Has anyone tried this Fischer Wallace FDA approved thing for anxiety and depression?

[whitewave]

I’m so tempted to buy it for my son to try. It’s $400 on sale.


I believe you use it for 20 mins 2x a week.

Fisher Wallace Stimulator® - $400 Discount + Free Shipping

The Fisher Wallace Stimulator® is a wearable neurostimulation device cleared by the FDA to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. During each 20-minute treatment session, the device gently stimulates the brain to produce serotonin and other neurochemicals that treat symptoms and support healthy...

www.fisherwallace.com

 

[Snowdrop13]

Is there evidence it works? This review suggests not.

Table 2, GRADE Quality of Evidence Table - The Effectiveness and Risks of Cranial Electrical Stimulation for the Treatment of Pain, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, and Insomnia: A Systematic Review - NCBI Bookshelf

I don’t really understand how something like this can affect the brain- through the skull?

 

[whitewave]

Yeah, I just asked DH about it and he was like......... no, don’t buy it.

 

[Snowdrop13]

Yeah, I just asked DH about it and he was like......... no, don’t buy it.

I should have said- sorry if your son is suffering from anxiety and depression, hope he’s able to access treatment.

 

[whitewave]

I should have said- sorry if your son is suffering from anxiety and depression, hope he’s able to access treatment.

Oh, don’t worry about that! I do that all the time, where I answer a question and forget to add sentiment to it.

He is in all kinds of treatment and we have tried basically everything. I found him a new psych in New Orleans and she had him do a sleep study first, which he finally was able to do last week.

Thanks.

 

[OdetteOdile]

@whitewave , I don't have any advice on the device, but I am sorry your son is suffering from anxiety and depression. I hope you get some answers from the sleep study and find something that helps him. As one of my friends has said "I knew being a mother would be hard, but I never knew it would be this hard." I'm sending support and hugs.

 

[mary poppins]

Sorry to hear your son is struggling.

I haven't heard of that device but recently heard there's genetic testing to determine most suitable depression medication. Not sure about cost or how well it works. Might be worth checking out.

 

[Gussie]

@whitewave, when I saw this I immediately was interested. Then I saw the reviews. I'm so sorry your son is having problems. My daughter gets home tomorrow from a 5 week stay in a psychiatric hospital for depression, anxiety, Insomnia, etc. She will start IOP on Tuesday. I never dreamed having kids could be so hard. We are taking it all one day at a time. Big hugs and prayers for you and your family.

 

[whitewave]

Gussie, I’m sorry to hear it. He has been able to avoid in patient, though we have certainly discussed it at numerous points along the way.

He was such a happy baby and child until about age 7/8. I always wonder what happened to my happy baby.

both Dh’s grandmother and my grandmother were shut ins, so the anxiety is THICK on both sides.

 

[kenny]

If people have faith in stuff it often works for them, even if there is no actual evidence that it works.
Billions don't care about evidence and just accept cool and awesome claims on faith.

Me, I only accept what there is good evidence for.
But hey, people vary.

 

[inne]

I’m so tempted to buy it for my son to try. It’s $400 on sale.


I believe you use it for 20 mins 2x a week.

Fisher Wallace Stimulator® - $400 Discount + Free Shipping

The Fisher Wallace Stimulator® is a wearable neurostimulation device cleared by the FDA to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. During each 20-minute treatment session, the device gently stimulates the brain to produce serotonin and other neurochemicals that treat symptoms and support healthy...

www.fisherwallace.com

Sorry, I have not read all the replies, but have you considered rTMS? I received it through a research study and while it didn't help me, many others have experienced great results. The head researcher's name was Dr. Jonathan Downar, and he has written some very interesting things about it. Reach out to him if you want to know more about how/why it works.

There are a lot of treatment options beyond the normal antidepressant + psychotherapy approach. Unfortunately, a lot of psychiatrists are reluctant to have patients try them - even if the alternative is just cycling through every SSRI/SNRI/atypical antipsychotic/mood stabilizer/etc. again. So if you are interested in alternatives, chances are that you'll have to research them yourself and then talk to a doctor about it. If you've already gone through all the usual treatments, you may want to start exploring emerging therapies like ketamine, off-label use of psychostimulants, and ECT. There are new therapies that seek to target neural networks similar to rTMS. It's also possible that unipolar depression is a misdiagnosis. We know that unipolar and bipolar depression respond to medications differently, and we know that all sorts of things are mistaken for unipolar depression (ADD, hypothyroidism, early stages of schizophrenia, PTSD, low testosterone, etc.). And, of course, there are so many forms of psychotherapy and a positive therapeutic alliance can make all the difference for some.

The fact that there are so many things to try can feel overwhelming. But it also means that it's rare to truly have tried everything. There are so many possibilities out there for your son.

 

[House Cat]

I’ve done TMS. It helped me greatly. It’s done in office and you have to go five days per week but it’s worth it. If all else fails, this should be considered.