Treatments

Headaches with TMS

TMS Headaches: What to Expect and How to Manage Them

TMS is non-invasive, convenient, and generally well-tolerated – often with minimal side effects. Temporary headaches are the most common side effect of TMS. The magnetic stimulation targets neurons in the brain; however, nearby facial muscles and nerves can also be affected. The contracting of these areas can be a cause of headaches during and after treatment. TMS technicians can adjust treatment to minimize discomfort, Tylenol and Advil can help, rest and hydration can help, and any headache pain should subside with time following treatment.

Does Therapy Matter?

Does integration matter?

Ketamine is already effective on it’s own — but it can become more effective and its benefit longer-lasting through the aid of therapy and integration work.

TMS for OCD

TMS for OCD

Originally used to treat depression, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has proven to be a transformative treatment option for many people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Wells Medicine offers accelerated TMS protocols designed to target severe and treatment-resistant OCD symptoms, providing a path toward rapid and lasting relief.

rTMS vs aTMS

Repetitive vs. Accelerated TMS – What’s the difference?

TMS treatment is evolving, and patients now have more options to fit their lifestyle and mental health needs. New protocols provide effective symptom relief and require less time in the office. Both repetitive and accelerated TMS are great for treating severe or treatment-resistant symptoms of depression, anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders.

History of TMS

The History of TMS

TMS is an advanced treatment option, originally developed in the 1980s, with a growing body of research and use. Therapeutic use has expanded beyond depression for the treatment of additional conditions and symptoms, with a variety of machines, and a growing selection of protocols.

No Sedation

Why you won’t be sedated for your SGB

We don’t use sedation to administer stellate ganglion blocks. Here’s why you don’t need sedation, and what we do to make the procedure as comfortable as possible.

Does it Hurt?

Do SGBs hurt?

Stellate ganglion blocks feel a bit like a flu shot, and we’ll guide you through the procedure the whole time.

TMS Targets Depression

TMS is targeted

TMS is focused and targeted — it targets one specific condition in one specific region of the brain.

Locating Your Stellate Ganglion

How to find your own stellate ganglion

Before ultrasound or x-ray, stellate ganglion blocks were done entirely by feel. You can still use these techniques to find where your own stellate ganglion is located.

SGB Side Effects

Side effects of a stellate ganglion block

We expect to see some side effects following a stellate ganglion block, and they are a good way to know that the procedure has been done correctly.

SGB for Mental Healtth: Will I Lose My Memories?

Do SGBs erase traumatic memories?

Stellate ganglion blocks reduce the stress response of traumatic memories, but they do not alter your memories of your traumatic experiences.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Time for a Ketamine Booster?

Do you need another ketamine series?

If you are returning to ketamine treatment after a long break, you may need to start with more than one infusion to find relief.

Try Nitrous Oxide for Depression

Nitrous oxide for mental health

Nitrous oxide inhalation treatment is quite similar to ketamine treatment, and may be a good alternative for some patients to treat their depression or anxiety.

Ketamine for Mental Health: When Ketamine Isn't Working

Reasons why treatment isn’t working

Whether you’re just starting treatment or have been going for a long time, there are some reasons why you may not be seeing the efficacy you expect from treatment.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Colors of Ketamine

Colors of ketamine treatment

Many people see colors during their ketamine infusions. What these colors are, and how they change over treatment, can offer interesting insight.

Your Ketamine Infusion Series

Your ketamine induction series

Ketamine treatment starts with a series of 6 infusions. Here’s what you can look out for after each infusion, and some of the ‘homework assignments’ we give at each appointment.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Your "Just Right" Ketamine Dose

Goldilocks ketamine dose

We work from the standard weight-based ketamine dose to find the optimal dose for each individual patient — not too much and not too little, but just right — toward the best possible results.

Treatments for Mental Health: Change Your Brain

Take advantage of neuroplasticity

Your brain is remarkably flexible. Both ketamine treatments and TMS promote neuroplasticity — a state where the brain becomes more malleable and receptive to change. This creates a powerful window of opportunity to accelerate improvements in your mental health.

Esketamine vs Ketamine: What's the Difference?

Ketamine VS esketamine for mental health

Esketamine, the active ingredient in Spravato, makes up half of racemic ketamine, which is used in most other ketamine treatments. While both medications are used to treat mental health, they have different levels of effectiveness.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Ketamine Bladder

Ketamine’s impact on the bladder

Ketamine’s potential impact on the bladder can be real, but you shouldn’t see it from clinical IV infusion use. When administered appropriately, ketamine is a safe and effective treatment for mental health with minimal side effects.

Ketamine for Mental Health: This is Not Your Brain On Drugs

The stigma behind psychedelic medication

The “war on drugs” resulted in a great stigma against psychedelic medications, including ketamine, and stalled medical research and progress in treating mental health.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Ketamine is a Cast

How ketamine fits into your treatment plan

Ketamine treatment can rapidly and effectively treat anxiety and depression for many people. However, it works best as part of a holistic approach to improve and sustain results.

TMS for Mental Health: Does Insurance Cover TMS?

Insurance coverage for TMS

Insurance covers TMS in some cases but coverage is limited. Insurance is unlikely to cover advanced protocols, rapid treatments, complex cases, off-label indications, or other conditions and indications. A direct patient care model can offer the best available approach to TMS without insurance.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Treating Trauma With Ketamine

Dealing with trauma during ketamine treatment

Thoughts or feelings associated with trauma don’t typically surface during a ketamine infusion, unless you choose to actively bring them up. And, overall, ketamine can be a good option for PTSD, CPTSD, and other conditions or symptoms of trauma — by themselves or with other treatments such as SGBs.

Treatments For Mental Health: Getting Home From Treatment

How to get home after treatment

For ketamine treatments, we ask that you refrain from driving after treatment, which means you’ll need a ride home following your appointment. For most other treatments at our office, you may drive yourself after your appointment.

Ketamine For Mental Health: Ketamine's Vibe

The vibe of ketamine

Each psychedelic feels different, and ketamine is generally associated with visual sensations. The feeling or vibe is highly malleable and affected by all manner of things — especially music during an infusion.

SGB for Mental Health & Pain Conditions: What SGBs Can Treat

What does a stellate ganglion block treat?

The Stellate Ganglion Block – also called SGB, sympathetic nerve reset, dual sympathetic reset, or sympathetic block – targets the sympathetic nervous system. Often employed for pain relief, stellate ganglion blocks have increasingly been used for PTSD and other mental health conditions with fast-acting and impressive results.

SGB for Mental Health: Does Insurance Cover SGBs?

Insurance coverage for stellate ganglion blocks

Insurance does not generally cover stellate ganglion blocks for mental health. The procedure is well established, but generally only covered for use in pain conditions (and even then it may not be consistently covered). It remains an excellent treatment option — especially considering its effectiveness and durability.

TMS for Mental Health & Pain Conditions: What TMS Can Treat

What does TMS treat?

TMS leverages sophisticated equipment and targeted protocols to deliver great results for depression, anxiety, OCD, and other conditions. Growing fundamental and clinical data support more ways to help more people with a wider range of conditions and symptoms.

TMS can be an excellent option for many people, often providing good results even when other treatments may not have worked.

TMS for Mental Health: One-Day TMS

One-Day TMS

One-Day TMS is a form of accelerated TMS that condenses treatment down to a single day. Early research points to excellent and durable results.

Ketamine for Mental Health & Pain Conditions: What Ketamine Can Treat

What does ketamine treat?

Ketamine was originally developed for anesthesia and analgesia. It has a long history as an extremely safe and effective drug and continues to be used widely for medical procedures and emergency medicine around the world.

A substantial and ever-growing body of research and clinical evidence has shown that ketamine is extraordinarily effective at treating depression, anxiety, and other conditions — with high rates of success, with strong and durable results, and for many people with treatment-resistant symptoms.

As research expands, our understanding of what ketamine may be used to treat continues to expand.

Treatments for Mental Health: TMS & Ketamine

The Surprising Similarity Between TMS and Ketamine

TMS and ketamine are both highly-effective interventional treatments for mental health symptoms and conditions, including depression, anxiety, OCD, and other mood disorders and some pain conditions. They look wildly different at a quick glance, and they rely on totally different technologies. And yet, they have surprising similarities — not just in what they can help treat, but also in how they work.

Ketamine for Mental Health: Yes, FDA Approved

Yes, ketamine has FDA approval

Ketamine is an FDA-approved drug that may be used by physicians for anesthesia and for other uses off-label.

TMS for Mental Health: What To Do During TMS

What to do during accelerated TMS

Dr Wells explains what to expect during accelerated TMS — including what you can do during treatment, between sessions, and after you return home.