Posted by Pfinstegg on February 2, 2003, at 14:25:41
In reply to Re: rTMS for free - Thanks., posted by SLS on February 1, 2003, at 23:45:19
Hi Scott..because I was given TMS by a psychiatrist in private practice, I was allowed to keep taking my regular medications. They are: synthroid and cytomel, hormone replacement therapy twice weekly ( my gynecologist and I are trying to follow the new hormone guidelines, but found that the depression worsened a lot when the estrogen was completely discontinued- I don't know if men can have a comparable situation with testosterone, but I think it's possible if your levels are low), lots of fish oil and vitamins, especially B12 and folic acid - and tianeptine. This last one is kind of an experiment; because I never found a good AD in any of the classes, I thought I would give tianeptine a try. It has been shown to prevent stressed baby tree shrews from developing small hippocampuses with abnormal cell structure (German Primate Center and Rockefeller University). On MRI, I do have the typical PTSD- depressive presentation of a small left hippocampus. I am not using it as an AD (it doesn't seem to be very good for that) but rather as a way of protecting my hippocampus from further cortisol damage, and MAYBE allowing it to recover some. Time will tell!
You raised such an interesting question about using TMS at an intensity which actually causes a seizure. I know there are researchers investigating this in various centers; my doctor simply said that he was giving me maximal intensities, and that I might have a seizure, but to quote him, "so....!" Obviously, TMS and ECT are getting pretty close; the electromagnetic impulses don't scatter when they pass through one's skull as regular electricity does, so they are giving an intense dose to a precise area- the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. There is supposed to be some spread to the amygdala, hippocampus and basal ganglia, but not as much as one would get with ECT. This means you can take it as an outpatient, and drive yourself home without difficulty.
One thing I feel I should mention: because it's not FDA-approved, insurance will not cover the TMS if you are given it privately. My insurance did cover the medical, neurological and psychiatric work-up, but I did have to pay for the TMS myself. It cost $170 per treatment, but my doctor did have a sliding scale for it- how far down he would actually slide I don't know!
I am amazed at what a complete remission I got from the TMS, but not much time has passed since my last treatment, so I have no idea if it will last. But I will keep posting to let anyone who might be thinking of it know what happens longer-term.
The very best of luck to you- I'd be so interested to hear what you decide to do.
Pfinstegg
poster:Pfinstegg
thread:137927
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030130/msgs/138930.html