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New Alternatives for Women Suffering with Depression

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy is the only FDA approved treatment for Depression that is non-invasive and non- systemic. It is an alternative for those suffering from Major Depressive Disorder that are not achieving satisfactory results from their current treatment regimens. It can safely be combined with naturopathic medicine as it is a scientific, yet holistic approach to treatment.

While TMS is not specifically approved or indicated for depressed women who are pregnant or breast feeding, there is a good reason to think that TMS should be safe since it is non-systemic and is localized to the brain area involved with depression. TMS is a good alternative for depressed women who are pregnant or breast feeding and do not want to take traditional anti depressant medication. The magnetic stimulation is less intense than an MRI and is more targeted to the specific area known in the brain to control mood. It is targeted magnetic pulses that create electrical energy in the prefrontal cortex to stimulate the neurons that are shown to be inactive in patients suffering from depression. This revolutionary treatment stimulates the neurons back to their original effective state.

Generally, women should be careful about medications they take while pregnant or breast feeding. Traditional anti-depressants are designated by the FDA to be Category C stating that “Risk cannot be ruled out- Adequate, well-controlled human studies are lacking, and animal studies have shown a risk to the fetus or are lacking as well. There is a chance of fetal harm if the drug is administered during pregnancy; but the potential benefits may outweigh the potential risk.”

South Shore Neuropsychiatric Center believes that TMS is a safe alternative for depressed women not wanting to take anti depressants during pregnancy or during breast feeding.

Stopping treatment during pregnancy can be very detrimental to the mother and babies health and is greatly discouraged. TMS offers another alternative to continue therapy throughout pregnancy to improve mental health symptoms of the pregnant woman.

Post Partum depression is another risk of leaving depression untreated during pregnancy. Patients who have had depressive episodes in the past and discontinue current treatment regimens during pregnancy may be at risk for a reoccurrence. TMS may be a good alternative for lactating women in the post partum phase who do not want to take anti-depressants.

TMS is an outpatient procedure that is done for 40 minutes, five times a week for 4-6 weeks. It is an acute and intense treatment proven to safely put depression symptoms into remission. It is fast and effective for new moms or mothers-to-be.

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Neuronetics

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

www.southshoretms.com
Malvern, PA [May 17, 2010] – Neuronetics, Inc. announced today that in addition to independent research by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), new data exploring the clinical utility ofTranscranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy in depression will be presented at the upcoming American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in New Orleans. NeuroStar TMS Therapy® is the fastest growing non-pharmaceutical treatment for depression in the U.S. i
“It’s truly an exciting time for Neuronetics with overwhelming interest in TMS Therapy from psychiatric researchers, clinicians and patients,” said Neuronetics’ President and CEO, Bruce Shook. “The NIMH study provides very important and independent validation of previous research and confirms the value of NeuroStar TMS Therapy as an effective and safe therapy for patients suffering from major depression who have not done well on drug therapy. ii”
Initial findings from the NIMH, sham-controlled, randomized study, published in this month’s Archives of General Psychiatry, concluded that TMS was “a monotherapy with few adverse effects and significant antidepressant effects for unipolar depressed patients who do not respond to medications or who cannot tolerate them.”ii While the study was conducted independently, Neuronetics supplied its NeuroStar TMS Therapy systems for the study. ii Neuronetics is the only manufacturer of a TMS device that has been FDA-cleared for the treatment of depression.
“Having patients reach remission should be the goal for every physician,” said Mark Demitrack, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Neuronetics. “We are encouraged to see that the odds of patients achieving remission with TMS were four times greater when compared to the sham group. ii This data confirms and replicates our prior clinical trial data for NeuroStar TMS Therapy and we look forward to further exploring additional benefits of TMS Therapy for patients.”

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CNN – Top 10 health innovations of 2009

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/12/14/top.health.innovations.2009/

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