TMS review finds no significant increase in most reported side effects
Across studies of transcranial magnetic stimulation for substance use disorders, most reported adverse effects did not differ significantly between active and sham treatment.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review compared reported adverse effects during active and sham transcranial magnetic stimulation in people with substance use disorders. Most adverse effects, including seizures, showed no statistically significant difference between groups. This is reassuring within the reviewed studies, but a nonsignificant comparison does not establish equal safety or rule out uncommon harms.
The abstract does not provide event counts, confidence intervals, observation periods, or details of concurrent substance use. Those omissions limit assessment of rare events and how the results apply to specific treatment settings.
The safety question
The researchers selected studies that reported adverse effects and compared how often events occurred with active treatment and sham treatment. Their question concerned tolerability in people with substance use disorders, rather than treatment effectiveness.
Exceptions need careful interpretation
Neck pain and cognitive impairment were reported more often with sham than active stimulation. These exceptions do not demonstrate that active stimulation prevents either problem, and the abstract gives no event counts.
The original publication
Evidence for safety and tolerability of transcranial magnetic stimulation for substance use disorders.
Blyth SH, Haq R, Menon S et al.
Brain Stimul · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41197767
- Record checked
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