Revolutionize Your Mental Health Journey

Brainsway’s dTMS unit is more effective than TMS in clinical trials, providing deeper and broader stimulation to the appropriate areas of the brain. Brainsway is the only company with an FDA-approved indication for OCD, and is involved in research for other applications of dTMS.  This includes smoking cessation, PTSD and other trauma, ADHD and certain neurologic disorders.

Our dTMS team will work to create a comprehensive treatment plan for you, possibly including psychotherapy or medication adjustments.

Treatment involves sitting comfortably in a chair and wearing the treatment helmet for 20 minutes. The coil in the helmet creates a temporary magnetic field to stimulate brain areas that affect mood and OCD symptoms. This has been proven effective for approximately 50% to 60% of people with depression who have tried and failed to receive benefits from medications. About one-third of these individuals experience a full remission, having their symptoms go away completely.

Although encouraging, these results are not permanent. Like most other treatments for mood disorders, there is a high recurrence rate. Most dTMS patients feel better for many months after treatment, with the average response length being a little over a year. Some will opt to come back for subsequent rounds of treatment.

For individuals who do not respond to dTMS, other treatments such as ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) are effective options to consider.

A course of treatment with dTMS usually consists of 37 treatments. You will have the first 20 treatments over four weeks, with treatments occurring five business days per week. You will see your psychiatrist weekly during this time to assess treatment progress.

A tapering phase follows for eight to 16 weeks, with treatments occurring twice a week. During the tapering phase, you will see your psychiatrist every two weeks. After treatment is completed, you will see your psychiatrist as recommended. If symptoms recur, you may benefit from another course of dTMS treatment.

dTMS is being studied extensively across disciplines and disorders to explore new treatments for neurological disorders, pain management, and physical rehabilitation. There are large clinical trials looking at the effectiveness of dTMS in conditions such as pediatric depression, bipolar disorder, smoking cessation, post-traumatic stress disorder and ADHD. While offering promise, dTMS for these conditions is not yet approved and is still considered “off-label.”

Antidepressant medications and psychotherapy are the first-line treatments for major depression. But, if these treatments fail, dTMS might be used as an alternative treatment or to augment antidepressant medications or psychotherapy.

Patients who have failed to achieve an adequate response from antidepressants, or who are unable to tolerate medications, might consider dTMS therapy. Every insurance company’s prior authorization requirements are different. Many require that you have failed two adequate trials of antidepressants in different classes at the highest FDA-approved, tolerated dose, two trials of augmentation — medications of a different class added to your regimen — and one trial of appropriate psychotherapy.

*Certain medications (and drugs) may reduce the effectiveness of dTMS, so you should discuss them with your doctor prior to starting treatment. Any new medications started during treatment should be reviewed.

dTMS is well-tolerated and only associated with few side effects. Just a small percentage of patients discontinue treatment because of side-effect-related issues.

The most common side effect, which is reported in about half of patients treated with dTMS, is headaches. These are mild and generally diminish over the course of the treatment. Over-the-counter pain medication can be used to treat these headaches.

About one-third of patients may experience painful scalp sensations or facial twitching during treatment. These also tend to diminish over the course of treatment, although immediate adjustments can be made to coil positioning and stimulation settings to reduce discomfort.

The dTMS machine produces a loud noise, so earplugs are given to the patient during treatment. However, some patients may still complain of hearing problems following the procedure. No evidence suggests these effects are permanent if earplugs are worn.

dTMS has not been associated with gastrointestinal upset, dry mouth, sexual dysfunction, weight gain, sedation or many other side effects caused by antidepressant medications. The most serious risk of dTMS is seizures. However, the risk of a seizure is exceedingly low. Overall, dTMS is a very safe procedure.

*Certain medications, drugs, caffeine, and alcohol may increase the risk of seizures, impact the effectiveness of dTMS, or require a dTMS dose change and should be discussed with your doctor prior to starting treatment — or if any changes in your medication/drug/alcohol or caffeine use should occur during treatment.

Patients with any type of non-removable metal in their heads (except for braces or dental fillings) should not receive dTMS. Failure to follow this rule could cause the object to heat up, move or malfunction, resulting in serious injury or death. The following is a list of metal implants that can prevent a patient from receiving dTMS:

• Aneurysm clips or coils
• Stents in the neck or brain
• Deep brain stimulators
• Electrodes to monitor brain activity
• Metallic implants in your ears and eyes
• Shrapnel or metal fragments in or near the head
• Facial tattoos with metallic or magnetic-sensitive ink
• Other metal devices or objects implanted in or near the head