Clinical psychiatrist and TMS specialist Dr. Tarique Perera discusses the risks of using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to treat depression. Watch Dr. Perera's video for tips and information on mental health and well-being.
The only contraindications, the only people who cannot have TMS are people who have magnetic implants in their head. If you have implants that are not magnetic or any other condition, you can still have TMS including if you have a history of epilepsy, or pacemaker, you can still get TMS and then you talk to your doctor about it.
It terms of risk, the big theoretical risk is a risk of seizures, but we've seen only one in several thousand treatments and that was, there may have been other complicating factors to that. Other than that, it is essentially risk free don't have any magnetic implants in your head.
A huge advantage of TMS is the fact that it doesn't really have any major side effects. You get a pulse tapping sensations to your head, but 5% of patients may get a mild headache that is usually transient and goes away, but other than that you're not putting anything in your body, so there is no [xx], no sexual side effects, no problems to your livers or kidneys, in fact in some of the data that coming out of TMS, it doesn't even increase suicidal thoughts.
In a lot of that the depressants have had a warning of suicidal thoughts, it has the studied in pregnancy and nothing negative has been seen. So to me, TMS is one of the safest treatments currently available for treating depression outside of therapy of course.
Tarique Perera, MD, founded Contemporary Care of Connecticut, which specializes in Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. His TMS practice has become one of the busiest in the country and has locations in Greenwich, CT and Darien, CT.
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