It has a quick onset of action and some people notice an improvement of symptoms in a relatively short time after several sessions.
7. Long-Lasting Improvement
Many people experience long-lasting improvement of depressive symptoms for months or years after treatment. If necessary, maintenance sessions can be performed at any time.
The lasting improvement found with TMS makes it a better approach than antidepressants, because as soon as the medication is out of a person’s system, depression often returns.
TMS fine tunes the brain to heal it, whereas medications only serve as a temporary solution that stops working when a person quits taking them.
8. No Downtime
PrTMS is an outpatient procedure that is performed in our office. Because it does not require anesthesia, there is no downtime, and normal activities can be resumed after each treatment session.
TMS for depression has shown to be an effective alternative when other treatment methods don’t work. It is fast acting, safer than prescription medications, has fewer side effects, and continues working long after treatment has been completed.
It directly targets the specific areas of the brain that regulate mood and emotions without affecting other areas of the body, and clinical studies have proven its success for treatment-resistant depression.
To learn more about Personalized Repetitive TMS for Depression in Agoura Hills, California, contact Alyne Wellness at (818) 839-7556.