Most people keep improving for weeks after their last TMS session, not just during it, but it’s important to receive the right support to nurture your progress. We’ll check in to monitor your symptoms and talk through maintenance options if you need them. With Compassion NeuroHealth, your course of TMS treatment is a transition into your next chapter, and not a discharge.
Introduction
You showed up for every Precision TMS session with us. After your last appointment, it’s very normal to wonder what happens next, and how you can expect to feel. The simple answer is that a person’s TMS treatment response often builds gradually, and so the weeks right after your last session will shape whether your progress holds.
Here’s what to expect after your TMS treatment with us: from your first follow-up session to how your post-treatment HALO™ analytics can validate how you’re feeling about your brain activity, to how we can work together to notice and promptly address any returning symptoms if this happens.
Key takeaways
- Improvement can continue for weeks after your last TMS session.
- We perform another brain measurement after treatment to show patients how their brain activity has changed, improved, and been restored.
- Partial symptom return is nothing to worry about. It is commonplace, easily treated, and different from full relapse.
- Treatment results can last for up to 12 months, and can be sustained by TMS maintenance sessions.
How long TMS results last
TMS benefits commonly persist for several months to a year after a successful course, though the timeline varies by person.
Sustained response at 3, 6, and 12 months
A study on TMS published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry followed 257 patients across 42 clinics in the United States, checking in with them at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after their TMS course. Among patients who continued their course of treatment through the full year, 62% continued to meet response criteria for successful treatment at every one of those checkpoints.
That gradual softening of initial results in some patients is expected, not a sign that treatment failed. That’s why we arrange that you check in at 3, 6, and 12 months rather than waiting for symptoms to reappear.
What relapse looks like, and why partial symptom return isn’t full relapse
Having a rough week does not mean that the treatment hasn’t worked. Partial symptom return is common, like a stretch of poor sleep or lower motivation, and often resolves on its own or with a small adjustment to your plan.
How is partial symptom return different from a full relapse? A full relapse feels like symptoms returning to close to where they started, lasting more than a couple of weeks, and interfering with daily functioning again. That distinction is why tracking your experiences and checking in with your care team matters more than reacting to any single day.
The post-treatment measurement
At the end of your course, we repeat your brain mapping to track how your network activity has shifted since you started. You’ll be able to see your before-and-after results side by side, giving you a clear picture of how your brain’s performance has changed over the weeks of treatment.
Feeling better matters most, but having measurable proof of that change matters too. Compassion NeuroHealth brings together neuroscience, precise technology, and genuine care to help patients rebuild brain health and get their lives back.
What a follow-up brain map shows
At the end of your course, we repeat your brain map to see how your neural network activity has changed over your treatment process. This begins with electroencephalography (EEG), which records the electrical activity across your brain’s networks in detail.
That EEG data is then run through our Holographic Algorithm for Localization and Optimization (HALO), which translates the reading into a map built from your own brain anatomy rather than a generic template.
Your prescribing physician reviews this HALO-generated map alongside a structural MRI, using both as clinical decision support to confirm or refine your treatment target. If a further course is recommended, sessions are delivered with neuro-navigated TMS, guiding the coil to that exact site rather than relying on scalp measurements alone.
Comparing before and after, and what it can and cannot tell you
Comparing your intake map with your follow-up map shows the direction and size of your change. Scans cannot capture perceptions and experiences, like day-to-day fluctuation or how you’re functioning at work or home, so we will ask about this too.
Maintenance options
Not everyone needs ongoing sessions after their initial course. When maintenance is recommended, it usually takes one of a few forms.
- Tapering schedule: Sessions spaced further apart (weekly, then biweekly) rather than stopping abruptly.
- Scheduled maintenance: Occasional single sessions at set intervals to sustain response.
- Rescue or retreatment: A new course, or partial course, triggered by symptom return.
Tapering schedules
Rather than stopping treatment outright, some patients prefer gradually widening the gap between sessions over several weeks.
Scheduled maintenance sessions
Others schedule periodic single sessions, often monthly, for patients with a history of relapse after prior improvement.
Rescue or retreatment when symptoms return
If depression symptoms return meeting full relapse criteria, a repeat course is a standard, insurance-recognized option, particularly if your first course worked well for at least a couple of months.
If your symptoms come back
Response rates on retreatment
Research on TMS non-response has found that some patients who didn’t fully respond to a first course do respond to a second, sometimes with an adjusted coil position or protocol.
Why acting early matters
Catching a dip early, before it becomes a full relapse, generally means a shorter path back. Waiting until symptoms are severe again can mean a longer retreatment course.
What about your medication?
Why most patients continue their antidepressant after an acute course
TMS is typically added alongside medication management, not used to replace it. Most patients continue their prescribed antidepressant through and after their TMS course unless their prescriber advises otherwise.
Why discontinuing soon after response is associated with higher relapse
Stopping medication shortly after improvement, whether from TMS or from the medication itself, is generally associated with a higher chance that symptoms return. This is a well-established pattern in depression treatment broadly, not specific to TMS.
That any change is a decision for your prescriber
Any decision to change, taper, or stop medication belongs to you and your prescribing provider, based on your full history. Compassion NeuroHealth does not make medication changes unilaterally.
Handing back care to your existing providers
What your psychiatrist or therapist receives
At the end of your course, your Compassion NeuroHealth team sends a summary to your psychiatrist or therapist covering your symptom scores, side effects, and any recommendations for ongoing care.
Continuing therapy after the course
Talk therapy alongside and after TMS may help you build on the gains from treatment. Many providers recommend continuing therapy through the weeks when your brain is still adjusting.
Early warning signs worth tracking
- Sleep quality dropping again, or sleeping much more than usual
- Losing interest in things you’d started re-engaging with
- Withdrawing from people again after weeks of reconnecting
- Motivation or concentration slipping at work or home
When to call us
Call if two or more of these signs last longer than two weeks, or if you have any thoughts of self-harm. If you are in crisis, contact 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room.
Your Care Does Not End at Your Last Session
Compassion NeuroHealth follows up with every patient after their course, checking symptom scores, reviewing whether maintenance makes sense, and staying in touch with your psychiatrist and therapist. If it’s been a while since your last session, or you’re noticing early signs of a dip, get on the calendar before symptoms build.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How Long Do TMS Results Last?
A: Many patients maintain meaningful improvement for 6 to 12 months, though this varies. A published meta-analysis found roughly two-thirds of responders still met response criteria at three months, dropping to under half by one year, with maintenance sessions helping sustain response longer.
Q: Will I Need Maintenance Sessions?
A: Not necessarily. Some patients stay well without further sessions, while others benefit from a tapering schedule or occasional scheduled sessions, especially if they have a history of depression returning after past treatments. Your provider will base this on your response and history.
Q: Can I Stop My Antidepressant After TMS?
A: That decision rests with your prescribing provider. Stopping medication soon after improvement is generally linked to a higher chance of relapse, so any change should be planned and monitored rather than made abruptly.
Q: What Should I Do If My Depression Comes Back?
A: Contact your care team as soon as you notice symptoms returning rather than waiting to see if they pass. Early contact often means a shorter path back, whether that means a booster session, a full retreatment course, or a medication review.
Q: Can I Have a Second Course of TMS?
A: Yes. Repeating TMS after symptoms return is a standard, often insurance-recognized option, particularly for patients who responded well to their first course. Some patients who didn’t fully respond the first time do respond to a second course with an adjusted approach.
Q: Will I Need Another Brain Scan After Treatment?
A: Typically, no. TMS follow-up relies on symptom questionnaires rather than imaging. If you’re being considered for retreatment, your provider may recheck your treatment site and motor threshold using the same scalp-based mapping process from your original course, not a new scan.
Q: How Soon After Finishing Should I Follow Up?
A: Compassion NeuroHealth schedules a follow-up appointment shortly after your final session, then at intervals afterward to track your symptom scores over time. Reach out sooner if you notice early warning signs before your next scheduled check-in.
