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How Long Does TMS Last? Life After Treatment
"If TMS works, will I have to keep coming back forever?"
It's one of the first questions we hear at a consult, usually right after "Does it hurt?" It's a fair question. You're about to commit to daily treatments, and you want to know what you're getting at the end.
Here's the honest answer: for most people who respond to TMS, the benefit lasts well beyond the last session. It isn't permanent for everyone, and we plan for that from day one.
How long does TMS last?
When we talk about TMS lasting, we mean that the improvement you feel at the end of your course is still there months later. Researchers have followed people for six months and for a full year after TMS to see exactly that.
In a large study of 257 adults treated at 42 clinics, most of the people who responded to TMS were still doing well a year later (Dunner et al., 2014). In another study, only about 1 in 10 responders had a relapse of depression in the six months after treatment (Janicak et al., 2010).
That's not a guarantee for any one person. But it does mean TMS is not a quick fix that wears off in a few weeks.
Why would depression come back at all?
Depression is often a recurring illness, whatever treatment helped. That's true after medication and therapy too, not only TMS. Stress, sleep loss, illness, a hard winter, or a big life change can all bring symptoms back.
So the goal after TMS isn't "never feel low again." The goal is to notice early and act early.
What if symptoms start to come back?
This is the good news people don't often hear: TMS usually works again.
In the study above, about 4 in 10 people had some symptoms return during follow-up. Most of them (84%) got better again with a short round of additional TMS (Janicak et al., 2010). In the year-long study, about a third of people came back for extra sessions during the year, and most were still doing well at the end of it (Dunner et al., 2014).
That's what we mean by a "booster": a shorter set of treatments to get you back on track before a dip turns into a full relapse.
What helps the results last?
Keep your other treatment going. Most people stay on their medication during and after TMS, and therapy helps you use the energy and clarity TMS gives you.
Protect your sleep. For teens especially, sleep is one of the first things to slip and one of the first warning signs.
Know your early signs. Pulling away from friends, losing interest, more irritability, or sleeping much more or less. Write them down at the end of treatment while you feel well.
Check in with us. We see you in person two weeks after your last treatment. After that, we email you a short rating scale each month so you can tell us how you're doing, and so we can spot early changes and talk about a booster before things slide.
Call early. You don't have to wait until things are bad. If you notice your early signs for more than a week or two, reach out.
What about the one-week accelerated course?
More and more people ask about accelerated TMS, where treatment is packed into one week instead of six. It's a fair question whether a faster course lasts as long.
We're helping answer it. New Chapter TMS has been a clinical site in a multicenter research trial that followed people after a one-week accelerated course to see how long the benefit lasts. Data collection is just finishing up, and we'll share what the study found once the results are complete.
Will insurance cover more TMS later?
Usually, yes! Especially when you responded well the first time. Every plan has its own rules, so we check your coverage before recommending a booster or a second course.
Bottom Line
For most people who respond to TMS, the improvement lasts. If symptoms come back, TMS usually works again. The best results come from planning for life after treatment, not just the treatment itself.
👉 Have questions about whether TMS is right for you? Schedule a consultation with our team at New Chapter TMS.
If you ever feel unsafe or hopeless, please reach out right now: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline). You are not alone.
References
Dunner, D. L., et al. (2014). A multisite, naturalistic, observational study of transcranial magnetic stimulation for patients with pharmacoresistant major depressive disorder: durability of benefit over a 1-year follow-up period. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 75(12), 1394–1401.
Janicak, P. G., et al. (2010). Durability of clinical benefit with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the treatment of pharmacoresistant major depression: assessment of relapse during a 6-month, multisite, open-label study. Brain Stimulation, 3(4), 187–199.
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