What Is TMS Therapy and How Much Does It Cost?

Depression has become increasingly pervasive in our society, with nearly 5% of the adult population citing regular episodes, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.¹ While common treatments like psychotherapy and medication can help alleviate symptoms, they might not work for everyone. In that case, brain stimulation therapy, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS or TMS), might be an option.

What Is TMS Therapy?

An FDA-approved therapy for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), TMS is described by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as a “non-invasive treatment that uses pulsed magnetic fields to induce an electric current in a localized region of the cerebral cortex.”² The goal of this promising treatment is to "reset" brain networks that regulate mood, based on the theory that depression is thought to be caused by wrong connections being formed in the brain.³

What Is TMS Therapy Used For?

Patients who might want to consider TMS are those who haven’t found relief for depressive symptoms through other treatments such as psychotherapy or medication or have discovered they don’t tolerate its side effects well.²

Potential uses for TMS beyond major depressive disorder include helping with smoking cessation, chronic pain and even tinnitus, a condition that creates ringing, buzzing and other noises in the ear that only the hearer experiences and has few treatment options.³ TMS has also been found to help treat Tourette's syndrome and movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease, functional tremors and focal epilepsy.⁴

Discuss the treatment with your provider to see if you would benefit from it.

How Does TMS Therapy Work?

In this non-invasive treatment, a series of short magnetic pulses are delivered via electromagnets placed strategically around the head and targeted to different areas of the brain depending on the desired results. Patients living with depression have the magnetic waves targeted at the prefrontal cortex; those who display symptoms of OCD receive the treatment in the pre‐supplementary motor area around the top of the head; and patients seeking relief from tinnitus have the pulses targeted at the auditory cortex, above the left ear.³

Patients who have completed the course of treatment commonly experience relief for six to nine months after the final session. However, results may vary; some experience the benefits for years, while others need additional treatments in a shorter timeframe than the typical period.⁵

How Much Does TMS Therapy Cost?

The average cost for one session of TMS therapy typically runs between $300 and $500. Your provider will create a customized schedule for you, with patients typically undergoing 20 to 30 sessions over the course of approximately six to 10 weeks depending on the frequency. That means your total may run from $6,000 to $15,000.⁶

Treatment costs may vary depending on the length of treatment you need, your provider’s scale and whether it is covered by insurance — all conversations to have as part of an initial consultation.

Is TMS Therapy Covered by Health Insurance?

TMS therapy may be covered by health insurance, most commonly when used for major depressive disorder and after it’s been determined that other treatment options have not provided the necessary relief. Commonly, insurance companies will require a patient to have tried between two and four different medications and undergone at least two months of psychotherapy.⁷

Preparing for TMS Therapy

Your provider will need to know if you have any underlying health concerns that could impact the safety of the procedure, such as a head injury or a history of epilepsy or other serious neurologic issues. It’s also not conducive to pacemakers or implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), or for those who have metallic devices or nonremovable metallic objects in or around the head (not including metallic tooth fillings).⁸

Once you’ve been approved as a candidate, you will schedule your sessions, which typically last from 30 to 45 minutes.⁹ They are done on an outpatient basis so you can go about your day.⁴

Is TMS Therapy Safe?

Patients who undergo TMS typically experience fewer side effects than with medication.³ Side effects experienced with TMS may include slight discomfort and scalp tenderness at the site where the magnets are placed.⁹ Other mild and temporary effects may include headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness or fatigue.⁹ There is a rare possibility of seizure — less than 0.1%.¹⁰

As with any treatment, check with your provider to help you determine whether you would benefit from TMS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have questions about TMS Therapy? Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the treatment.

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Author Bio

Cathie Ericson is an Oregon-based freelance writer who covers personal finance, real estate and education, among other topics. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications and websites, including U.S. News & World Report, MSN, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Fast Company, Realtor.com and more.