CONTACT: Mandie
Phone: 303-884-3867
E-mail: info@tmscenterofcolorado.com
Website: www.tmscenterofcolorado.com
First and Only Non-systemic and Non-Invasive Treatment for Depression
Now Available in Colorado
FDA Cleared treatment for Depression Available in Colorado
NeuroStar TMS Therapy® Offers New Hope to People Living with Depression
DENVER, CO (OCTOBER, 2009) –Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Therapy , a revolutionary new treatment for depression and a range of other neuropsychiatric disorders, is now available at The TMS Center of Colorado, the first private clinic to offer this exciting new treatment. The NeuroStar TMS Therapy® system is the first and only device of its kind to be cleared for the treatment of depression by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (October 2008). The device is clinically proven for the treatment of major depression in adults who have failed to achieve satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication.
“We are excited to be providing TMS Therapy and to be a part of this major step forward in psychiatry,” said Ted Wirecki MD, Medical Director and CEO. “Despite advances in treating depression, more than 30 percent of patients with this debilitating disease do not benefit from and/or are intolerant of antidepressant medications. Now, we have the option of offering patients the first and only non-systemic and non-invasive treatment for depression.”
TMS Therapy is a non-systemic (does not circulate in the bloodstream throughout the body) and non-invasive (does not involve surgery) form of neuromodulation that delivers highly-focused MRI-strength magnetic pulses to stimulate nerve cells in an area of the brain that is linked to depression. NeuroStar TMS Therapy is a 40-minute outpatient procedure that is prescribed by a psychiatrist, does not require anesthesia or sedation, and patients remain awake and alert.
NeuroStar TMS Therapy was demonstrated to be effective and safe in the treatment of depression in clinical trials. In an open-label clinical trial, which is most like real-world clinical practice, patients treated with NeuroStar TMS experienced a response rate (substantial improvement in symptoms) of 54% and 33% experienced remission (complete resolution of symptoms). Over 10,000 treatments were safely performed with no systemic side effects such as weight gain, sexual dysfunction, nausea, dry mouth, and sedation. The most common adverse event related to treatment was scalp pain or discomfort at the treatment area during active treatments, which was transient and mild to moderate in severity. The incidence of this side effect declined markedly after the first week of treatment.
“Studies demonstrated that treatment with NeuroStar TMS Therapy is safe and effective in patients who did not respond to prior antidepressant therapy,” said Dr. Wirecki. “Approximately 1 in 2 patients experienced a significant improvement in symptoms without side effects that are common with antidepressant medications.”
For more information about TMS at The TMS Center of Colorado, please contact Mandie Wolf at 303-884-3867 or mandie.wolf@tmscenterofcolorado.com.
About Depression
Depression affects at least 14 million American adults each year. Researchers estimate that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Each year, over 30,000 people in the U.S. commit suicide. 60 percent of these individuals suffer from depression. The economic burden of depression in 2000 was estimated at $83.1 billion in the U.S. Women are almost twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. However, some experts feel that depression in men is under-reported. About two-thirds of those who experience an episode of depression will have at least one other episode in their lives.