How NeuroStar TMS Therapy in Santa Monica Works

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, therapy is a non-drug and non-invasive treatment for various types of psychiatric conditions. TMS therapy works by delivering magnetic pulses to stimulate regions of the brain associated with various psychiatric conditions. TMS therapy has relatively few contraindications, meaning that few medical conditions affect eligibility.

NeuroStar Advanced TMS therapy is considered an effective treatment and has been FDA-cleared for the treatment of major depressive disorder, anxious depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Understanding how NeuroStar TMS therapy in Santa Monica works is essential when considering this type of therapy.

How Magnetic Stimulation Can Relieve Your Symptoms

To understand how NeuroStar TMS treatments in Santa Monica work, it is important to first understand how the different regions of the brain can regulate your mood, manage your thoughts and compulsions, and control your fear responses. Scientists have identified specific regions of the brain that are associated with various psychiatric symptoms and conditions. For example, scientists have observed that people suffering from depression have less neural activity in the prefrontal cortex compared to other people. TMS therapy can relieve your symptoms by stimulating neurons and encouraging the formation of new neural networks in these regions. The magnetic pulses delivered through TMS therapy create a magnetic field in the area under your scalp, which encourages neurons to fire and form new, more permanent connections with other neurons in the treatment area. 

What Does a TMS Treatment Session Involve?

At our Santa Monica clinic, a NeuroStar TMS therapy session works by placing a magnetic coil on your scalp above the region of the brain associated with your particular psychiatric condition. When the TMS system is turned on, you will hear repetitive tapping sounds from the magnetic coil. These tapping sounds are the magnetic pulses being delivered to a specific area of your brain. A typical NeuroStar TMS treatment session can last anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes, depending on your particular psychiatric condition. For major depressive disorder, the condition most commonly treated by TMS therapy, a session lasts around 19 minutes.

How Long Is a Course of NeuroStar TMS Therapy?

Like physical therapy, for NeuroStar TMS therapy to work effectively, you must undergo ongoing and regular treatments at our Santa Monica clinic to ensure the strength and longevity of these neural networks. Because TMS therapy involves building neural capacity in certain regions of the brain, a course of TMS therapy involves a few weekly treatments over the course of several weeks. 

However, the exact number and length of a course of treatment will depend on your particular psychiatric condition and symptoms. For major depressive disorder, a typical course of NeuroStar TMS Therapy requires at least five TMS sessions per week for a total of 36 sessions. This means that if you suffer from major depressive disorder, you will need to return to our clinic five times a week for 19-minute sessions for a total of about seven weeks.

Although this may seem like a heavy commitment, many patients experience symptom relief as early as the first two weeks of treatment, which motivates them to complete a full course of treatment.

Why Choose California TMS Clinics?

At our clinic, you will be treated by TMS medical experts with extensive experience providing TMS therapy. California TMS Clinics is an official NeuroStar “Better Me Provider,” which means we are committed to maintaining the rigorous standards developed by a network of medical expert TMS thought leaders to ensure clinical excellence and optimal patient care. We are also NeuroStar University, or NSU, certified, so you can rest assured that our staff has undergone the training necessary to improve your chances of reaching remission through a full course of NeuroStar TMS Therapy.

At California TMS Clinics, we will also work with you to ensure your health insurance covers TMS therapy. We accept most major health insurance policies and we also offer in-house finance options.

During your initial consultation in Santa Monica, our team could explain how NeuroStar TMS therapy works and answer any questions you may have.

Find Out if NeuroStar TMS Therapy May Work for You – Talk With Us Today

If you suffer from major depressive disorder, anxious depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, you may qualify for NeuroStar TMS therapy, a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that can be a game-changer for people who do not respond to medication and other first-line therapies for these conditions. TMS Therapy is FDA-cleared for treating these conditions and is well-tolerated in terms of side effects.

If you are tired of managing your symptoms and want to pursue a potential remission from your condition, NeuroStar TMS Therapy is a promising option. Learn more about how NeuroStar TMS Therapy in Santa Monica works by reaching out to our team today.

Adult Indications for Use

NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is only available by prescription. A doctor can help decide if NeuroStar Advanced Therapy is right for you. Patients’ results may vary.

The NeuroStar Advanced Therapy System is indicated for the treatment of depressive episodes and for decreasing anxiety symptoms for those who may exhibit comorbid anxiety symptoms in adult patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and who failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from previous antidepressant medication treatment in the current episode.

The NeuroStar Advanced Therapy system is intended to be used as an adjunct for the treatment of adult patients suffering from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

Visit neurostar.com for full safety and prescribing information.

Important Safety Information

The most common side effect is pain or discomfort at or near the treatment site. These events are transient; they occur during the TMS treatment course and do not occur for most patients after the first week of treatment. There is a rare risk of seizure associated with the use of TMS therapy (<0.1% per patient).

NeuroStar Advanced Therapy should not be used with patients who have non-removable conductive metal in or near the head. NeuroStar Advanced Therapy has not been studied in patients who have not received prior antidepressant treatment.

BMP Disclaimer:

This material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute clinical advice. Neuronetics, Inc. is not a medical provider, does not provide medical or clinical advice, and does not recommend or endorse any medical provider or specific health care service through the Better Me Provider Program. The Better Me Provider Program is not a guarantee of any medical outcome. This material is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are having an emergency, please call 911, or if you are having a mental health emergency, please call 988 or 800-273-8255. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of this content.

The “Better Me Providers” are practices committed to meeting the following patient care and responsiveness standards, developed in collaboration with medical experts: performing TMS therapy exclusively with NeuroStar, attending NeuroStar University; ensuring prompt response times by a dedicated NeuroStar coordinator; advising patients about the benefits of a full course of NeuroStar treatment; and optimizing websites and social media content to educate patients.