Neurofeedback vs. Medication

I've only personally had one experience with medication. Years ago when Kyd was completely out of control and I was having a lot of anxiety and what felt like panic attacks and my GP prescribed Zoloft. I hated it. It helped with the anxiety but made me incredibly irritable and sleepy. I was either sleeping or having a fit. I went off it a couple months later, cold turkey. 

But I've known enough people who've gone through the medication process to compare neurofeedback with medication. I thought others might find this helpful if they want to consider neurofeedback as an alternative or supplement.

Neurofeedback, like medications, requires finding the right balance for each patient. This leads to a frustrating period of time in the beginning where various things are tried but don't help enough, or make things worse. The difference with neurofeedback is that results are instantaneous and can be reported to the clinician during treatment, immediately following treatment, and over the days between treatments. This allows for much faster adjustments. 

Neurofeedback has few side effects aside from whatever effects may result from a balance that isn't quite right -- for example a session might leave you feeling more depressed than when you went in, or more manic, or irritable, etc. Once balance is found, there are virtually no side effects aside from some people experiencing a headache right after. I've had this happen a couple of times and the headache was mild and lasted only an hour or two.

Medications change brain chemistry while neurofeedback works from the outside in by working with brainwaves, which are really the output of brain activity. In order for the brain to change brainwaves, it must change activity, and to do that the brain must change brain chemistry. Medications focus on one brain chemical at a time, one set of neurotransmitters, and this can result in throwing other chemicals and activity off balance resulting in new medications needed to correct the new imbalances. Neurofeedback allows the brain to make systemic corrections. 

Medication changes brain chemistry only when present, thereby making the patient "dependent" on medication in order to feel better. Neurofeedback trains the brain over time to function differently and better. Typical training lasts 30-40 sessions and most patients experience sustained and long lasting change that only requires "maintenance" sessions once or twice a year after.

P.S. As always, this is not meant to be a judgment of those who choose the medication route, or for whom medication is the only option.