At NeuroStim TMS, 71.5% of patients experience significant improvement in their depression symptoms and 46.4% achieve full remission. These figures reflect our real-world patient population — including many with treatment-resistant depression who had not responded to prior medication trials.

Even patients who don’t reach full remission typically report meaningful life improvements — better sleep, improved concentration, renewed motivation, and the ability to reconnect with people and activities that depression had taken from them.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is defined as depression that has not improved adequately after trying at least two different antidepressant medications at appropriate doses. This is more common than most people realize — a significant portion of people diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) do not achieve remission with medication alone.

TMS was FDA-approved specifically for this population and has strong evidence for patients who have been through multiple antidepressant trials without sufficient relief. A free consultation with our clinical team can help determine whether TMS is the right next step for you.

Antidepressants work systemically — they travel through the bloodstream and affect receptors throughout the entire body, which is why they cause side effects like weight gain, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, nausea, and emotional blunting. They also take weeks to determine if they’re working, and many patients cycle through multiple medications before finding one with acceptable results.

TMS is non-systemic — it uses magnetic pulses to target only the specific brain circuits involved in depression. Because it doesn’t enter the bloodstream, TMS doesn’t cause the systemic side effects of medication. And because it works at the source of depression rather than masking symptoms, many patients find the relief is more complete and more durable.

Yes. TMS is covered by most major insurance plans for patients with Major Depressive Disorder who have not had adequate response to at least one antidepressant. NeuroStim TMS is in-network with Premera Blue Cross, BCBS of Arizona, Regence, United Healthcare, Aetna, TriCare, VA/TriWest, and Kaiser.

Our insurance team handles all benefits verification and prior authorization before your first appointment. You’ll know exactly what’s covered before treatment begins.

A standard TMS course for depression is 30 to 36 sessions over six to seven weeks, with one 15-to-30-minute session per day on weekdays. There is no sedation and no recovery time — patients continue working and daily activities throughout the entire treatment period.

Some patients begin noticing improvement within the first one to two weeks. For others, the shift comes later in the course. NeuroStim also offers Accelerated TMS and our proprietary One-Day TMS™ protocol for eligible patients who need a compressed timeline.

Yes — this is one of the most common situations we see. Antidepressants can lose effectiveness over time, a phenomenon sometimes called antidepressant tachyphylaxis. When this happens, patients are often left cycling through new medications in search of something that works again. TMS works through a completely different mechanism, so prior medication response — or lack of it — does not predict how you’ll respond to TMS.

Many of our patients come to us after years on antidepressants that worked initially and then stopped. TMS offers a path to relief that doesn’t depend on the same receptor systems those medications target.