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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q1: AM I A GOOD CANDIDATE?
Q2: WILL rTMS BE EFFECTIVE IN
TREATING MY DISORDER?
Q3: DO I NEED TO STOP TAKING
MY MEDICATION DURING rTMS THERAPY ?
Q4: HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM A
RESPONDER TO rTMS THERAPY?
Q5: WHO WILL BE INVOLVED IN
MY TREATMENT?
Q6: WHAT ARE THE RISKS?
Q7: CAN I SPEAK TO SOMEONE
WHO HAS GONE THROUGH THE TREATMENT?
Q8: WILL THE PROCEDURE HURT?
Q9: HOW OFTEN WILL I RECEIVE
rTMS THERAPY?
Q10: HOW LONG WILL THE
BENEFITS LAST?
Q11: HOW LONG WILL THE
PROCEDURE AND INITIAL CONSULTATION TAKE?
Q12: HOW MUCH WILL THE
TREATMENT COST?
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Please Note: The following
information does not replace personal medical advice
from your doctor or a qualified health care
professional. Please read our
disclaimer.
Q1: AM I A GOOD CANDIDATE?
The best way for you to determine if rTMS is right
for you is by speaking with your doctor,
psychiatrist, qualified health care professional, or
a medical staff member at one of our clinics. Proper
pre-procedural screening ensures that therapy is
administered only when it is medically advisable.
Eligibility: In order to ensure your safety,
the following general requirements will need to be
met prior to receiving rTMS therapy:
Note: We accept patients between the
ages of 15 and 85.
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Q2: WILL rTMS BE EFFECTIVE IN
TREATING MY DISORDER ?
Peer-reviewed medical journal articles prove the
efficacy of rTMS in treating Depression, Bipolar
Disorder, Auditory Hallucination Schizophrenia,
Parkinson's disease, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder,
Tinnitus, Eating Disorders, Migraines, Pain Management,
and other mood disorders.
Please consult our
Disease State section to learn more about various
treatment options.
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Q3: DO I NEED TO STOP TAKING MY MEDICATION DURING rTMS
THERAPY ?
Note: The following
information does not replace personal medical advice
from your doctor or a qualified health care
professional. Please read our
disclaimer.
No. Unlike the research trials in the US, which
require participants to cease all medication, MindCare
Centres encourages you to stay on your regular dose of
anti-depressant medication. Please do not make any
changes 3 weeks prior to commencing rTMS therapy. This
will enable you to distinguish the therapeutic benefit
received from rTMS therapy.
Following treatment: Please consult your
doctor/psychiatrist regarding medication changes
following treatment. If you want to stop taking
medication, please wean off slowly, following your
doctors direction. Do NOT suddenly stop taking
medication.
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Q4: HOW WILL I KNOW IF I AM A
RESPONDER TO rTMS THERAPY?
Your progress will be tracked throughout the course of
treatment. Specifically, various medical assessment
scales will be utilized in order to determine your
response.
The Beck’s Depression Inventory, Hamilton-17 Index, and
Hamilton Anxiety scale are frequently employed to assess
levels of depression and anxiety. Moreover, a trained
medical staff member will keep you updated on your
scores regularly, and will encourage you to provide
personal feedback. Most patients tend to be aware of
therapeutic benefit into the second week of treatment
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Q5: WHO WILL BE INVOLVED IN MY
TREATMENT ?
Note: The following information does not
replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a
qualified health care professional. Please
read our disclaimer.
A doctor will be involved in all three phases of
your rTMS therapy procedure: the pre-procedure
consultation, the administration of rTMS therapy,
and maintenance care. In addition, a medical
technician will administer rTMS under the
supervision of a qualified physician.
All doctors and medical technicians working at
MindCare Centre have been educated in all aspects of
rTMS therapy.
While our doctors and medical technicians are highly
qualified and well-trained, the outcome of your rTMS
therapy also depends upon individual factors and how
you respond to the treatment. We will work closely
with you and your doctor to provide you with a high
level of quality care and comprehensive results. We
recommend you also consult your own doctor or
psychiatrist, who is familiar with your depressive
illness, your medical history, and will continue to
care for you after your treatment.
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Q6: WHAT ARE THE RISKS ?
Note: The following information does not
replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a
qualified health care professional. Please
read our disclaimer.
Mild headache: Experienced by only 1 in 10
patients, and results from muscle stimulation on the
scalp. Typically, the headache will pass within a few
hours or with a dose of Tylenol.
Sleep disruption
Decrease/increase in energy following treatment
There has not been any occurrence of seizures
reported worldwide since the introduction of standard
treatment protocols in 1998.
The risks of therapy are discussed fully prior to the
procedure. Proper pre-procedural screening ensures that
we proceed with the therapy only when it is medically
advisable. As well, post-procedural follow-up helps to
identify and address any potential side effects or
complications.
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Q7: CAN I SPEAK TO SOMEONE WHO
HAS GONE THROUGH THE TREATMENT ?
MindCare Centres believes in providing as much
information as possible prior to your treatment. This
includes helping you be prepared for what to expect
during treatment. Please consult our
Patient Testimonials section to read excerpts from
real patient letters to MindCare staff. In addition, we
will be pleased to arrange a correspondence via email or
teleconference between yourself and a past patient.
Please contact MindCare
staff members for more information.
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Q8: WILL THE PROCEDURE HURT ?
Note: The following information does not
replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a
qualified health care professional. Please
read our disclaimer.
The rTMS therapy procedure itself is painless. No
anesthesia is required and the procedure is
non-invasive. The only equipment that is used during
treatment is the rTMS machine and a hand-held device
which will be held close to your scalp. You may feel a
tingling sensation, or your scalp muscles may feel a
little tense, during and a bit after your treatment.
This is normal and may result in a minor headache. Most
patients become comfortable after a few hours or taking
a dose of Tylenol.
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Q9: HOW OFTEN WILL I RECEIVE
rTMS THERAPY ?
Note: The following information does not
replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a
qualified health care professional. Please
read our disclaimer.
Generally, your rTMS therapy will consist of two stages
of treatment: acute treatment and maintenance treatment.
New patients will receive acute treatment which involves
20 to 30 consecutive treatment sessions over a two to
three week period.
Following this first stage of acute treatment,
maintenance treatment sessions may be required once
every 5 to 12 months, depending on your results. A
doctor will discuss this with you and will determine
your need for maintenance treatment following your first
set of acute treatment sessions.
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Q10: HOW LONG WILL THE BENEFITS
LAST ?
Note: The following information does not
replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a
qualified health care professional. Please
read our disclaimer.
On average, patients return for Maintenance Therapy
after approximately 8-12 months.
This time frame varies between each patient. Patients
that have suffered from severe cases of Depression may
need to return for treatment after a few months, whereas
we have had other patients return for maintenance
therapy after a full three years.
On average, Maintenance Therapy entails half the
number of rTMS sessions that were originally completed.
We encourage patients to contact us immediately if they
sense their depression symptoms are returning.
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Q11: HOW LONG WILL THE PROCEDURE
AND INITIAL CONSULTATION TAKE ?
Note: The following information does not
replace personal medical advice from your doctor or a
qualified health care professional. Please
read our disclaimer.
During your initial consultation, a doctor will review
your medical history, explain the procedure, and
determine if you are a suitable candidate for rTMS
therapy. He or she will also answer your questions to
help you determine if the procedure is right for you.
Your initial consultation will take approximately 45 minutes one hour.
Each rTMS treatment will take approximately forty five minutes.
You will be able to discuss your treatment experience with a qualified rTMS technician during and after each session.
At least a half hour break is placed in between treatment sessions.
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Q12: HOW MUCH WILL THE TREATMENT
COST ?
MindCare Centres believes in providing quality patient
care, and affordability for our patients is important.
Although there has been significant research on the use
of rTMS, and the equipment is considered a medical
device by Health Canada, this is a new treatment in the
medical community.
- An entire course of Acute Treatment, consisting
of 20-30 treatment sessions, is estimated at $5,000
to $7,500.
- Each treatment sessions costs $250.
- Stated costs
include the fee for an initial intake
consultation with a MindCare physician.
Extended Insurance Coverage:
Currently the majority of the largest extended
insurance providers in Canada cover this treatment on a
case-by-case basis.
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