Can it be used while a patient is on medication?
Based on a survey with over 150 clinicians, it was widely reported that more than half their Neurofeedback clients start on one or more medications. This is common knowledge among professionals in the field. After a number of Neurofeedback sessions, a reduction in medications is not unusual. It’s very important that the physician be alerted if signs of overmedication occur.
An example: a 42-year-old female was being seen by a therapist. She had been on four medications for five years to treat depression. After 40 sessions, in conjunction with her physician, she had reduced to one medication at a lower dose, with improved mood and affect. In an informal survey of about 150 health professionals, they said more than half their clients reduced or even eliminated medications.
Another example: A large psychiatric practice in North Carolina reports using neurofeedback successfully with over 30 bipolar patients. These patients clearly met the DSM-IV criteria for bipolar. Most had been on medications for many years, and were hospitalized up to several times in a year. They clinical director, a neuropsychologist, reported that all patients but one wh had received more than 20 Neurofeedback sessions were able to reduce their medications, and became more stable. For that population, he also reported that “maintenance sessions” of one or two neurofeedback sessions monthly were required. This group hopes to publish data on bipolar disorder in the future.
There is no way to predict a medication change. The theory about reducing dosages is that as the brain becomes more activated during training (increased blood flow), it works more efficiently. The same dosage seems to have a stronger effect on a more efficient brain, and thus reduction may be required.
Not every patient’s medications are affected. For some patients, neurofeedback seems to act synergistically with medications, allowing the medications to achieve a better response, or stabilizing the use of medications. Neurofeedback is complementary to other treatment approaches, and may help them be more effective.
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