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. 2021 May 6;21(4):1–232.

Table 30:

Results for Patient Experience With rTMS

Author, Year N Measurement Method Results
Walter et al, 2001175 48 Questionnaire Experience of rTMS

  • Received adequate information from health professionals: 42 (88%)

  • Could have refused rTMS: 44 (92%)

  • Fearful of rTMS before first session

    • ○ Not fearful: 36 (75%)

    • ○ A little fearful: 9 (19%)

    • ○ Very fearful: 2 (4%)

  • rTMS had been helpful: 30 (63%); helped a lot: 23/30 (77%)

  • Had no improvement: 14 (29%)

  • rTMS made symptoms worse: 1 (2%)

  • Aspects of rTMS that were deemed “very upsetting”

    • ○ Waiting for treatment: 6 (12%)

    • ○ Having magnetic field applied: 1 (2%)

    • ○ Developing a headache: 1 (2%)

    • ○ Whole experience of rTMS: 3 (6%)

  • What was “the worst”: the illness, rTMS, ECT, or medication?

    • ○ The illness: 46 (96%)

    • ○ ECT: 1 (2%)

    • ○ Medication: 1 (2%)


Experience of side effects for rTMS, ECT,a and medications, respectively

  • Headaches: 24 (50%), 20 (65%), 22 (46%; P = NS)

  • Muscle aches: 0 (0%), 9 (29%), 13 (27%; P < .0001)

  • Nausea or vomiting: 0 (0%), 7 (23%), 22 (46%; P < .001)

  • Confusion: 9 (19%), 23 (74%), 27 (56%; P < .0001)

  • Memory impairment: 5 (10%), 26 (84%), 12 (25%; P < .0001)

Abbreviations: ECT, electroconvulsive therapy; NS, not significant; rTMS, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation.

a

Captures only patients who had experience with ECT (n = 31).