Fibromyalgia and TMS: what Dallas patients should ask

What does the evidence say?

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health describes promising results in some preliminary studies of TMS for fibromyalgia. Preliminary evidence is not a promise of pain relief or a reason to assume that all TMS protocols have the same effect. Source: NCCIH.

Choose the outcomes that matter to you

Bring examples of what you hope will change. Ask how the clinician will distinguish improvement in pain from improvement in mood or daily functioning. Writing down separate goals makes follow-up more useful than relying on a general impression that treatment helped.

If depression is also a concern, a psychiatric assessment can address that concern alongside your ongoing medical care. It does not replace evaluation of your physical symptoms.

Questions about a proposed TMS plan

• Was the research done in people with fibromyalgia, or a different condition?
• How similar is the proposed treatment to the protocol studied?
• How long were participants followed after treatment?
• What uncertainty remains about benefit and repeat treatment?
• What screening is needed for implants, devices, and other health conditions?
• Who should I contact if symptoms change during treatment?

Bring your existing care plan

Bring previous evaluations, treatments tried, current medicines and supplements, and your own priorities. Ask who will be responsible for each part of care before making changes.

Read the broader guide to TMS and chronic pain for questions about costs, evidence, and treatment availability. If you have medication questions, our duloxetine guide covers how to prepare for a review.