FORUMS

Connect with people who understand what you are going through, seek advice and surround yourself with support. We're free, anonymous, and professionally moderated 24/7.

  • 47,612Members
  • 1,358,869Posts
  • 1,400,000Visitors
Something’s not right

inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

I have bipolar (officially bipolar 2, although I wish to be reassessed). I am currently inpatient at a private hospital under a new (to me) psychiatrist.


My old one just kept piling med on top of med until I was unable to function due to the side effects of the 6 total different medications at or above the maximum doses, which didn’t allay my symptoms, causing him to only offer me ECT, which I didn’t want to go ahead with.

My mood has been up and down a lot lately (a few weeks elevated, a couple of weeks depressed). I came into hospital very depressed and the psychiatrist said he could only reduce one of my medications during my admission and that I should consider TMS. My mood has swing up again and he is still

pushing for TMS.

From my research (since he has given me no information on TMS whatsoever), it appears that the efficacy of TMS for bipolar is not yet well known. Also, in some cases, it can cause mania and/or psychosis. However, the psychiatrist denies this.

I honestly don’t know what to do now…

3 replies

1 - 3 of 3

In response to: inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

Re: inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

hey @its-me

i'm not super familiar with tms myself, but i can understand how the lack of information provided can make it hard for you to trust your psychiatrist's decision. there seems to be some articles that say tms is a 'promising treatment' for bipolar II, however, it's also important to note that some of these papers/research is based on a study on one particular case. the side effects of any treatment can vary person to person depending on a range of factors.

if you're feeling really unsure about this, would it be possible to get another consult from a different psychiatrist? perhaps getting another perspective might help you decide?

In response to: inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

Re: inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

Hey @its-me ,

I was recently speaking to a friend of mine who was on a certain medication for a long time and he became so well that he stopped the med. Then his depression returned with a severe vengenace so he went back on the med.... but this time, it didn't work as it ought to. Instead, he suffered severe panic attacks, extremely high blood pressure etc.

He had a private hospital admission, and there he had a few rounds of TMS. After it, he's been much more stable since and he was able to go back onto that original medication.

There are others on the forums who've had experience with both TMS and ECT.

I wonder if it's about whether you have exhausted all other options?

I really don't know.

I hope things improve for you. It sounds incredibly hard.

In response to: Re: inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

Re: inpatient psychiatrist pushing TMS for bipolar despite (hypo)manic state

I understand your caution. @its-me It’s pretty difficult to really know what is going on with poly pharmacy. I lean toward wholistic approaches but understand that interventions may be necessary.

I really love the simplicity of your profile name.

welcome to the forum

🍎

1 - 3 of 3