I've had both TMS and ECT. Last summer I went through six weeks of TMS and by the third week I was feeling pretty damn good. I started gardening and felt more engaged in the world. The good feelings last half-way through the fall and then I started to fall apart. Late fall through spring is never a good time for me, but it was worse because I new how good I could feel and hadn't felt that good for more than a decade.
By January (after dysfunctional family circus holidays), I was so depressed, I went back to the TMS provider and he thought getting a second round would be a no-brainer. WRONG. My insurance denied me and gave me the runaround until my appeals ran out. My pdoc then started the ECT discussion which scared the heck out of me. By March I was waiting for a bed to start my treatment. I had 10 RUL Ultrabrief, six inpatient and four out. I stopped the treatments when I started having cognitive problem that are not tolerable when you're supposed to be job searching.
The problem with these treatment, even when they work, is that we should not expect a cure. The idea is to start to recover and then find a med that will keep us in remission long enough to get into real remission - which I've heard is six months symptom free. In my case that med is Emsam, but when combined with the other meds that I was already taking, is creating other problems that I hope the solve.
If TMS didn't work, it might be worth trying ECT. The approach is very conservative, and it's worth it if nothing else has worked. Best.
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this signature | Show by default | Change to hide (next time)If you're ever gonna find a silver lining
It's gotta be a cloudy day
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~ Kasey Musgraves