TMS Therapy (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) uses a coil held against the scalp to deliver brief magnetic pulses that stimulate a small area of the brain's surface. Repeated daily sessions, called rTMS, are an established treatment for depression that has not responded to medication.

About half of people with treatment-resistant depression improve meaningfully and around a third reach remission, though the effect can fade and need maintenance. In some countries it is also approved for obsessive-compulsive disorder, migraine with aura and stopping smoking. Evidence for tinnitus, stroke recovery, chronic pain and autism is limited or mixed, and it should not be sold as a cure for those.

What TMS Therapy (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) involves

At the first visit a psychiatrist or neurologist confirms the diagnosis and screens for seizure risk and metal in the head. You sit in a reclining chair wearing earplugs. The clinician finds your motor threshold by giving single pulses over the movement area until your thumb twitches, which sets your personal dose. The coil is then positioned over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, located by measurement or by MRI-based navigation. A standard session delivers trains of pulses over 20 to 40 minutes; theta burst protocols take about 3 to 10 minutes. You stay awake throughout, and mood is tracked with rating scales every week or two.

Who is a good candidate for TMS Therapy (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation)?

TMS is aimed at adults whose depression has not improved with at least one or two adequate antidepressant trials.

• Major depression not helped by medication, or where side effects were not tolerated
• People who want to avoid or cannot have electroconvulsive therapy
• OCD that persists despite medication and therapy, using a deep coil protocol
• Those able to attend daily for several weeks

It is usually not the right choice if:

• Metal implants in or near the head, such as aneurysm clips, cochlear implants or DBS
• Epilepsy or a high seizure risk, unless a specialist judges otherwise
• Depression with psychosis or acute suicidal crisis, where ECT or inpatient care works faster
• Bipolar disorder without specialist supervision, because mania can be triggered
• Anyone expecting a single short trip to be enough

الخيارات التقنية

• High-frequency left-sided rTMS: The standard, best-studied protocol for depression.
• Intermittent theta burst (iTBS): Similar results from a session of a few minutes, useful when time is short.
• Accelerated protocols: Several sessions a day over 5 to 10 days; promising, but long-term data are thinner than for daily treatment.
• Deep TMS (H-coil): Reaches slightly deeper tissue; used for OCD and depression.
• Low-frequency right-sided rTMS: An option for people who find the standard protocol uncomfortable or who have marked anxiety.

ماذا يحدث خلال علاجك

Each session lasts 5 to 40 minutes with no anaesthesia. You hear loud clicking and feel tapping on the scalp, and the muscles of the forehead or jaw may twitch. Discomfort is commonest in the first week and usually eases. You can drive and work straight afterwards.

الإعداد لرحلتك

A standard course is 20 to 30 sessions, five days a week for 4 to 6 weeks, so it suits a long stay, not a short visit. Accelerated courses compress treatment into 1 to 2 weeks. Ask how maintenance or a repeat course would be arranged at home if symptoms return.

• Tell the doctor about medication, allergies, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and any history of cold sores, keloid scars or autoimmune disease
• Avoid alcohol, aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers for a few days beforehand if your own doctor agrees, to reduce bruising
• Arrive without make-up on the treatment area and avoid sunbeds and strong sun for two weeks before

التعافي والنتائج

There is no recovery period. Scalp tenderness or a mild headache after early sessions responds to simple painkillers. Improvement, if it comes, usually appears between the second and fourth week. Keep taking your prescribed medication unless your own psychiatrist advises a change, and arrange follow-up at home before the course ends.

• Back to everyday activity: None
• When results show: From week 2 to 4
• How long they last: Months to a year or more; some need maintenance

سياسة السلامة والمخاطر والتنقيح

TMS is generally well tolerated, but it is not free of side effects.

• Headache and scalp discomfort at the coil site
• Facial muscle twitching during pulses
• Seizure, which is rare, at well under 1 in 1,000 patients
• Temporary hearing change if earplugs are not worn
• Fainting during early sessions
• Switch into mania in people with bipolar disorder
• No response, which happens in a substantial share of patients

Every written proposal arranged through Clinic-Y states what the clinic covers if a correction is needed. Ask for it before you book, not after.

Cost of TMS Therapy (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) in Türkiye

Clinic-Y does not publish a single price for TMS Therapy (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation), because the honest figure depends on your case. What moves it:

• Number of sessions in the course
• Standard, theta burst or accelerated protocol
• Use of MRI-guided neuronavigation
• Whether psychiatric assessment and follow-up are included
• Length of accommodation for a multi-week stay

Send your photographs or reports and you receive written, all-inclusive proposals from suitable teams, side by side. Reviewing your case is free.

الأسئلة المتكررة