Can You Drive After TMS?

Asking "Can you drive after TMS treatment?" is a smart consideration. With some other psychiatric treatments, you have to make transportation arrangements. But because transcranial magnetic stimulation requires no sedation, anesthesia, or medications that impair alertness, patients stay awake during their sessions and typically return to normal daily activities right away. Most people can drive immediately after a TMS session.

Quick answers:

• TMS therapy doesn't involve medication and has no recovery time, so there's no need to wait for sedation or anesthesia to "wear off" afterward, meaning you can drive right after.
• Mild side effects such as headache or scalp tenderness are usually temporary and don't affect your driving ability.
• Check with your provider before driving if you experience significant dizziness or vision changes after treatment, or have any additional side effects or concerns.

Why most people can drive right after a TMS session

"Driving should not be a concern following their TMS appointment," says Ava Meyer, PMHNP-BC, MSN, APRN, a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Radial. Because there's no sedation, you don't have to worry about after effects or driving restrictions. One of the differences between TMS and ECT or Spravato is that those treatments require post-treatment observation and transportation arrangements, while TMS does not.

TMS works by delivering targeted magnetic pulses to specific areas of the brain. You stay awake for the whole treatment and can typically return to work, run errands, attend school pickup, or drive yourself home immediately afterward.  "This makes it easy for them to attend appointments and return to their child or work responsibilities right after treatment ends for the day," Meyer explains. Because there is no recovery period, many patients schedule TMS before work, during a lunch break, or at the end of the day.

That means most patients can drive themselves to and from every session throughout the full course of treatment without any issue. Some providers may briefly observe patients after an initial session, particularly if they experience symptoms that warrant additional monitoring. 

"A clinician is present for the initial mapping and first treatment. If a patient experiences new sensations, dizziness, or other symptoms following the first treatment, we can complete any additional assessments and monitor them further, if clinically indicated, before they leave the clinic," Meyer says.

Once cleared by their provider, patients can resume normal activities, including driving.

When providers recommend extra caution

While driving after TMS is safe for the vast majority of patients, Meyer says there are a few uncommon situations where additional caution is advisable.

"If they experience any side effects that would impair their ability to operate heavy machinery or drive a car, we may need to assess whether TMS can be continued and if further precautions are necessary," she explains.

Factors that might warrant some extra precautions include:

• Significant post-session symptoms: Most patients leave feeling much the same as when they arrived, aside from occasional mild side effects such as headache or scalp discomfort. You should wait to drive if you feel very dizzy, experience vision changes, or get a bad headache.
• Your first session or two: Some people prefer to arrange backup transportation for their first appointment — just until they know how they respond to treatment. While this is rarely necessary, it can provide additional peace of mind.

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