RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – A drug-free treatment for depression has arrived at the Rutland Regional Medical Center, opening up a potential new option for care in southern Vermont.<\/p>\n
Claire Astone of Brandon has battled substance abuse and is a domestic abuse survivor. But her longest fight has been with depression.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy depression got so horrible last summer that I only thought about taking my life,\u201d Astone said.<\/p>\n
The Rutland Regional Medical Center has become part of her routine, spending about 20 minutes under their new transcranial magnetic stimulation machine each day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a deal that I would postpone ending my life and coming here and try this, and I have done that. Friday is day 36. I finished 36 treatments,\u201d Astone said.<\/p>\n
She is the first patient at RRMC to go through a month straight of daily sessions. The NeuroStar TMS isn\u2019t new to the Northeast but is a first in southern Vermont.<\/p>\n
The 72-year-old said she heard of the idea through friends who used a similar machine at Dartmouth Health, but distance was a factor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho can go two hours over and come back every day? People work, people have kids, people are too depressed. Having it here is phenomenal. It was hard for me to come,\u201d Astone said.<\/p>\n
The drug-free treatment delivers magnetic impulses to the patient in an effort to wake up dormant functions by targeting specific parts of the brain.<\/p>\n
At least one study found 83% of patients saw measurable improvement in their depression symptoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s worth trying,\u201d Astone said. \u201cThere\u2019s no guarantee. I am in a better place and I\u2019m super grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say patients feel the full effect four to six weeks after treatment.<\/p>\n
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