Do I have to stop my medication to get a qEEG (Brain Map) done?
At Chattanooga BrainCore, we are certified in neurofeedback. We cannot professionally tell anyone to stop any medications that are prescribed by your doctor. Always contact your doctor if you have questions regarding medications and stopping those medications. However, to answer this questions specifically, you do not have to stop any medications in order to get a map done.
Believe it or not, the brain will show us the pattern regardless of medications.
Think of medications as a bandage. While they cover up the injury (or pattern), underneath the injury is still there. Bandages can be important to the healing process, helping to defend against infection or dirt, but the bandage itself does not do the healing.
Your map is not void if taking medication, or the lack of.
Can I be on medication during my neurofeedback training?
Yes. Just as answered above, the pattern is still there underneath the medication. The medication only aids in symptom management and not in healing. Neurofeedback changes brain patterns. And again, always consult your doctor when switching or changing dosage or type of medication.
Neurofeedback can be successful whether you are on medication or not.
Will I ever come off my medication?
In a perfect world, that is our goal! With every visit, your brain produces a graph of training. We monitor those graphs every week, over the course of your time with us. We may suggest talking with your doctor to titrate medications or change them, depending on what speeds your brain is producing. We look for progress in the brain by these graphs and monitoring to make sure we are bringing the slow speeds down and the calm focus speeds up. Together, we will go over the graphs with you periodically so you can see the changes too!
We have had many patients who were on medications for their symptoms that came down on milligrams, or came off medication all together! Remember we aren’t just covering the symptoms, we are re-training the speeds in the brain in order to alleviate the symptoms, and therefore the need for medication. But again, we cannot stress enough, that we are not the experts on medications. You must always contact your doctor when thinking about titrating or stopping medications.
Can you talk to my doctor for me?
In a way, yes! Dr. Hamilton welcomes professional relationships with other doctors, especially those who are in care with us! Once you sign a release, she would also be happy to speak with your doctor and/or equip you with tools and suggestions of how to speak with your doctor about neurofeedback and how that affects you!