What will happen at my appointments?

First session

When you arrive, we will take your blood pressure, oxygen levels and pulse. 

One of our doctors will talk with you to make sure that rTMS is a suitable treatment for you.  Please ask questions and tell us if you are worried about anything. 

If you agree to start treatment, we will ask you to sign a consent form and to complete some questionnaires. 

We will ask you to remove any jewellery, including necklaces, earrings, face or tongue studs and hair grips.  We will put your mobile phone and debit/credit cards where they will not be affected by the magnetic field.  

Subsequent sessions

You will need to complete monitoring questionnaires. You may either do this at home before you attend or when you arrive. 

We will show you through to the treatment room.  You will sit in a large adjustable chair, like a dentist’s chair. 

We will put specially designed caps on your head to determine the point where the magnetic coil will be focussed. We may make additional measurements if needed. 

We usually adjust the treatment based on what is comfortable for you.   Sometimes, we work out the dose to give by applying brief pulses to establish your ‘motor threshold’. Your motor threshold is the minimum amount of magnetic energy to make your thumb twitch; this varies from person to person. 

We will place the coil over the target area using a flexible positioning arm. 

We will give you earplugs to wear for comfort and hearing protection. During treatment, you will hear a series of clicking sounds and feel a tapping sensation on your head underneath the treatment coil. 

After the session

Afterwards, we offer you tea/coffee and biscuits. 

Some people feel tired after the treatment and may prefer not to drive home. There are no formal restrictions on this, but you should not drive if you feel unsafe to do so. 

 

Page last reviewed: 7 February, 2024