For many years, the initial response to mental health treatment has been psychiatric medications and therapy. Although these conventional treatments can be effective, they don’t work for everyone and medications can take weeks or months to exert its full effects. If you’re experiencing symptoms, unwanted side effects, or if you want to supplement your current treatments, you might consider TMS.

Unlike other treatments, TMS is non-invasive (does not require surgery) and non-systemic (does not affect the entire body). TMS is covered by most insurance and has fewer side effects than other treatments, or in some cases, no side effects at all. TMS therapy is an FDA-cleared treatment that can be used alone or in conjunction with medication. TMS uses gentle magnetic pulses to treat specific areas of the brain known to be under or overactive in conditions affecting mental health and cognition. Unlike medications, which affect the entire body, TMS therapy treats mental health at the source.

TMS is an outpatient procedure. Patients relax in a private treatment room and may read, work, or watch television during treatment. A TMS magnet is positioned over the patient’s head to deliver gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate specific areas of the brain. Each treatment session lasts an hour or less, after which patients can get back to their days right away, including work or school.

Designated as a ‘breakthrough therapy’ by the FDA, ketamine can rapidly—often within an hour or two—lift the symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, OCD, and other conditions. After a short series of repeated doses, this effect typically extends out for weeks to months.

Ketamine is an FDA-approved medication that is used to treat mood, anxiety and pain. Ketamine’s benefits extend beyond treating mental health concerns. Because ketamine produces a temporary dissociative effect, it can have a transformative effect on other areas of a person’s worldview. Patients have noted that they feel more inspiration, creativity, connection with others, changed perspective, and an openness to new ideas.

There are two main types of ketamine therapy:

1. Intravenous or IV Ketamine, sometimes called racemic ketamine– Given as an infusion into the bloodstream, racemic ketamine is a mixture of two mirror-image molecules: “R” and “S” ketamine. Racemic ketamine is FDA approved as an anesthetic, and used off-label to treat mood and chronic pain disorders.
2. Spravato, also known as Esketamine– Given as a nasal spray, esketamine uses only the “S” molecule. Esketamine is FDA approved for treatment-resistant depression and suicidal ideation.