This article will help readers compare TMS vs antidepressants​ when deciding upon the proper treatment and answer questions like “Can you do TMS while on antidepressants​?”
Mental health conditions have steadily increased over the last 10 years, with things like anxiety increasing from around 5% to nearly 7% of the American population over the last 10 years. However, during COVID, rates of depression and anxiety reached 25% of the world.
To that end, antidepressants are very common, with about 10% of adults taking them annually, and females taking them more often than males. The use of antidepressants has increased in young adults in particular.
Unfortunately, antidepressants only help individuals manage their symptoms and do not work to reverse the causes of depression or anxiety. It has become increasingly important to find effective treatments, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) being one of them. This article will compare Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and antidepressants for depression treatment.
Understanding TMS Therapy vs Antidepressants
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a process that stimulates blood flow and electrical activity in specific areas of the brain, typically associated with atrophy and the cause of depression. Antidepressants are prescription medications that are thought to increase neurotransmitters to boost your mood or to disrupt pain signals that your nerves send.
How TMS and Antidepressants Compare
So, how do TMS and antidepressants compare?
#1. Efficacy and Success Rates
When you’re looking at TMS vs. antidepressants, it’s important to start with the efficacy and success rates. Research shows that antidepressants can be helpful for those who have moderate or severe depression, but are not usually useful for mild depression.
TMS, by comparison, has proven highly effective at treating depression, particularly treatment-resistant depression and postpartum depression. By stimulating areas of the brain associated with depression, TMS is able to tackle the cause of the condition rather than help you manage symptoms as antidepressants do.
#2. Side Effects and Risks
Different antidepressants come with a range of potential side effects, and while the most common effects are mild and will get better as your body gets used to the medication, you still have to contend with things like sexual dysfunction and weight gain.
Other potential side effects include:
- Feeling agitated or anxious
- Feeling sick
- Dizziness
- Loss of appetite
- Insomnia
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Indigestion and stomach aches
Note: It’s important to never stop taking antidepressants suddenly, as this can cause withdrawal symptoms and other reactions. You should always work with your doctor to gradually reduce your doses over the span of several weeks or longer, depending on how long you have taken antidepressants.
By comparison, TMS has minimal side effects, if any. At most, people report headaches and scalp discomfort where the electrodes were placed, but these tend to go away within the first few sessions.
#3. Treatment Duration and Frequency
For TMS vs. antidepressants, you will see differences in the treatment duration and frequency. With antidepressants, you usually have to take them at least two or three weeks before you start to feel the benefits, and it’s important not to stop taking them once you feel these benefits because the effects can diminish very rapidly.
With antidepressants, you will work with your doctor to monitor how well they are working and what side effects you are experiencing over the first several months. This will allow your doctor to make any changes to the doses or the type of antidepressant you are prescribed.
Note: Some people go at least 6 months before they start to feel better because it can take a while to find the right medicine and the right dose.
With antidepressants, you might have to take them regularly, as a regular part of your routine, or at the very least, for several months or years while your symptoms are high.
When you stop taking antidepressants, it’s not uncommon for symptoms to come back, especially if antidepressants were not combined with any other lifestyle changes or therapy.
By comparison, TMS is typically completed within the span of several weeks, with 20 minute sessions 5 days per week. These sessions will last however long your individual circumstances require but for depression this is typically four to six weeks. Patients will experience improvement almost immediately and at the end up to 70% will experience significant improvement in their symptoms and of those over 30% will experience complete remission.
These remissions and reductions in symptoms can last anywhere from half a year to a few years, after which patients might need to undergo another few weeks of TMS. However, with limited to no side effects, this process can be repeated as regularly as needed.
Can You Do TMS While on Antidepressants?
It is absolutely possible to combine TMS and antidepressants. TMS has no contraindications with other medications. It may be useful to combine them as TMS can help diminish your need to be reliant on antidepressants or to use the same high doses.
However, you should still consult with your healthcare professionals to see how you can balance both of these treatment options within your individual care plan.
Choosing the Right Treatment for You
So which one is better for you? When you are choosing between TMS and antidepressants, you should consider factors:
- How severe your depression is
- What your previous history with treatment is
- Your personal preferences
For example, TMS has been approved by the FDA as a treatment option for treatment-resistant depression, so if you have already tried antidepressants and they haven’t proved useful, TMS might be a better part of your recovery plan.
Note: It is imperative that you work with a mental health professional to determine which option is best for your unique situation.
Overall, the main differences between TMS therapy and antidepressants have to do with efficacy, side effects, and patient outcomes. If you are on the fence about TMS vs. antidepressants for your condition, consult with your healthcare provider to make an informed decision about treatment options, so that you get the best personalized care.