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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Investigating Causal Brain-behavioral Relationships and their Time Course
Published on: July 18, 2014
Do benzodiazepines reduce the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation?
Lana Tran1, Lisa Hahn2, Shane Gill3
1Psychiatry Trainee, School of Medicine, Discipline of Psychiatry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Objective:
To investigate the effect of concomitant use of benzodiazepines on the efficacy of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder (TR-MDD).
Methods:
This is a retrospective study comparing rTMS treatment outcomes between patients taking benzodiazepines (n = 59) and those who were not (n = 136). Participants completed the HAM-A, HAM-D17, MADRS and ZUNG at baseline and at the end of treatment.
Results:
Patients taking benzodiazepines during rTMS treatment did not show any difference in partial response, response or remission rates compared to patients not treated with benzodiazepines. There was a significant decrease (p < .0001) in depression and anxiety scores from baseline to post-treatment among both groups.
Conclusions:
Concomitant benzodiazepine treatment had no effect on the efficacy of rTMS treatment of TRD, contrary to previous research.
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