TMS Injury. Here's What I Wish I Knew Before Starting
- jordanswellness
- 1 day ago
- 9 min read
A firsthand account of how Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) caused life-altering harm including brain injury, visual and vestibular issues, and chronic neurological symptoms. This post outlines what I went through, the red flags that were ignored, and what I wish someone had told me before treatment.
Disclaimer:
The information in this blog reflects personal experiences, publicly available reports, and scientific literature regarding potential harms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). It is not intended as medical advice and should not replace consultation with qualified healthcare professionals. Individual responses to TMS vary, and while harm is underreported and often dismissed, this blog is shared to raise awareness and support informed decision-making. If you believe you are experiencing adverse effects from TMS, seek a medical evaluation and trust your body and experience — even when professionals dismiss your concerns.
I was told TMS was safe. That it had no real side effects. What I wasn’t told was that within three sessions, it would trigger the worst medical event of my life and one I’m still recovering from nearly two years later.
I want to be clear: I didn’t go into TMS as a skeptic. I was hopeful. I trusted my psychiatrist when she said this was a non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment. I trusted the literature that framed it as gentle and low-risk. I trusted the system. And that trust nearly cost me everything.
What started after the first session was NOT subtle. I burst into tears, I had disassociation, clumsiness, slurring, extreme fatigue, and extreme pain. By the third session, I had double vision, dizziness, and cognitive issues that made it hard to read, focus, or even walk in a straight line. I flagged this immediately, but I was told I was “overly sensitive,” that maybe I was just anxious. Then I found out about an extreme breakdown with my care, the staff of clinic told me that they had talked to the lead psychiatrist and encouraged me to continue, I was told that my symptoms were merely an underlying condition and not TMS-itself, and clinic had falsified my records to make it look like I my pain had subsided day 2 and day 3, I turned down ear protection and even worse, that I had been on psychiatric medication before starting TMS, though I did not have a history of medication fails, in fact I didn't even have a diagnosis for depression and anxiety, only C-PTSD.
I was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury without loss of consciousness, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), with damage seen on a SPECT scan in the exact area the TMS coil had been applied — plus injury in my cerebellum. I developed persistent vision and vestibular issues, chronic neck pain, cognitive dysfunction, sensory processing problems, and more. This wasn’t a “dip.” It wasn’t placebo. It was real, physical damage caused by a medical device.
Looking back, I see so many red flags. The psychiatrist never did baseline neurological screening. She didn’t ask about sensory sensitivities. I was treated with high-frequency left-sided TMS, a protocol known to be more activating with no informed discussion of risks. And most crucially, there was no mention that TMS could cause brain injury. If I had known even a hint of that, I never would have moved forward.
Timeline of Harm:
May 25, 2023 – Initial intake with psychiatrist
June 28–30, 2023 – Received 3 high-frequency TMS sessions
Day 1: Felt like an 8/10 pain, burst into tears.
Day 2: Like Thor’s hammer slamming down on an ice pick in my brain
Day 3: Tech silent, no improvement, silk cap offered (ineffective)
Staff misrepresented condition in records (e.g., said pain decreased on Day 2/3, which contradicted my verbal reports and texts
June 29, 2023 – Reported severe neurological symptoms including head pain, dizziness, speech issues and clumsiness
July 1–10, 2023 – Did not show for TMS sessions. No calls or concern from clinic despite missed appointments and prior distress.
Initiated post-no-show contact (not the clinic).
July 10 was rescheduled by clinic as psychiatrist was unavailable again.
July 9, 2023 – CT scan at ER: no abnormalities
July 11, 2023 – Met with psychiatrist via zoom; she said she would help but hypothesized that I had an underlying condition
July 11–13, 2023 – No referral formally placed by psychiatrist despite clear neurological crisis.
Only names texted; I was told by neurology clinics they needed a referral.
July 19, 2023 – The psychiatrist says, "At this point it has been too long for you to have these symptoms so the less likely a side effect from TMS…”
July 26, 2023 – Requested records
Later reviewed records show factual inaccuracies and omissions (e.g., pain levels, staff commentary, ear protection falsely marked “refused”).
July–Oct 2023 – Underwent extensive diagnostics (MRI, MRA, X-ray, SPECT), referrals, and multiple specialty assessments
August 2023 – Diagnosed with possible nerve or vascular overstimulation by neurologist; ongoing debilitating symptoms
September 6, 2023 – Psychiatrist recommends writing a case to submit to NeuroStar and peer-to-peer with neurologist
The peer-to-peer release forms are not sent until September 11, 2023.
October 2023 – SPECT imaging showed hypoperfusion at TMS coil site and cerebellum injury
October 2, 2023 – The psychiatrist updates on NeuroStar adverse report stating, “They were not aware of the TMS effects like the ones you experienced.”and adds that NeuroStar would not take immediate action, but would retain the report for FDA submission.
October 4, 2023 – Received the NeuroStar report submitted by the clinic.
October 9, 2023 – Request revisions to the report "that better portrays the issues so that NeuroStar has a more accurate picture of events".
October 9, 2023 – Psychiatrist replies that Jordan should submit the updated version directly to NeuroStar, walking back her office’s role.
Fall 2023 – Continued to search for answers with neurological consults
January 2024 – Consult with Neuro-Optometrist who performed assessments and confirmed brain injury symptoms and abonormal pupillary reactivity. Started Syntonic Light Therapy protocol and specialized glasses
May 2024 – Consult with first PT who understood TBIs and PCS and was fully assessed and diagnosed
Ongoing – Still experiencing head pain, sensory dysfunction, and cognitive issues
Text message from my psychiatrist after I reported disabling symptoms: “At this point it has been too long for you to have these symptoms so the less likely a side effect from TMS…” This is how quickly harm is dismissed when there’s no roadmap for handling real neurological injury.
Timeline of Harm:
No neurological or sensory sensitivity screening
High-frequency protocol used without evaluating risk or alternatives
Staff misrepresented psychiatrist’s approval while she was unavailable
Symptoms reported were dismissed or attributed to anxiety
Records falsified or omitted key medical distress
No follow-up or continuity of care after acute symptoms
I now know I’m not alone. I’ve spoken with dozens of others who experienced similar outcomes — neurological symptoms, cognitive decline, tinnitus, emotional dysregulation, and in some cases, complete functional collapse. These stories don’t make it into glossy brochures or promotional videos. But they matter. And they’re part of the picture.
I wish I’d known that just because something is FDA-approved doesn’t mean it’s safe for everyone. I wish I’d known how quickly clinics are willing to silence patients once harm occurs. And I wish someone had told me that you can get injured from TMS — and that when it happens, help is hard to find.
If you’re considering TMS, I’m not telling you what to do. I’m asking you to look deeper. Ask harder questions. And don’t dismiss those of us speaking out. We’re not anomalies. We’re injured patients who deserved better — and who are still fighting to be believed.
Here's what I wish I'd known broken down:
My Injury (Diagnosed by specialists after TMS):
Traumatic brain injury without loss of consciousness
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI)
Vision dysfunction: double vision, convergence issues, poor smooth pursuit
Vestibular impairment: dizziness, imbalance
Chronic midline posterior neck pain
Sensory and cognitive processing difficulties
SPECT scan showed reduced brain activity at TMS coil site and signs of cerebellar injury
When I didn’t show up to appointments because of the pain, no one called to check on me. The psychiatrist was out of state. The staff said she approved continued treatment, but she hadn’t. And they misrepresented what I told them in my chart.
Red Flags That Were Ignored:
The psychiatrist rushed me into treatment: The psychiatrist conducted a single two-hour intake with no additional sessions, no comprehensive medical history or neurological screening, no follow-up discussions to weigh risks or truly assess fit. At the end of that one appointment, she immediately recommended I start TMS. It felt abrupt, but I was trying to trust the process.
No detailed screening for neurological vulnerability or medical history: A two-hour meeting is not sufficient to assess and recommend a life-altering treatment like TMS.
Told "you might feel worse before you feel better": I was told TMS was safe, non-invasive, and well-tolerated. The way it was presented both by the psychiatrist and the clinic made it seem low-risk. “You might feel worse before you feel better,” she added, almost as a disclaimer. I now see how dangerous that phrase is. It was used to preemptively explain away any negative reaction. But my symptoms weren’t just an emotional dip. They were neurological and they started right away.
Symptoms started immediately after TMS and escalated, but I was told I was "overly sensitive": The technician said I might just be anxious and needed the coil to be adjusted. The psychiatrist called me “overly sensitive” and told me that there must have been an underlying condition that I didn't know and TMS exacerbated. There was no effort to pause treatment or reassess what was happening. I stopped showing up, scared and sick and heard nothing from after months had passed as if I was not still in pain.
Medical records were falsified: When I requested my medical records, I was shocked to see that the psychiatrist had documented I had “chosen to discontinue for personal reasons.” None of the symptoms I reported were recorded. No mention of my phone calls, my distress, my warnings. It felt like protecting liability mattered more than telling the truth. I also noticed that the psychiatrist had noted that I was on zoloft, which I had never been on before and further confirmed after pulling my medical records from my childhood clinic.
What I Would've Wanted to Hear Beforehand:
Some people experience serious, lasting neurological harm: Not emotional discomfort, but actual brain injury. Visual problems, balance issues, sensory overload, cognitive decline, chronic pain. It’s rare not because it doesn’t happen, but because it’s underreported, dismissed, and sometimes outright denied by providers.
There's no way to know in advance who is vulnerable: Having a sensitive nervous system, prior concussion history, migraines, or sensory issues might raise your risk but none of this was part of my evaluation. No one asked if my brain had any predispositions that might respond poorly to electrical stimulation. I do not know if this has been studied deeply or even considered and it should be.
TMS has not been properly studied for long-term safety in neurologically sensitive individuals: Most studies are short-term, industry-funded, and exclude people with co-occurring neurological or psychiatric histories. That means people like me and people like you are often not represented in the safety data being used to sell this treatment.
If something feels off, stop immediately and get a second opinion: Don't wait for someone else to validate your symptoms. Trust your own lived experience. If your body or brain is screaming at you that something is wrong, listen to that over the clinic’s reassurance. The phrase “you might feel worse before you feel better” should never override serious physical symptoms. And, the TMS dip has no studies to back up their claims as factual.
You are not alone if this hurts you: There’s a growing community of people who were also told it was safe only to end up with harm that altered their lives. You're not broken. You're not imagining it. You're not too sensitive. You’re injured and you deserve to be believed, supported, and heard.
I’m not sharing this to scare people, I’m sharing it because no one warned me. TMS was sold to me as safe, side-effect-free, and life-changing. It was life-changing just not in the way I was promised. If you're considering TMS, I urge you to ask deeper questions, listen to the stories that rarely make it into glossy brochures, and know that informed consent means knowing all the outcomes not just the ones that sell.
If this happened to you too, please speak up. Your voice matters and together, we can advocate for research, accountability, and safety in brain-based care.
Remember, healing takes time, but with each small step, you’re closer to the new normal that honors the strength, resilience, and brilliance you’ve always had. 🌟
All my light. All my love.
Namaste,
Jordan
Resources That Helped Me:
Disclaimer: This post is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Please consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplements or therapies.
Comments