TMS FOR ANXIETY

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation [TMS] For Anxiety

Tampa, FL's Leading Anxiety Treatment Specialist ✔

TMS Therapy or Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Therapy is a non-invasive FDA-approved that is effective for treating depression, OCD, and other psychiatric disorders. Unlike medications, it is unique that it has none of the systemic side effects caused by SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, and other antidepressants. It is of particular interest to evaluate the use of TMS therapy for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

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Anxiety Disorders

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 18% of the adult population suffer from anxiety annually; COVID-19 increased the prevalence of anxiety in the year 2020 and 2021. This makes anxiety more common than depression. The overlap between depression and anxiety is about 50%. This means that half of the patients with depression have comorbid anxiety.

How Does TMS Therapy Work For Anxiety?

Understanding the overlap between depression and anxiety in prevalence and mechanism of action explains why antidepressants and psychotherapy are usually the first-line treatment for anxiety as well as depression. This also explains why anxiety often responds when treating depressed patients with left-sided brain stimulation using TMS therapy.

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TMS Therapy Protocol For Anxiety

Some patients, though, don’t respond to the classical TMS therapy protocol. We perform right-sided low-frequency TMS therapy; we aim to reduce the hyperactivity of the electrochemical signal originating from the right prefrontal cortex. Using a frequency of 1 Hz for 15 minutes for a total of 900 pulses had shown good response in a few trials. One study treated patients twice a week for three weeks. In comparison, others did five days a week for six weeks. The theory behind this is that the 1 Hz stimulation is inhibitory thanks to the release of GABA. The latter is a neurotransmitter that causes a calming effect.

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TMS Therapy For Anxiety At Florida TMS Clinic

At Florida TMS Clinic, we tailor the treatment for each unique patient to optimize their response. After 10 sessions of standard TMS therapy, we re-evaluate the progress. We could consider a different location of stimulation if no response is noted. If your depression improved with the left side stimulation, but your anxiety is not, we add right-sided TMS therapy.

More and more TMS research is being published every day. In the next few years, many psychiatric disorders will be treated with TMS Therapy. We just need to find out where to stimulate for each disorder. We also need to optimize our protocols accordingly. It is a promising and exciting world that is being unfolded in front of our eyes.

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