1025 Montgomery Hwy

Ste. 200, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216

(205) 637-3055

Secure HIPAA-compliant

Mon - Fri: 8AM- 5PM

Online store always open

TMS

TMS

Non-invasive
FDA-approved

Rewrite Your Brain

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) uses gentle magnetic pulses to activate underperforming areas of the brain involved in mood, focus, and energy.

TMS Process

STEP ONE

Contact us for your free screening to see if TMS is right for you:

You can either fill out our contact form here or call, text or email us. Then we will gather basic demographic information and ask you screening questions to make sure you don’t have any contraindications and ensure that the TMS is appropriate for your condition.

STEP TWO

Gathering data:

We will send you electronic intake forms to start gathering the data that insurance companies require for them to cover TMS such as documentation of past medications and therapy. We will need to get your written consent for us to get records from your psychiatrist, therapist and pharmacy. You can go ahead and ask your providers for this (and signed the needed consent forms) to expedite the process. Our pre-evaluation Q6 questionnaire is a thorough documentation of your current symptoms, functional impairment, past psychiatric history, past medical history, social and family history. Please set aside a significant amount of time to complete it.

STEP THREE

Pre-treatment evaluation with Dr. Richesin:

In this session Dr. Richesin will document your symptoms, functioning, psychiatric, medical and social history and answer any questions you have about TMS.

STEP FOUR

TMS mapping and 1st treatment:

In this session, Dr. Richesin will determine the personalized settings for your TMS, including the best placement for the magnetic coil and the appropriate power level for the magnetic pulsing. This usually takes about 30 minutes. Once you have been successfully mapped, then we proceed with the first treatment session. For most patients each treatment takes about 19 minutes. During treatment you can relax in the chair and watch TV or listen to music or an audio book. After the procedure you can immediately return to your usual daily activities including driving.

STEP FIVE

TMS Sessions:

TMS is traditionally done for 36 sessions, each lasting about 20 minutes on average, Monday-Friday for 6 weeks then a taper over three weeks. We assess your symptoms and adjust the treatment as needed during the process.

STEP SIX

After care:

With your permission, we will send a letter to your provider documenting your response to TMS. As depression is often a recurrent illness, we would ask that you monitor yourself for symptoms. If you start seeing the depression returning, then insurance will often cover another course of TMS. Please contact us to start the process again.